SLIM’s Fashion & Arts School and Benilde partner to strengthen fashion education

SLIM’s Fashion & Arts School, one of the Philippines’ longest-standing fashion institutions, has formed a formal partnership with De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (Benilde) to preserve and expand fashion education in the country. The alliance was established through a memorandum of understanding signed in September 2025 and aims to integrate SLIM’s historic curriculum and archives with Benilde’s academic programmes.

Under the agreement, SLIM’s specialised courses in fashion design, patternmaking and technical craftsmanship will be offered within Benilde’s School of Environment and Design, allowing students to benefit from both legacy training and broader academic resources. The collaboration also safeguards SLIM’s extensive fashion archive — including garments, books, vintage materials and historical documents — which will be housed at the upcoming Benilde Fashion Museum.

Benilde’s established Bachelor of Arts in Fashion Design and Merchandising programme, first launched in 1996, will help deepen the partnership’s educational impact, providing expanded access to fashion training and industry-relevant learning opportunities.

Benilde officials described the alliance as a custodianship of Filipino fashion heritage and a way to broaden access to quality fashion education for future designers.