Pearl Academy

Pearl Academy (formerly Pearl Academy of Fashion) is an institute offering undergraduate, postgraduate and diploma pathways in design, fashion, media and business.

History

Starting with a campus in Okhla in South Delhi, the academy later moved to a larger campus in Naraina, in the West of the city.

Expansion saw new campuses being added in Jaipur (2005) and Mumbai (2014).^[1] The Jaipur centre moved to a new custom design-and-build campus in 2008, after which a new campus in Noida opened in 2012.

In 2011 Pearl entered into a long term partnership with Laureate International Universities, and it is now part of the LIU global network which includes more than 80 institutions around the world.^[2]

In 2012 the institute's name was changed to Pearl Academy, in recognition of the growing number of courses in design and business.

The academy now has over 4,500 students and more than 340 academic staff. A large number of guest faculty are also actively involved in teaching and serving on juries for assessment of projects.

Campuses

As of May 2017 the institution has four centres in India: Delhi NCR West, the academy's oldest campus, located at Naraina; Delhi NCR East which is located in Noida sector 59;Pearl Academy Jaipur, located at Kukas; and the newest campus in Mumbai located in Andheri.

The Jaipur campus was designed by architects Morphogenesis and completed in 2008.^[3] The design uses traditional cooling methods found in the desert environment of Rajasthan, such as a step-well in the centre and the use of Jali-inspired structures.^[4] It won the award for 'Best Learning Building' at the World Architecture Festival awards held in Barcelona, Spain in 2009.^[5] The Jaipur campus of Pearl Academy recently hosted the Jaipur Design Carnival. Jaipur Design Carnival was conceived as a designers’ festival to celebrate the power of design. Many creative practitioners from diverse fields design participated in the event. There were panel discussions, fashion show, live music, workshops and display of arte facts. The event was organized by the faculty and students of Pearl Academy Jaipur and the workshops were conducted by students of Pearl Jaipur.

The latest campus (Mumbai) was officially launched on 16 April 2014 by Sussanne Khan, Interior Designer and founder of design studio 'The Charcoal Project', who announced her support for students of the academy by way of Scholarships.^[6]

Academics

The Academy has the following Schools: School of Fashion, Styling & Textiles, School of Design, School of Media & Journalism, and School of Creative Business.

Apart from the flagship program in Fashion Design, notable courses include Interior Product Design and Luxury Brand Management, both among the first in India for these subjects. Below are the pathways Pearl Academy offers:

For the academic year 2017–18, Pearl introduced scholarships for new entrants. The aim was to further encourage and reward the meritorious students.

International alliances

Pearl Academy is a member of the Laureate Education, Inc.

At Pearl, many international students enroll for a semester / one full year – level study or opt for customized programs of 6 – 8 weeks duration to understand the Indian manufacturing, retail, craft & heritage, garment industry, traditional fabrics, accessories, embroideries, graphic design, jewellery design, fashion merchandising & apparel production etc.

Post Graduate Diploma and PG Professional Diploma courses are validated by Domus Academy, Milan (Italy). Domus Academy was founded in Milan in 1982 as the first postgraduate design school in Italy, and as an open project focusing on the Italian Design and Fashion experience.

National Alliances

The existing collaborations include that with Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI), Institute of Indian Interior Designers (IIID), Retailers Association of India (RAI), Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) and is affiliated to AMHSSC (Apparel, Made-ups, Home Furnishing Sector Skill Council)

Student life

See also

• Pearl School of Business

References