Bunka Gakuen has occupied a position of leadership as a mainstay in fashion education in Japan since the founding of the institution in 1923. Now, as our mission, we are striving to establish a fashion foothold from a global perspective in order to fulfill our socio-educational duty in the field of fashion culture and the related tangible creations as well as the scientific fields that accompany the fashion culture.
To attain this mission in the fashion-related industry, while simultaneously managing the growth of our institution, our reliance is dependent on three key factors:
Globalization – offering a superior research and educational environment suitable for an international society.
Innovation – assuming a position of guidance for technical enhancements in the fashion realm.
Creativity – providing an educational institution that cultivates exceptional talent while pioneering original methods and novel styles.
Bunka Gakuen is comprised of two major divisions: the Educational division and the Business division.
In the Educational division, Bunka Women’s University asserts the “Creation of new beauty and culture” while offering an excellent model of academic and research functions, including a graduate course of studies.
The Bunka Fashion College nurtures professional talent in fashion not only domestically but globally as well and has produced many international-level creators.
The Bunka Fashion Graduate University, the first specialty graduate school in the Japanese fashion area, aspires to develop and encourage fresh and creative individuals as a means of establishing Japanese brands in the international fashion markets.
Further, our Bunka Institute of Language accepts foreign students from many countries and has been highly evaluated as a distinctive educational institution for learning Japanese language.
As attached institutions, Bunka Gakuen additionally consists of three Resource Laboratories engaged in the development of fashion-related educational materials and each collaborates in joint research within both the industrial and academic domains. Also, attached are a Library, a Costume Museum and a Fashion Resource Center, which are accumulating and providing a variety of fashion-related data and associated information. We contribute to researchers, specialists and to the industrial world inside and outside of Japan as well as supporting education and research in our own schools through the use of these institutions.
After accumulating these academic achievements over many years, we have evaluated and designated them for the “Promotional project for development of a joint research center in the Humanistic and Social Sciences” in the year 2008 through the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology unique to fashion, and we have established the Bunka Fashion Research Organization to conduct research of the fashion culture. Joint academic research with other universities and with corporations will also be conducted through this organization with the results disseminated to the entire world.
Additionally, our International Communication Center directs academic and cultural exchanges with affiliated overseas institutions (40 schools in 13 countries) supporting international students as well as students in Japan intending to study abroad.
The final sector of our Educational division is the Intellectual Property Center, which exists to protect our original intellectual properties such as patents and new practical designs and/or devices. This portion of our institution collaborates within the industrial, academic and political domains in an effort to generate a more substantial contribution to society.
The Business division is comprised of the Bunka Publishing Bureau and the Bunka Business Bureau.
The Bunka Publishing Bureau issues fashion magazines and fashion-related practical texts like “So-en” a fashion research magazine, “Hi-fashion” containing the world’s latest information on fashion modes and “Mrs.” A general interest magazine, as well as other fashion culture documents. This part of our organization also publicizes the latest information around the world by issuing our original educational curriculum in Chinese, Korean and English textbooks.
In addition, we have created the “So-en Award,” which offers a distinctive opportunity to a fashion designer, by recognizing and supporting the unique talent dedicated to making a substantive contribution to the Japanese fashion industry.
The Bunka Business Bureau markets fashion-related educational materials and texts, manages both the study/training facilities and the 23-story Shinjuku Bunka Quint Building adjoining the school’s campus.
The revenues from these enterprises supply a critical portion of the support for the institution’s operation.
Bunka Gakuen’s participation in international activities ranges from a perspective of cultural exchange concerning fashion by requesting information and participation from various foreign countries, to collaboration and exchange with our affiliated overseas institutions, and to accepting students from more than 30 different countries in our various departments.
In 2005, Bunka Gakuen presided over the International Foundation of Fashion Technology Institutes Annual Meeting and International Conference as the sole member (school) in Japan and was selected as the chairman institute for 2009.
As previously stated, Bunka Gakuen is dedicated to cultivating talent who can constantly create contemporary designs and manufacturing techniques by harmonizing the intelligence and elements of our various departments while endeavoring to become a fashion center to the world by utilizing our original research, unique education system and rich accrual of international networks accumulated over the years.