Shenkar was founded in 1970 as the “College for Fashion and Textile Technology”, with the goal of qualifying skilled manpower for the then-thriving Israeli textile and clothing industry. The school was named after Arieh Shenkar, founder of the Manufacturers Association of Israel (formerly Industrialists' Union in The Land of Israel) and a pioneer in the Israeli textile industry.

Dr. Nathan Brown, the first elected president of Shenkar, was the Acting Superintendent of Schools in New York City. He, together with a few invited professionals and experts from the US, arrived to Israel to teach five core disciplines: textile technology, production management, management and marketing, fashion design and textile design.

The first class of the college consisted of approximately 300 students, but the college has grown ever since. In 1976, Shenkar was endorsed as an institute of higher education, and in 1983, the college finances were finally transferred from the Ministry of Industry and Trade to the Council of Higher Education, responsible for all University budgets in Israel, completing Shenkar's transformation into a public academy.

During 50 years since its establishment, Shenkar has trained thousands of graduates, who enjoy incredible success in Israel and assume senior and influential positions globally. With its advanced R&D facilities and expertise, Shenkar has become one of the leading industry-oriented colleges worldwide.

For a more detailed account of this becoming, please watch the touching autobiographical video on Shenkar (in the first-person narration) prepared for its 30th anniversary:

Today, Shenkar offers academic degrees across the many design, engineering and art fields.

In the Azrieli Faculty of Design, 6 departments offer a Bachelor’s Degree in Design (B.Des): the Department of Visual Communications, the Department of Textile Design, the Department of Interior - Building and Environment Design, the Department of Jewelry Design, the Department of Industrial Design and the Department of Fashion Design, considered one of the best fashion schools worldwide.

In 2008 the School of Multidisciplinary Art, which offers a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts (B.F.A), was launched, and later, the unique multidisciplinary program for Master’s in Design was introduced (M.Des), offering either a thesis-based or non-thesis tracks for a degree in Fashion, Textile, Jewelry and Accessories Design. In 2018, Shenkar has launched an experimental Master's program in Design for graduates of engineering specializations. In addition, in 2019 another innovative study program – game design – was approved for M.Des. degree.

In the Pernick Faculty of Engineering, 5 departments offer a Bachelor’s Degree in Science (B.Sc.): the School of Industrial Engineering and Management, the Department of Chemical Engineering, the Department of Polymer Materials Engineering, the Department of Software Engineering and the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering. Master’s Degree programs are offered in the the Department of Polymer Materials Engineering and the School of Industrial Engineering and Management, providing a unique study program for those qualified.