The Glasgow School of Art (GSA) and the Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology (BIFT) have agreed to establish an institutional agreement for a 1+1+1 arrangement whereby suitably qualified students from the Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology can apply for entry into the GSA Post-Graduate Programmes. Professor Penny Macbeth, Director and Principal of The Glasgow School of Art, signed an Institutional Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and the 1+1+1 Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with Professor Sai Ma, Dean of Tsinghua University’s Academy of Arts & Design at a reception which took place at the Royal Mint Court in London on the 13th of June.
The signing event was followed by an invitation for The GSA to attend the inaugural International “Day for Dialogue among Civilisations”, a special event co-hosted by the Chinese Embassy in the United Kingdom and the Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology. The Chinese Ambassador to the UK, Zheng Zeguang, delivered a speech at the event, where he called for mutual respect, dialogue, and deeper cultural exchange.
Tsinghua University in China is a long-standing partner of The Glasgow School of Art, first signing a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) in 2009. In 2023, an International Young Designers Competition (IYDC) fashion show was held at the Juyongguan section of the Great Wall, showcasing designs from BIFT and other international institutions. James Stephen-Cran, Head of Fashion & Textiles at GSA, visited BIFT and attended the fashion show as one of the judges. MDes Fashion & Textiles graduate, Siyu Xia (Ted), received an award for Excellence at the IYDC. In 2024, Sally Stewart, Head of The Mackintosh School of Architecture at GSA, previously visited BIFT to discuss the details of the 1+1+1 institutional agreement.
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Notes for Editors.
Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology
Specialising in fashion, Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology (BIFT) is a university with a profound history and distinctive characteristics. It was founded in February 1959 as Beijing Textile Engineering Institute and renamed as Beijing Institute of Chemical Fibre Technology in July 1961. It was a key university of higher education and academic research in chemical fibre and established by the then Ministry of Textile Industry. In February 1987, it was rebuilt and expanded into Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology, the first government-sponsored fashion design and garment engineering university in China.
Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology (BIFT) comprises the College of Fashion Art and Engineering, the College of Accessory Art and Engineering, the College of Material Design and Engineering, the College of Art Design, the College of Fashion Communications, the College of Business Administration, the College of Fine Arts and the School of Language and Culture Studies.
The institute’s academic programmes and curricula cover the whole industry chain of textile and clothing, occupying the leading position in China in paradigm development and discipline construction in the areas of clothing and accessory design and industry. BIFT has 7,345 full-time undergraduates, master candidates and Ph.D. students, among whom there are 6,081 undergraduates and 1,264 advanced degree students.
BIFT also possesses one of “the National Top Ten Special Museums” — the Ethnic Costume Museum, which collects more than 10,000 pieces of Chinese ethnic costumes, accessories and ornaments, fabrics, batiks, embroideries, etc., integrating the multi-functions of collection, display, restoration, scientific research and teaching.
About The Glasgow School of Art (GSA)
The Glasgow School of Art (GSA) is internationally recognised as one of Europe’s leading independent university-level institutions for education and research in the visual creative disciplines. Our studio-based, specialist, practice-led teaching, learning and research draw talented individuals with a shared passion for visual culture and creative production from all over the world. Originally founded in 1845 as one of the first Government Schools of Design, the School’s history can be traced back to 1753 and the establishment of the Foulis Academy delivering a European-style art education. Today, the GSA is an international community of over 3500 students and staff across architecture, design, fine art, innovation and technology in our campuses in Glasgow and Altyre (in the Scottish Highlands) and a thriving Open Studio programme delivering non-degree provision to over 1500 students annually.
