Programme summary for BA (Hons) Fashion Design with Fashion Management and Fashion Design with Fashion Management with Placement Year
About the programme
You will work in an art and design environment in a building designed specifically for Architecture, Fine Art, Digital Arts and Visual Communication and Visual Theories. In the area of Fashion and Textiles, you will work with students on three other BA programmes: Fashion Futures, Fashion Design and Printed Textiles Design.
In Design you will be involved in the following activities with project work, sometimes working with established designers or industry professionals:
- Design creativity and design development
- Visual research, drawing and visual communication techniques
- Trend prediction and forecasting
- Fabric and colour research
- Retail Analysis
- Pattern cutting and toile making
- Garment construction
- Range planning
- Visual communication and portfolio presentation
- Digital Media
In Fashion Management you will develop skills in the following areas, again working with established practitioners and industry contacts:
- Market Research
- Fashion industry structure
- Consumer Behaviour
- Fashion Marketing
- Retail Buying and Merchandising
- Retail strategy
- Project Management
- Identifying Business Opportunities
- Business Planning
Programme structure
Level 1 EXPLORE / DISCOVER
A | Explore: Creativity | Explore: Research A | Fashion Consumers for Fashion Markets: |
B | Explore: Materials | Explore: Process | Fashion Marketing |
Level 2 DEVELOP
A | Develop Design & Surface | Develop: Cutting Edge Design | Buying and Merchandising: |
Jan - Jan | Industry Placement (OPTIONAL) |
B | Develop: Contemporary Couture | Fashion Retail Strategy: Industry Brief |
LEVEL 3 / Final Year REALISE
A | Realise Design & External Competition
| Identify Business Opportunities: |
B | Realise: Collection | Business Plan |
OR |
The programme provides you with the opportunity to study fashion and fashion management in a creative art school environment, delivered by a creative and professional staff team. The duration is three years, or four if you elect to spend a year on placement in the industry, it provides choice and flexibility in learning opportunities, and allows you to explore the discipline of fashion whilst developing your practice. All students are given the opportunity to take part in a professional static exhibition of their work in final year; however, collections are selected by an external / industry panel for the prestigious catwalk show held in central London.
Level 1 is about exploring and discovering creativity, fashion and design and may build on skills which you already have. Two and three dimensional development is encouraged through an innovative and original approach, where fundamental skills will be introduced to enable you to explore creativity, research, materials, and processes. You will discover new approaches to pattern cutting, construction, fabric, colour and trend prediction, retail scouting, and digital media. You will also explore the fashion industry to understand how it is structured, how consumers behave and how the market is segmented. You will explore methods of market research and customer profiling and the importance of fashion marketing relevant to future employment.
Level 2 allows you to develop and build on the skills gained at level 1 through a variety of exciting modules and options which develop your personal and professional practice. You will develop your creativity through innovative cutting and design. You will develop industry relevant skills in buying and merchandising and build skills in range planning to achieve budget targets. The optional placement year is situated between Semester A and B, and is an opportunity to gain invaluable experience in the professional industry, working in a company which marries with your personal career trajectory. Semester B introduces couture, and the development of a future interpretation of the craft for the twenty first century. You will also work on a brief supplied by a known retailer and research possible strategies to their business. You aim to present your findings to the retailer at their premises.
Level 3 allows you to realise your creative potential through external connections, competitions and extended learning opportunities, in order to prepare for a successful career in the fashion and creative industries or post graduate study. You have the opportunity to enter national and international competitions. You will either realise your own design potential in the production of a collection, or negotiate an alternative practical project with your tutor network. To compliment either choice is a module where you will devise your own exit strategy and negotiate your personal new horizon beyond graduation, whether in the creative industries or in post graduate education. In fashion management you will realise your research skills and identify a business opportunity either as a small fashion business start up or a strategy for an existing business. You will prepare a business plan for funding which would realise potential fashion entrepreneur skills.
Career opportunities
You will have the opportunity to develop your skills and interests, focus on your strengths and recognise your ambitions and goals. Our graduates usually gain employment in many sectors of the Industry, or become successful entrepreneurs. We have strong links with our alumni who hold senior positions in the industry, supporting our students and graduates in finding work via internships and job opportunities.
The broad range of destination possibilities includes:
- Retail Buying
- Retail Merchandising
- Retail Management
- Market Research
- Designer / Design assisting
- Design Co-ordinating
- Pattern Cutting
- Fashion Technologist/Sourcing
- Product Development
- Business start up / Entrepreneur
- Visual Merchandising
- Brand Management
- Public Relations/promotion
- Press and the media
- Events organisation
- Provides access to work in the cultural industries
* The programme equips you with a range of transferable skills. Therefore our graduates are able to apply their talents to a range of careers in the creative industries which may not be listed above.
Support
As a campus University UEL provides a comprehensive range of support services for students which includes: residential / student finance advice / careers advice / study skills development / IT learning resources/ library facilities. The programme provides strong personal tutor guidance and professional advice related to the practice and area in general. Visiting designers, researchers, and professionals will visit the programme regularly, and study trips to working environments (both UK and Europe) are important components. There are modules in skill development at Level 1, an employability module in level 2 prior to the industrial placement and research skills at Level 3. You will have the opportunity to enter national and international competitions sometimes as part of the programme, and sometimes as extra to the curriculum.
Admission
Students are selected on their suitability for the programme by a portfolio and skills interview. Applicants would normally have completed an Art and Design Foundation, GAD, or an appropriate BTEC, GNVQ or Access programme of at least one year's duration prior to joining the programme. Students with other relevant professional or life experience will also be considered.
Applicants should normally have GCSE Grade C (minimum) in English, Maths and GCSE Grade B in Art and 2 other subjects.
Students may be admitted through Accreditation of Experiential Learning (AEL) or Accreditation of Certificated Learning (ACL) processes.
In the case of applicants whose first language is not English, then IELTS 6.0 (or equivalent) is required. International qualifications will be checked for appropriate matriculation to UK Higher Education undergraduate programmes.
