Asia-Pacific's largest design school opens Manila campus

MANILA, Philippines - From as far north as Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, and all the way down south to Auckland, New Zealand, Raffles Education Corporation (REC) has been setting the standard for design education in the Asia-Pacific region. REC is Asia-Pacific’s largest private education group, with 38 colleges in 35 cities across 14 countries and it is opening the doors of its very first campus in the Philippines this July.

Raffles Design Institute, Manila (RDIM), the flagship design institute of REC, is located at the trendy Bonifacio Global City in Taguig. The brand new campus will be rolling out four programs for a start this July: Two-year, full-time, advanced diploma courses in fashion design, fashion marketing and management, graphic design, and interior design.

The programs at RDIM are designed to equip aspiring designers with the essential technical and business, knowledge and skills for the global arena. RDIM’s fast-track program allows high school graduates who enroll at RDIM to earn an internationally recognized bachelor of design degree in three years and students have the flexibility to complete their studies within the Raffles network of colleges in 15 countries.

RDIM also boasts of an international academic team comprising of industry practitioners from the United Kingdom (UK), United States of America (USA) and the Philippines. They are academic director Dr. Janet Emmanuel for fashion design; Nela San Jose for fashion marketing and management, Buz Walker for visual communication; and Lee Miles for interior design.

Fashion design takes students from design concepts and processes to final production for the global marketplace. “Besides the on-campus activities, we will also be visiting galleries and fashion shows possibly in Singapore and/or Hong Kong for a start. Aside from the mainstream textiles, our students will also be taught how to capitalize on local fabrics such as the Piña fabric,’’ says Dr. Emmanuel, who has had a long history in various top design schools in the UK.

Fashion marketing and management, on the other hand, mixes the business and creative aspects, where students are trained in buying and merchandising practices, as well as in conceptualizing and developing brand management strategies. The creative side includes sewing, pattern-making and styling, among others, while the business side focuses on management principles, marketing, advertising and accounting.

“This subject will give my students options and it will open their eyes to the different fields they might want to pursue. There are lots of options they can explore such as fashion public relations, events and various professions in the media. It doesn’t have to be one or the other,” shares Nela San Jose, a magna cum laude graduate from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, USA and RDIM fashion marketing and management lecturer.

RDIM is currently accepting enrollees for its July 2011 intake. For information on RDIM and its program offerings, visit http://www.raffles-design-institute.com.ph/, or contact RDIM at 846-2888 and mailto:rdi-manila@raffles-design-institute.com.