Open Access

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe and discuss the current state of fashion business academic education worldwide. This is motivated by the wish to develop recommendations for the fashion business bachelor program of Reutlingen Uni versity. Design/methodology/approach: This paper is based on a systematic review of relevant fashion business academic programs. A qualitative comparison is conducted through a categorization of the programs’ content and a score system evaluating the programs’ concepts. Findings: Key findings were that several factors ensure successful fashion business education: Industry connections, international networks, project-based work, personalized career services and innovative approaches in teaching that include all steps along the fashion value chain. Research limitations/implications: The research was primarily limited due to the limited number of schools assessed. As a result of the restricted time frame, those schools that were presented could only be analyzed regarding a few aspects. Future research should focus on a more in-depth analysis and further-reaching comparisons, e.g. comparisons with teaching concepts outside the fashion business area or with requirements by fashion companies.