Fashion Design – (B.A.)

Contents

Syllabus (11/12 entry*)

Year 1

You are introduced to fashion design through lectures, seminars and practical workshops where emphasis is placed on developing core skills and a sound awareness and understanding of your chosen subject. The focus is on developing practical design and study skills and contextual awareness. These foundational tools will enable you to apply and express your creativity through a variety of methods.

* Capturing creativity - examines what makes a successful fashion statement. The understanding of silhouette, colour and fabric is developed through lectures, workshops and the recycling and re-invention of existing garments into creative and innovative fashion statements.
* The tools of the trade - explores the design process through the development of a broad range of pattern, production, CAD and drawing skills.
* Exploring fashion - develops your knowledge and understanding of fashion history and providing you with the skills of research and formal academic writing.
* Capturing the market - through market research and analysis, design is explored on the UK High Street.
* A cut above - focuses on the designer level of the fashion market. To extend pattern knowledge and techniques, it explores the realisation of design ideas through the techniques of modelling on the stand.
* Reading identity - through lectures, seminar discussion and set readings this unit explores consumer choice from a theoretical perspective. It will focus on how people use clothes in order to construct their identity and how this informs both the production and consumption of fashion.

Year 2

You become more independent in your approach to your learning. You are encouraged to challenge tried and tested approaches to design and pattern cutting in order to stimulate fresh and innovative ideas which you can continue to build on into your final year.

* Made to measure - introduces the students to a variety of approaches and techniques used in tailoring from mass market through to handcrafted bespoke methods.
* Thinking it, cutting it - brings together theories of design and your studio practice.
* The placement (option 1) - opportunity to gain 'hands on' knowledge of the fashion industry and test out your desired career choice and further develop their professional and team working skills.
* Industry case study (option 2) - you explore an aspect of the fashion industry in-depth, to achieve a greater understanding of how the subject they are studying is applied in a 'real life' situation.
* Research methods - utilises and extends the theoretical debates previously covered by the course to demonstrate the way you can reflect on your subject in the written form.
* Company identity - provides the opportunity for you to further test out your team working skills in a simulated industrial project.
* European or International exchange (optional)

Year 3

You are given the opportunity to undertake in depth, self-sustained research into an area of interest and develop skills which allow you to prepare for professional practice in you chosen career pathway.

* Pre-collection - opportunity to investigate the methods a current fashion company employs in its approach to the market positioning, design, production and branding of its clothing. It starts the preparatory work for the final collection in semester six when you have to design and produce your own collection.
* Portfolio - consolidation of your portfolio starts in this unit and is concluded in the signature portfolio unit, you steer your portfolio to express your interests and abilities in the subject ensuring it is directional and appropriate for your career aspirations.
* Dissertation - a substantial period of self-directed research on a subject that is related to the historical, theoretical or critical concerns of the student's discipline or professional area.
* The collection - opportunity for you to take an individual approach to the design and production process and to manage this efficiently and effectively.
* Signature portfolio - production of a signature portfolio, consolidating the knowledge and skills acquired on the course.

* Please note the syllabus content is for the academic year indicated and is provided as a guide. The content of the course may be subject to change.