CIEE HS Summer Abroad: Fashion Design & Culture in Tokyo

Design, create, and find your inspiration in futuristic, fashion-forward Tokyo!

Fashion design is a way to communicate identity, culture, creativity, and personal style. There is no better place to explore it than Tokyo, where cutting-edge streetwear, luxury fashion, and centuries-old textile traditions coexist. Alongside fellow Global Navigators, you’ll draw inspiration from the city around you as you develop your own original fashion project.

Start by learning to “read” fashion through color, silhouette, texture, and styling, and by understanding how clothing communicates identity and culture. Explore places like Harajuku, vintage shops, fabric districts, and independent design spaces across Tokyo. By the end of the program, you’ll create and present an original fashion piece or concept that reflects your creative vision, personal style, and growth as a designer.

Outside the creative studio, explore Tokyo’s colorful neighborhoods, browsing vintage shops, snacking on fluffy Japanese pancakes, and people-watching in Shibuya, where every street feels like a runway. Take two excursions: an architecture walk through Omotesando, a sleek neighborhood lined with luxury boutiques, and a visit to the Bunka Gakuen Costume Museum. Your summer in Tokyo will leave you with new creative skills, lasting friendships, and a clearer vision of where your future in fashion, design, or the arts could take you.