Honoris United Universities, Africa’s first and largest network of private higher education institutions, today welcomes the pioneering FEDISA Fashion School, South Africa’s leading fashion and design institution, into its network. The addition of FEDISA illustrates Honoris’ continuous investment in the future of African talent by strengthening the Creative Arts, Fashion and Design vertical across the educational group.
The second largest sector after agriculture in Africa is the fashion and textile industry with an estimated market value of $31 billion in 20201 and growing every year. Fashion offers tremendous scope for African countries to participate in regional and global integration, thus creating jobs and inclusive growth. With the continent’s rising youth population, this is increasingly pertinent to South Africa’s development given that 65% of workers in the sector are under the age of 25.
Established in 2005, FEDISA now enters its 18th year of operations and is held to strong local and international student acclaim powered by academic partners across Europe and North America (such as the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM) in Los Angeles and MoodArt in Verona, Italy) and a wealth of industry partnerships (such as The Foschini Group (TFG), Cape Union Mart (CUM), BDA London & Truworths) bolstering its exceptional graduate employment record. Aligned in purpose, Honoris and FEDISA place innovation at the core of their respective missions, preparing graduates to leapfrog obstacles to achieve economic growth and transformation for their communities.
FEDISA Fashion School offers a range of highly specialised accreditations in a holistic approach to the business of fashion, encapsulating advertising, design and marketing, with the ability to add value and expertise to the rapidly growing ecommerce sector in Africa. With a state-of-the-art campus in the heart of Cape Town, FEDISA expanded its footprint in 2020 despite the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the addition of a campus in Sandton, CBD and retail hub in Johannesburg, embedding the instititution as a country-wide leader. Graduates of FEDISA enjoy an advantage in both their industry exposure during study and enhanced employment opportunities directly after graduating, with notable alumni holding positions including creative directors, designers and entrepreneurs.
Commenting on the announcement, Honoris Group CEO Dr Jonathan Louw, said: “The welcoming of a trailblazing institution such as FEDISA marks an important milestone for us, strengthening our Creative Arts, Fashion and Design vertical with a world-class offering. African fashion on the global stage is a force to be reckoned with, where sustainability and innovation are powering inspiration for tomorrow’s creative leaders and entrepreneurs. Given our own focus on employability, the exceptional approach and records of FEDISA align with our mission to transform lives through relevant education for lifetime success. We anticipate an impactful year of growth and development alongside all our member institutions across the continent as we welcome FEDISA, its faculty, its staff and its students into the Honoris community.”
Whilst FEDISA continues to expand its advanced Cape Town and Sandton campuses, Honoris will immediately support the institution in growing its digital and innovation capabilities in both campuses with a focus on student success. Harnessing digital tools such as 3D-printing and digital body scans will supplement a focus on blended and online capabilities, whilst ensuring that equipment within both campuses offers the highest quality learning experiences for its students. FEDISA also looks forward to welcoming new programs such as a Higher Certificate in Applied Fashion and a BA in Applied Fashion Retail, and develop further international partnerships.
Allen Leroux, Chief Executive Officer at FEDISA, added, “Joining the Honoris United Universities network creates a truly internationalized opportunity for FEDISA and all those associated with the institution. Being recognised as the leading school of fashion in Africa, speaks to the excellence of academic and creative provisioning by our incredible faculty and industry collaborators. FEDISA is now optimally positioned to make an even greater pan-African impact on fashion employability and sustainable practices for our graduates.”
As Honoris celebrates its fifth anniversary year, the announcement marks another milestone for the network in South Africa as FEDISA becomes the fourth institution in the country, alongside MANCOSA, REGENT Business School and Red and Yellow Creative School of Business. Having formed a strategic partnership with Merit University late last year, its first entry into Egypt, Honoris United Universities now comprises 15 institutions in 10 countries and 32 cities. With more than 190 partnerships with institutions and academic leaders across the globe, Honoris is Africa’s leading educational network, delivering its education for impact mission to over 61,000 students.
