Fashion Design BA(Hons)

Why study BA(Hons) Fashion Design at University College Falmouth?

BA(Hons) Fashion Design course leaflet (1.46 MB)

Today's fashion frontline isn't the catwalks but the streets. Fashion Design at Falmouth reflects this, focusing on the modern streetwear and leisurewear that dominates many areas of the market, and exposing you to the many disciplines that underpin a contemporary clothing line. This pioneering course has been devised to give you the very best start in the rapidly evolving global fashion industry.

At Falmouth you'll develop an extensive range of design skills and excellent intellectual and creative skills, so that you learn how to design inspiring and original collections.

University College Falmouth is working closely with the Design Council on Design of the Times (DOTT) Cornwall; a programme where professional designers work. with stakeholders and communities to tackle social, economic and environmental issues from the bottom up. Our students and graduates get the chance to work alongside senior design professionals on DOTT projects as part of internships and work placements.

Tell me more about the BA(Hons) Fashion Design course

Studying fashion at Falmouth gives you a global outlook with a local perspective. New York, Paris, Milan, Tokyo and London may be the design centres of the world - with China soon to follow - but with the global technology revolution and advances in ICT and travel, fashion designers can now work from anywhere. Falmouth offers an exceptional environment to study fashion for contemporary lifestyles at one of the UK's leading fashion design schools.

Falmouth's stimulating and highly practical course will help prepare you for the fast moving world of fashion, from the core skills of illustration and pattern cutting to the nuances of trend-spotting and an understanding of fabric technology. Developed alongside industry professionals, BA(Hons) Fashion Design at Falmouth combines the technical with the creative. From instigating trends and fashion drawing, to learning about comparative shopping, fashion buyers and the commercial fashion industry, you'll experience all aspects of fashion design.

Your designs for a range of companies - from big multinationals to small surf labels - will reflect the relaxed but exhilarating lifestyle Cornwall has to offer. Plus, we expect you to work with aspirational brands like Luella, Finisterre, Billabong, Diesel, Howies, Maharishi, and Mambo, as well as high street names like Gap, Whistles and Jigsaw. Study trips and international work experience options will ensure that you get the practice you need to compete in the international market.

Using live projects - with the benefit of our video conferencing facilities for pitching ideas to international clients - and work experience to give your work a professional context, you'll experience the industry you'll be working in throughout your degree. So you'll graduate prepared for a great career - whether it's as a designer, buyer, retailer or fashion forecaster.

At Falmouth, we aim to inspire and educate, equipping you with the skills to design with flair and originality, understanding the many influences that dictate and shape the evolution of modern fashion design.

Student spotlight

Laura Leach a student on the BA(Hons) Fashion Design course has been named the National winner of the Lee Cooper Centenary jeans design competition.

Laura won the competition in only her second term at Falmouth against competition from all years from every Fashion Department in the UK. Lee Cooper went out of its way to highly recommend three other Falmouth first year students: Elle Glen, Emily Frost and Emma Brayford for their exceptional entries.

Fashion at Falmouth: what the experts say

"It's great to see a college focusing on different areas of fashion design, thinking about their environment and what they can offer the student - a lifestyle choice as well as a degree." Sue Copeland, Design Director, Men's - Paul Smith

"For the UK clothing industry to continue to prosoper, we need to ensure that our design graduates have the relevant skills, experience and aptitude to enable companies like Henri-Lloyd to stay ahead of the game internationally." Paul Strzelecki, Joint CEO - Henri-Lloyd

Articles about our Fashion Design and Performance Sportswear Design courses are available for you to download.

• What the industry is saying (247 KB)
• What the press is saying (12.1 MB)
• 'A world of possibilities for fashion students' - Western Morning News, 7 August 2009 (5.82 MB)

Facilities

• World-class Fashion Studios that house the latest technology and industry-standard facilities
• Established links with the fashion industry in the UK, China and Australia
• Cutting tables and professional tailors' dummies
• A laser cutter
• A silicon taping machine
• An ultrasonic welder for joining synthetic fabrics
• A video conferencing suite for students to receive and present live briefs to clients
• A steam room
• A heavy-duty extraction bed for gluing neoprene
• Industrial overlockers
• Blind stitching machines

Course outline

Level 1

• Design & Construction
• Designer in Society
• Production & Presentation
• Industrial, Professional & Global Contexts

Level 2

• Embellishment
• Knitwear Design
• Computer-aided Design & Manufacture
• International Branding
• Professional Practice - Work Placement

Level 3

• Professional Design Practice
• Professional Design Project Proposal
• Dissertation
• Final Project

Answers and advice about the course

If you have any queries about the course please visit our HelpMe Forum

HelpMe Forum

Open Design: UCF for design tutors

Friday 12 November 2010

At our first Open Design event in February, Heads of Department and Pathway Leaders from Foundation level courses around the UK spent the day with design staff and students at University College Falmouth, learning more about our facilities and courses.

Click here for more information and to register for the next Open Design event

Career opportunities

We anticipate that our fashion design course graduates will go on to work in fashion houses as part of the design team, as freelance designers or establish their own clothing labels. However, to work in the fashion industry you have to be flexible. The broad range of skills we will teach you will enable you to adapt to the fluid and volatile world of fashion. That means many of our graduates will go on to work in related fields like television or print media, as journalists, stylists and fashion forecasters, or in retail as merchandisers and buyers – in fact the possibilities are endless. Further possible options include teaching and postgraduate study.

• Fashion designer
• Proprietor of clothing label
• Fashion house team designer assistant designer
• Buyer
• Fashion forecaster
• Merchandiser
• Fashion journalist
• Fashion stylist
• Retailer
• Television presenter
• Teaching
• Postgraduate study

Course entry requirements

Foundation Diploma; or National Diploma, 14-19 Specialist Diploma, or other appropriate level 3 qualifications/experience.

For further information about BA(Hons) Fashion Design at University College Falmouth, please email admissions@falmouth.ac.uk or telephone Admissions on 01326 213852.

Interview dates and selection process

Interviews will commence in late January.

The interview will include a group tour of the department, while portfolios are assessed by staff, followed by individual interviews.

Applicants will be asked to bring a portfolio and a project or sketchbooks to interview. The project doesn't necessarily have to be a fashion-based project but should be a maximum of 8-10 pages long. A sketchbook should show evidence of the applicant's interest in Fashion Design.

Location: Woodlane Campus

Related courses

• Performance Sportswear Design BA(Hons)
• Textile Design BA(Hons)