Our BA (Hons) Fashion programme has been designed to give graduates the tools to become innovative fashion practitioners, incorporating entrepreneurship, modern craftmanship and contemporary practice to establish their own personal design identity. You will cultivate both the creative and practical skills needed to produce contemporary fashion products, whether this be for a small business start-up, luxury global brands or the widening fashion market.
Across the three years, projects will be underpinned with sustainable design consideration, understanding and production, all enabling learners to position themselves relevantly within the competitive and evolving fashion industry. Skills with new and emerging digital technologies will be nurtured and implemented into your design and production process, exploring virtual 2D & 3D simulation software.
This programme will offer you the opportunity to engage with industry through client-led briefs, international competitions and the experience to collaborate your practice across multiple art-based disciplines throughout the school. Within the final year you will refine your skills to develop a graduation project in your specialised area of fashion.
During the degree, you will be encouraged to seek work experience opportunities and partake in educational visits and international trips. Collaborative projects and placement opportunities are encouraged during your study to establish yourself as an emerging designer within this growing and fast paced industry.
In this specialist fashion programme we allow you to explore aspects of fashion design with digital innovation, and enterprise, where you will learn the fundamental skills of design practice and industrial skills of the future. The supportive experience of learning in our institution will nurture your ability to take risks and develop your creative identity. Through challenging project briefs that are closely aligned with industry, you will develop your own artistic output whilst finding your own form of self-expression through fabric, shape, and finish for fashion products.
The course embeds new digital technologies into your learning experience, preparing you for the digital advances in the industry, and applying this to a range of disciplines, from design to communication. You will be introduced to traditional methods of research and investigation, then work to advance these skills through up-to-date virtual 2D & 3D garment simulation software and digital visualising techniques for implementation and portfolio. The development of key skills will underpin your learning through the study of the principles of fashion marketing, promotion, contextual understanding, trend forecasting and styling – all giving you a deeper understanding and experience of skills and opportunities needed within the current and future fashion industries
Access to tutorial guidance and subject specialist technicians will be at the heart of your experience, giving you the opportunity to explore modern textiles and cutting-edge digital technologies that will enhance your skillset and creative exploration. The course will encourage you to investigate ways for you as a practitioner to communicate with different fashion markets and methods to engage consumers with your product – this will be done through exciting modules and live projects that consider the journey of an idea from conceptualisation to hanger. Emphasis on customer, trend and communication are embedded throughout the curriculum, with the circular economy and sustainability being a core factor of all our working projects.
Level 4
• Materials and Processes
• Fashion Marketing
• Redesign and Style
• Fashion Product
• Fashion Visualisation
Level 5
• Digital Product and Promotion
• Creative Discussion
• Industry Specialisms
• Fashion Futures
Level 6
• Project Research and Preparation
• Dissertation / Report
• Final Major Project
• Final Show and Portfolio
Our fashion design studios are equipped with specialist industry standard facilities, from virtual garment prototyping software ‘Optitex’, to cutting edge specialist sewing machinery. Students will have access to textiles and embroidery areas, digital fabric printers, professional photography studios, iMac suites, 3D printers and laser cutting facilities.
You will have access to individual workspaces (at no extra cost), Adobe Creative Cloud access and technical support throughout three years of study, benefitting from a collaborative art and design faculty to explore your fashion future, in professional working studios. Academic lecturers, creative practitioners and technical staff will support your study.
Our students benefit from a tight-knit creative and collaborative community helping you to establish your connections and individual career aspirations and fashion future.
Your portfolio is a visual statement of you as a creative. This can be from any creative background and does not need to be limited to fashion. The advice below is not meant to be restrictive but rather offers some simple advice to help you prepare your portfolio review / interview.
What we like to see :
A quality portfolio should be limited to a few select examples of your strongest creative work which you feel passionate about and happy to discuss during a portfolio review / interview.
What are we looking for?
• A knowledge of fashion and your aspirations in the fashion industry
• What or who inspires you creatively
• Drawing and / or visual communication skills
• An awareness of current design influences
What could a portfolio contain?
• A digital presentation or sketchbook with examples of your creativity
• Any examples of a design process (I.e. visual research to final outcomes)
• Any examples you have of art or design outcomes, mixed media, drawing or textile exploration
• Any examples you have related to fashion
• Any photographs of three-dimensional work (I.e. draping on the stand, final garments, fabric manipulation or sculpture)
• An example of written work.
• Any additional creative work that showcases your creativity, and interests.
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This degree is for you if you wish to have a career in design or manufacture of: