Choosing a career path as a teenager can feel overwhelming. I remember, quite a few moons ago, weighing up all the options in front of me and wondering which course would give me the best chance of employment, but also whether I’d actually learn what the real world would one day ask of me. It’s a tension that never really goes away, and it’s one I see reflected in the students who walk through our doors every year.
At NABA, Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti, the purpose is clear: through Artistic Intelligence, we nurture people to design a new tomorrow.
The approach we take to creative education is built on two deceptively simple principles: thinking and making. Not one before the other. Not theory now, practice later. Both, always, in conversation with each other. You’ll see this running through our BA programmes at the NABA London campus in Fashion Design, Fashion Marketing Management, and Design, where learning is multidisciplinary and closely reflects how creative work actually happens.
On the thinking side, students are constantly encouraged to question ideas before they make anything. That means developing a clear point of view and asking why a project should exist in the first place. This is where concepts are truly shaped, not just ideas generated.
Then comes the making. Students move quickly into prototyping, experimenting and testing ideas through physical or digital outputs. The key is iteration: making something, reflecting on it, refining it, and often looping back to rethink the original concept entirely — learning by doing. In practice, this plays out through studio-based learning, project briefs that mirror real-world constraints, and continuous critique sessions. Feedback is fast, honest and collaborative, just as it would be in a professional creative environment.
Whether a student ends up sewing a piece for a fashion show or designing packaging for a global brand, the process of thinking and making together is what helps them discover what makes their work distinctly theirs
When we look at our data, according to a 2025 survey by Doxa, 90% of NABA graduates find employment within a year of completing their studies — a figure that rises to 94% for those who complete a Master of Arts or Academic Master programme. These numbers speak not just to the quality of the education, but to how well it maps onto what the creative industries are actually looking for.
What makes this approach particularly powerful is that students are never just “studying theory” in isolation. From day one, they work as if they are already in a studio or agency: responding to briefs, managing deadlines, presenting ideas, defending creative decisions, and building a portfolio as they go. By the time they graduate, they’re not translating academic work into professional practice — they’ve already been doing it for years.
But perhaps the most valuable outcome isn’t the portfolio or the technical skills. It’s the sense of creative identity that emerges along the way. Whether a student ends up sewing a piece for a fashion show or designing packaging for a global brand, the process of thinking and making together is what helps them discover what makes their work distinctly theirs.
In a world where the role of human creativity is being questioned more than ever, that feels like exactly the right thing to be teaching.
About the author: Diego Mattiolo is School Director and Head of Education at NABA, Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti’s new London campus. With over ten years of international experience in academic management, he brings strong expertise in leading multicultural teams and developing dynamic, student-centred learning environments. He has experience in key growth initiatives, maintained high teaching standards, and delivered distinctive educational experiences.
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