BA (Hons)Fashion Design

Core modules

Fashion Illustration

In this module you'll gain competence in drawing a wide range of garment types on the human form, as well as explore and use a variety of mixed media to successfully communicate fashion design ideas. You'll learn how to draw figure templates in a variety of poses - learning how to draw faces, hair, hands and feet and shoes - with a focus on the proportions of the body and how these relate to garment design. You'll also learn how to draw garments onto figure templates, communicating how fabric drapes and sits on the body, as well accurately communicating construction and design features of clothes.

Concept to Consumer

Building on the knowledge and skills gained in semester one, in this module you'll design a range and make a garment for a specific fashion brand, market level and customer, furthering your knowledge of industry practice. You'll develop your fashion design and professional garment making skills, as well as focus on advancing essential digital skills, using industry-specific software.

Style Cultures

It is important to look at cultural and socio-economic phenomena with a critical eye, and this module will teach you how to do just that. You will practice how to analyse and discuss contemporary culture and its historical foundations, and understand how art can interpret and reflect the worries and desires of a particular society.

The Creative Process

This module introduces you to the sequential process involved in fashion design, from the creation of an individual concept, to the creative development and visualisation of design ideas. You'll learn how trends are forecast, how they’re communicated and how they relate to your own creative practice as a designer. Through practical work, you'll learn how to analyse and respond to your findings with colour/fabric stories, sampling, work on the stand, sketching, and collaging to inform design. You'll also learn the basic principles of flat pattern-cutting and garment construction through a series of exercises, producing a technical file of patterns and samples, and a basic finished garment.

Core modules

Tailoring

In this module, not only will you learn traditional tailoring techniques, the history of tailoring and its cultural significance, you will push your creativity by developing designs that are inspired by tailoring yet are anything but traditional. The focus is on furthering your creative design development skills. In short you will learn the rules and then break the rules to create something new.

Streetwear

Through this module you will gain knowledge of and apply garment construction skills in stretch and woven fabrics commonly used in streetwear, sportswear and casualwear garments.

Capsule Collection

Through this module you will use a variety of design processes, such as collage, digital photomontage, drawing and work on the stand to develop design ideas. You will learn how to design a cohesive collection including a range of garment types, source a range of relevant fabrics and trims, develop and realise ideas for surface design, silhouette and fashion details and visualise your target customer or muse.

Portfolio and Placement Preparation

This module helps prepares you well for what lays ahead – internships and beyond. You'll further your learning about the role of the designer in industry, what the industry expects from fashion interns and graduates, and how this relates to what you're learning on the course. You'll evaluate your own design identity, and with all these elements in mind, you'll learn how to best communicate and promote your skills, knowledge and individuality in your portfolio and in your CV. In industry, it is common practice for a potential employer to ask a job applicant to do a mini project specifically for their brand - in preparation for this, you’ll also practice a similar scenario.

The Fashion Context

This module is your opportunity to focus on a topic close to your heart. You'll be able to investigate a topic that you are passionate about and showcase your personality and originality. You'll learn how to express your opinion by building a convincing argument and to communicate your ideas verbally, visually, and through writing.

Core modules

Industry Placement

During this period you are expected to complete a minimum 100hrs requirement in industry. This is your opportunity to gain real world experience and an understanding of working in the creative economy. As you transition from a student to a graduate working in the industry, this will be an invaluable process and will help equip you for the exciting career paths ahead. Following the 100 hours of work-based learning experience you will be guided in your reflection and analysis of your chosen experience.

Major Project: Research and Development

As soon-to-be fashion design graduates seeking work in a competitive job market, it is essential that in your final year you develop and communicate a personal design identity, further your creative design ability, and advance a wide range of professional skills and knowledge. To showcase this, you'll be required to develop a concept that is both personal to you and is in response to changes in the socio-political, economic and cultural landscape. In-depth exploration and communication of the concept and how it will inform all aspects of design, will be recorded and communicated through predominantly primary research, including the collation and presentation of inspirational imagery, collage/photomontage, working on the stand, extensive sampling, sketching/working drawings, colour palette development, fabric sourcing and manipulation and print/surface textile development.

Fashion Design Major Project

You will gain professional skills in creating/ designing multiple garments by balancing colour, print, fabric, details and silhouette throughout a range, where you will advance your skills in critical analysis and evaluation as you reflect and improve your range throughout the process.

Optional modules

Please note: Not all optional modules are guaranteed to run each year.

Dissertation

A key focus of the module will be on the written structure and production of a critical paper and presentation methods of a viva voce presentation, that will allow you to utilise the knowledge and analytical skills that you have acquired throughout your study on your course.

Professional Presence

This module is designed to improve your employability upon graduation in this highly competitive industry. You’ll learn how to promote yourself online through the creation of a website showcasing an evolving portfolio of work. Doing this now means you can easily populate your website with your major project design work in semester two, and continue to update it in future. You will also learn how to make your online profile as professional as possible. Alongside this, you will do a mini design project. This can be a live project, for example, one you instigate with a fashion company you have done work experience for, or can just be for a fashion brand you would really like to work for. Alternatively, it can be a fashion design competition that suits your design identity.