Uniquely featured in providing fashion-related art and technology education programs, Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology (BIFT) is a full-time higher education institution with its own distinct characteristics that offers studies in art, technology, economics, management and other disciplines at all degree levels. Founded in 1959 known as Beijing Institute of Textiles, the BIFT was first affiliated with the Ministry of Textiles. In 1998, the BIFT became a university under the administration of the Municipality of Beijing.

In recent years, by following its educational principles of seeking truth from facts, bring forth innovation, and studying for practical applications and insisting on its own educational characteristics, the BIFT has established the complete teaching system characterized by combining art education, engineering education and management education, integrating ethnic fashion culture with contemporary design concepts, and focusing on both theoretical knowledge and practical skills. Currently the BIFT has five schools (School of Fashion Arts and Engineering, School of Art and Design, School of Materials Science and Engineering, School of Business, and School of Information Engineering), two departments (Foreign Language Department and the Department of Plastic Arts), two teaching divisions (Division of Social Science and Division of Basic Teaching), one educational center (Computer Information Center), one International School, one Continuing Education School, and one Graduate School, with a total of over 7000 students and over 800 teaching and administrative staff . The BIFT offers the undergraduate programs in 21 majors, one masters degree program in the first-grade discipline, seven masters degree programs in the second-grade disciplines, one second bachelors degree program and four double degree programs. The BIFT has one Beijing Key First-grade Discipline (Textile Science and Engineering), three Beijing Key Second-grade Disciplines, and four municipal-level scientific research institutes (Beijing Fashion Materials R & D and Evaluation Laboratory, Capital Fashion Culture and Apparel Industry Research Base, Beijing Clothing Technology Transfer Center, Digital and Interactive Media Laboratory), and one Ethnic Costume Museum, one of the ten best specialized museums in China.

Since 1997, the BIFTs International School/Foreign Exchange Center has been recruiting the foreign students as well as the Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and overseas Chinese students for a number of majors such as fashion design, performing arts (fashion performance), visual communication, environmental art design, digital media design, international trade, and Chinese language. Over the past 14 years, the BIFTs International School has educated and trained thousands of foreign students from over 30 countries including Japan, Korea, the US, the UK, Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Russia, Denmark, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Mongolia, Viet Nam, Indonesia, Kazakhstan Tajikistan, Armenia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Ghana, Ukraine, Ethiopia, and Chile as well as the Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and overseas Chinese students. By the end of the year 2011, 281 foreign students and Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and overseas Chinese students had been studying at the BIFT and the separate class for the undergraduate international students majoring in fashion design had been established.