Inside Luxury: Culture and Couture

This pre-college course examines the evolving relationship between art, luxury, and fashion, and  how these interconnected fields reflect historical movements, global power structures, and contemporary cultural trends. Through a combination of college-level lectures and exclusive site visits, students investigate the creative and commercial forces that shape luxury and style, making this course particularly valuable for those considering college majors in fashion studies, art history, design, marketing, or cultural studies.

Students trace these relationships through key artistic and design movements, from the Bauhaus and Surrealism to Modernist and postwar developments such as Pop, Punk, and Op Art. The course also explores influential contemporary collaborations between artists, designers, and luxury brands, including Anish Kapoor for Bulgari; Yayoi Kusama, Richard Prince, and Takashi Murakami for Louis Vuitton; Zaha Hadid for Chanel; and Jeff Koons for Lisa Perry. Through these case studies, students examine how luxury is defined, communicated, and transformed through artistic collaboration.

Students will analyze the longstanding influence of street style on high fashion and investigate how sustainability has become a central tenet within the global luxury industry. Students also explore the impact of influential designers and creative directors such as Virgil Abloh, Karl Lagerfeld, Telfar, and Miuccia Prada, considering how branding, identity, and innovation shape contemporary fashion and luxury.

Throughout this pre-college course, students apply their learning through hands-on, creative projects that mirror college-level learning. Final projects may include curating a hypothetical exhibition, designing a fashion line, or creating an original work of art, all presented to the class. Students will develop analytical, creative, and presentation skills while gaining experience to stregthen college applications.

The Priority Admissions Enrollment Deadline is February 27.