Course summary

The aim of the course is to develop your creative and intellectual potential and to provide you with the relevant knowledge and skills required for a career in the fashion and textile industry. You will be involved in projects that combine fashion drawing and illustration, creative pattern cutting and garment production, embellishment and embroidery, and surface pattern design. The course will also cover marketing, promotion, styling and professional practice. During the course, you will be encouraged to produce individual ideas whilst developing an understanding of the needs of the fashion and textile industry. This highly creative award-winning course will equip you with everything you need for a successful career within the exciting and fast-paced fashion industry. You will develop practical technical skills such as pattern cutting, draping and production as well as creative skills in fashion design, illustration, technical drawings, computer-aided design, fashion Trend Forecasting and surface pattern design for fashion using both traditional and non-traditional methods. You will regularly take part in national and international live competition briefs and build a creative, professional portfolio that can be used for job interviews or further study. Successful completion of this course will equip you with the relevant skills and knowledge required for employment in: Fashion Design, Pattern Cutting, Illustration, Textile Design, Surface Pattern Design, Marketing and Promotion and Styling. The course has a special focus on students that wish to become independent designers. 95% of our previous students have continued their study to ‘top-up’ their qualification with one extra year of study at our Bedford campus or another university to gain a full degree in Fashion / Textiles.