News
SKEMA commences exclusive negotiations with the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in the United States
SKEMA Business School is excited to announce that it has entered into an agreement to acquire the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM) in the United States. Following the acquisition, FIDM’s creative business and management programs will be operated under the name “SKEMA Business School L.A.”.
Based in Los Angeles, California, and founded in 1969, FIDM is a renowned school that prepares students for careers in the creative industries. FIDM holds the WASC-Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) and National Association of School of Art and Design (NASAD) accreditations, and currently has approximately 1,000 students. Its programs range from associate of arts and bachelor’s degrees, to an MBA, with courses leading to a wide range of professions in the fields of tech, beauty, entertainment, and fashion. FIDM’s network of 70,000 graduates works for some of the biggest American and global brands.
By joining SKEMA, FIDM students in the "Beauty Business Management", "Digital Marketing", and "Business Management" bachelor’s programs, as well as those in the MBA, “Merchandising & Marketing” and other programs, would be able to include other disciplines taught at SKEMA to their existing curriculum and could take full advantage of the synergies and hybridization that SKEMA is developing on all its international campuses once regulatory approvals are obtained.
For their part, SKEMA students would be able to enjoy new academic and immersive experiences in Los Angeles.
"We want to continue to expand our international footprint in the United States. Established since 2011 on the East Coast in Raleigh North Carolina, a high-tech hub and cluster, SKEMA is now ready to begin the second chapter of our American success story on the West Coast in Los Angeles, with FIDM as our partner of excellence, in a region renowned worldwide for its creative industry. This is a particularly strategic new step in SKEMA's development and the international outlook that is part of our DNA," says Dr. Alice Guilhon, SKEMA's dean and executive president.
"We are very excited about SKEMA's interest in us. We are convinced that the mutual quest for excellence of our two institutions could give FIDM students new aspirations and avenues of employability in a rapidly expanding global industry," adds Barbara Bundy, vice-president of education at FIDM.
The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions and accreditation and other regulatory approvals. If approved, it is expected to be completed in early 2024.
