Max Mara is the latest brand to fund a scholarship program with the Royal College of Art in London.
The two have come together to create a scholarship program that will offer students facing financial difficulties the opportunity to enroll in the Master’s program in fashion at the School of Design, starting next September.
It will be offered to two students annually for the next three years. Each recipient will receive £30,000, which will cover full tuition, as well as a contribution towards upkeep and materials.
In addition to funding, there is also the opportunity for students to experience a paid design internship at the Max Mara headquarters in Reggio Emilia, Italy.
Ian Griffiths, Max Mara’s creative director, said this initiative is close to his heart because he has had a long-standing link to the school, having graduated MA fashion in 1987. One of his first projects at the time was a competition hosted by Max Mara, which inspired his move to join the brand as a designer upon graduation.
“At a critical time for the fashion industry, Max Mara is proud to support RCA and its students in exploring new processes, methods and models. RCA designers are redesigning fashion, rediscovering the joy of fashion, and identifying fashion as an instinctive human activity. I am delighted to have the opportunity to accompany them on their journey,” said Griffiths, who was named an honorary visiting professor at RCA on the occasion.
Zowie Broach, MA Fashion Program Director at RCA, said: “Griffiths has a deep passion for identity, culture and fashion. Her support with the Max Mara Scholarships shows great leadership and concern for the future of studies in and about fashion at the RCA, welcoming a broader representation, a community of voices to build new identities and cultures” .
Although RCA is one of the most expensive art schools in the world, it has a wide variety of initiatives to support talented students through its courses.
Last month, the university unveiled the RCA Virgil Abloh Scholarship, named for the late designer who served as a visiting professor at the London institution. The scholarship will be offered to a talented, but financially constrained black British student in any program at the RCA School of Design.
Other scholarships offered by the school include the Märit Rausing scholarships in ceramics and glass; the Sir Frank Bowling Scholarship, which supports UK students of Black African-Caribbean diaspora heritage, or mixed Black African-Caribbean diaspora heritage; the RCA Logitech Scholarships, which provide scholarships for students from underrepresented communities and facing financial hardship, and the Tony Snowdon Scholarship, which supports students with a physical or sensory disability.
Source: news.google.com