Could Esmod Australia be back on the cards?

Prestigous fashion college Whitehouse Institute of Design has quashed suggestions it will process all domestic students from the Australian School of Fashion, which went into administration earlier this month.

Chief executive Ian Tudor said students from the school had applied for positions at Whitehouse but their applications would be processed in the “normal way”.

“It is not unusual as we also have applications from other institutions such as Raffles [College of Design],” he said.

“Whitehouse has been running now for 21 years and because of its conservative business model, it is not subject to the risks that have forced the closure of other colleges which may have had a more aggressive commercial objective.”

The Australian School of Fashion, formerly Esmod Australia, was forced to shut its doors on November 6 after its ultimate parent company Global Campus Management/Meridian Group entered into voluntary administration.

According to administrator PPB, investors in Meridian, owned by Chinese group Sinoed, pulled further funding from the group after realising the student numbers forecast would not be met.

As reported on ragtrader.com.au, Meridian expected enrolments at its fashion college to reach 250 students by December 2009.

At the time of its closure, a majority of students were part-time, with roughly 26 pupils across two main classes and 50 in pattern-making lessons held on Monday and Tuesday evenings.

The closure of the school was the second blow for students in as many months, after it was rebranded from Esmod Australia to the Australian School of Fashion in late October.

It is understood the move was prompted by premium licensing fees associated with the Esmod International network of schools, a prestigious fashion education group founded in France more than 160 years ago.

Industry speculation suggested a new Esmod Australia college could be on the cards in the short to mid-term future. Esmod International operator Anne Viallon did not deny or confirm the reports when contacted by Ragtrader.

“You’ll surely understand that it’s impossible for us to give you any position about that situation now,” she said.

Vallion said the school would be in contact with Ragtrader as soon as there was “news to share”. A creditors’ meeting for the Meridian Group was held in Australia at the time of press.

Assia Benmedjdoub