WANT TO STUDY FASHION IN PARIS OR MILAN? THIS FILIPINA CAN GUIDE YOU
Aside from academic guidance, Istituto Marangoni’s Jacinta Remulla has also been coaching students on personality development and handling rejection—like a true ‘ate’
Luxury brands holding fashion shows in Europe often tap talented students from Istituto Marangoni to work backstage in the setup and overall production.
The university, founded in Milan in 1935 with nine global schools, was attended by the likes of Franco Moschino, Moschino creator; Alessandra Facchinetti, creative director of Harlan + Holden and formerly of Prada, Gucci, Valentino and Tod’s; and Domenico Dolce of Dolce & Gabbana. In Manila, notable graduates include SoFA Design Institute cofounders Amina Aranaz-Alunan and Loralee Baron-Soong.
Istituto Marangoni fashion courses are offered in the fashion capitals of Paris, London, Milan and Florence, and since 2019, Filipina consultant Jacinta Maria Diaz Remulla has been helping students in Paris score internships on quite a luxurious list.
“I’ve placed over a hundred students in the following brands: Dior, Rick Owens, Vetements, Rahul Mishra, Elie Saab, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Hermès, Karla Otto, Chloé, Vogue, Van Cleef & Arpels, Off-White, Cartier, Chanel, Nina Ricci, Balenciaga, Lanvin, Gucci, YSL, Zuhair Murad, to name a few,” Remulla told Lifestyle.
As a marketing strategist and career development adviser for Istituto Marangoni, the 32-year-old is tasked with connecting brands with students— and making sure they are ready. Remulla was based in the Paris school, and is now back in Manila to focus on Filipinos who aspire to study in the prestigious institution.
“My main focus is getting brands to collaborate with our students through industry projects,” she said. “And organizing talks with the best in the biz, as well as securing internships in major fashion houses.”
Remulla said it’s important to have passion and a “dedicated team” to help with orientation and preparation. She is fluent in French, and does mock-up interviews with students in French.
Istituto Marangoni is an international school with 4,000 enrollees from 107 countries (other schools are in Miami, Mumbai, Shanghai and Shenzhen). Classes are taught in English, but Remulla suggested that students learn to communicate in the language of their dream brands (“Italian for Italian houses and so on”).
Gen Z students
Filipinos who want to study at Istituto Marangoni must fulfill the requirements found online (istitutomarangoni.com) for their target education: short course, three-year degree program, or master’s.
“A dozen Filipino students are currently studying in Paris, London and Milan,” Remulla said. “The most popular courses are Bachelor of Arts (BA) in fashion business, fashion design and fashion styling.”
For the master’s program, the most attended are luxury brand management,
fashion promotion, communication and media, fashion buying and merchandising, as well as fashion styling and creative direction.
“BA students are mostly 18 to 21 years old,” Remulla said. “We’ve also had students who took up fashion as a second degree—mostly business graduates who love fashion, but were not allowed to pursue it because their parents don’t consider it a serious career. We even had a doctor and a biologist.”
For students going for their childhood dreams, Istituto Marangoni offers online short courses and intensive one-year courses. Master’s applicants, on the other hand, must have a fashion degree and a solid portfolio.
“Experience and local training are important so the student doesn’t get left behind,” Remulla said. The student should have the basic foundation in tailoring, draping and pattern-making in order to follow their tutors. They must also have knowledge of androgynous and sustainable fashion.
Over the pandemic, Istituto Marangoni has had a “hybrid” set-up with 50-percent capacity in all locations, except for fashion design classes where students must be on-site for proper training.
“The Paris campus is almost at 100-percent capacity,” she said. The school facilitated COVID-19 vaccinations, and the vaccinated students can attend classes physically following health protocols.
Fashion big sis
Remulla was in Paris when the pandemic broke, and has helped students who were anxious and homesick. Aside from academic guidance, she has also been coaching students on personality development.
Living in Paris is romantic and an immersive environment, Remulla said, but in reality, “It’s busy and tough; everything is fast and super competitive in terms of fashion and luxury.”
She has given students tips on how to handle rejection and supported them like a true ate (older sister). It’s guidance that she would have wanted and needed while she was taking up her graduate studies in luxury brand management and luxury marketing in Institut des Hautes Études Économiques et Commerciales Paris and Mod’art International, respectively.
“I was in Paris on vacation seven years ago and found out about Istituto from a student, my cousin Gabriella Fortun, who eventually became part of the team that brought Versace to the Philippines in 2019,” she said.
After doing her double master’s, Remulla worked as a marketing manager for Estée Lauder Companies, handling 25 big brands and 17 affiliates across Europe, Middle East, Africa, India and the United States. Her extensive experience in luxury beauty has been a “big help” in her current job at Istituto, in aspects like digital branding and crisis management.
In college, Remulla took up theater arts at the University of the Philippines, Diliman. She said directing and acting in plays gave her the confidence to pack up and live in Paris.
“I was in the play ‘Orosman at Zafira’ with Dulaang UP where I learned how to stand, speak and present myself,” she said. “It took a lot of guts to move to another country, and in Paris, my theater skills came in handy.”
Students who are interested—and intimidated by the tuition in euros—can schedule a free consultation with Remulla (j.remulla.partner@istitutomarangoni.com), the first Istituto Marangoni partner in the Philippines.
She can discuss scholarship opportunities, accommodations, bank registration, student rights and discounts, and give an overview of what student life would be in Paris, Milan and Florence. She can even talk to parents who are on the fence about sending their kids to fashion school.
“Masters students must be ready to dedicate their lives to fashion; there is so much work to do,” she said. “I also help alumni find permanent jobs after they have graduated.”
Filipinos have a “nice and smiley reputation” on campus, Remulla said. “As students, we are masipag.” There are around 50 Istituto Marangoni Filipino alumni (among them stylist and former L’Officiel Manila editor Pam Quiñones, Jimmy Choo trading manager Juliana Huber, and half-Thai Balenciaga retail manager Katrina Kanokvichitra), and one of Remulla’s projects is to organize a group that would connect future students to established mentors. Networking, she said, goes beyond a student’s grit, skill and passion during fashion week.