MILAN — Istituto Marangoni is adding a new roster of courses to its offering, tapping into the luxury and creative industries’ need to advance their technological know-how, and ultimately embrace AI.
The fashion and design school — which throughout the years has extended its reach to art, beauty and hospitality, while expanding its global physical footprint — is launching five upskilling and reskilling courses, billed as “for professionals” and aimed primarily at senior fashion, beauty and design figures to develop and enhance their AI skills.
“Istituto Marangoni had never ventured into this [education] segment before, but we realized that there’s a growing need in the market for upskilling and reskilling, targeted specifically to the ongoing transformations that are happening in our sectors,” said the school’s managing director Stefania Valenti on Thursday during a press conference here.
According to data provided by the World Economic Forum 2025, about 39 percent of workers’ core competencies are expected to change, with big data and AI coming to the fore.
“We had a clear understanding of the market’s challenges, thanks in part to the direct connection we maintain with companies. Istituto Marangoni’s mission has always been to stand by the businesses, and today, in the luxury sector, approximately 62 percent of managers and executives admit they don’t know how to use AI professionally, beyond the amatorial level,” she offered.
In response to these needs, the new 16-week courses promise to plant the seeds for a cultural change within the companies, educating management and the workforce on the opportunities AI offers and training them to use dedicated tools.
Referencing data from consultancies such as Bain & Company, BCG and McKinsey, Valenti said that the global consensus points to a 10 to 25 percent improvement in margins for companies that are embracing AI innovation more swiftly.
The five courses comprise generative AI for fashion design and AI-driven fashion product development and merchandising, both developed in partnership with The Fabricant, the AI-powered design studio for fashion professionals; AI strategies for luxury beauty brand management in collaboration with Heuritech, the boutique trend forecasting agency; AI-enhanced interior design for luxury hospitality, in partnership with Cappellini and Versy, an Italian start-up specialized in generative AI for design and virtual experiences, as well as AI-curated fashion image and film production.
They will bow first at Istituto Marangoni’s Milan and Florence schools next March before a broader roll-out to the Paris and London outposts. Largely remote, the courses entail about 20 percent of in-person experiential activities.
An AI-generated fashion image created at Istituto Marangoni.
Courtesy of Istituto Marangoni
The school has proved its commitment to foster digital knowledge and innovation before, for example launching earlier this year the virtual-only Istituto Marangoni 12, its 12th outpost and conceived as a separate unit, with students offered the chance to attend courses through their computers or VR goggles for an immersive experience.
The announcement caps off Istituto Marangoni’s celebrations for the 90th anniversary this year of the Milan school. As reported, the school unveiled its new campus in the city last September, relocating to the neo-Renaissance Palazzo Turati, a historic building in Milan’s chic Via Meravigli area.
