College & Adult Summer Intensive Studies: Parsons Paris

3 U.S. credits recommended 
Language of instruction: English
Session: Morning

This course is an immersive introduction to fashion industries and their management strategies. Students explore the relationships between innovation, design, production and marketing. The course also provides an overview of the Parisian high-end fashion market and its key actors, from designers to retailers. Through visits to Paris luxury stores and showrooms, students gain an overall understanding of today’s fashion business.

3 U.S. credits recommended 
Language of instruction: English
Session: Afternoon

In this course, students explore perfume as a cultural, artistic, and industrial phenomenon, from its historical origins to contemporary fragrance culture. Students examine the evolution of perfume through history, considering its roles in ritual, identity, luxury, and everyday life. Through the study of raw materials, composition techniques, and fragrance structures, the class is introduced to the fundamentals of how perfumes are conceived and created.

The course also addresses the perfume industry as a global market, analyzing branding, marketing strategies, and the ways fragrances communicate meaning, desire, and status. Attention is given to major historical moments, key perfume houses, and trends shaping the industry today. A central component of the course is the development of olfactive language, enabling students to describe and emotionally engage with scent. By the end of the course, students will have gained a solid understanding of perfume in its historical, social, economic, and creative contexts. 

3 U.S. credits recommended 
Language of instruction: English
Session: Afternoon

This course is an immersive introduction to communication strategies in fashion and luxury companies. Students learn how to create and foster dialogue between a fashion brand and consumers. The seminars and workshops cover a range of topics, such as semiotic resources for brand identity, advertising and event management, experiential marketing, digital and interactive marketing, fashion journalism, and fashion public relations in the digital age. In addition, the course offers a Parisian perspective of luxury company strategies and investigates heritage management strategies from a communications perspective.

3 U.S. credits recommended 
Language of instruction: English
Session: Full Day

This course introduces students to various approaches and techniques involved in the design process for fashion products. Students are encouraged to experiment as they research and find inspiration for a fashion collection and devise innovative 2D and 3D production methods for their fashion pieces. Working on projects individually and in groups, students develop fashion concepts for which they draw on the unique resources of Paris and explore how fabrication methods and color affect collections.