- UCAS Code
- W232
- Location
- Falmouth Campus
- Length
- 3 years full-time
- Direct line
- 01326 213730
- Admissions
- admissions@falmouth.ac.uk
Fashion is a global industry where imagination, innovation and expertise are paramount. Run like a real fashion studio, our pioneering course prepares you to take your place in this rapidly evolving sector, equipping you with the skills and know-how you need to succeed.
Developed with industry professionals to give you the skills they want, Fashion at Falmouth allows you to develop the technical and creative edge to design original, inspiring collections. From fashion forecasting and fashion illustration to fabric technology, pattern cutting and styling, you'll experience all aspects of fashion design.
Focusing on the vibrant and influential streetwear and real clothing sector, you'll learn about instigating trends and fashion drawing, comparative shopping, fashion website design and the commercial fashion industry – all the while making use of a range of both hand-drawn and digital technologies, including computer-aided design (CAD), to demonstrate your ideas.
We want you to go out there and experiment, take risks and find your own path through practical experience and professional practice. That means you'll take part in live projects and collaborate with fellow students across disciplines – locally, nationally and internationally – undertaking self-funded study trips and international work experience.
How is the course taught
This full-time, practice-based course is supported by lectures, demonstrations, field trips, professional experience and focus groups, seminars and tutorials. You'll develop peer and self-evaluation skills, which will be used in critical, conceptual, productive and professional capacities.
Careers
- Work in the fashion industry as part of the design team or as a freelance designer
- Establish your own clothing label
- Career as a journalist, stylist or fashion forecaster
- Work as a retail merchandiser or buyer
Assessment
- Continuous assessment of visual, verbal and written assignments
- Final year dissertation and two final year exhibitions
Experience you'll get
- Study trips
- International work experience and live projects with industry partners
- Final year fashion show
- Fashion website design
By choosing to study for a degree in Fashion Design at Falmouth you will:
- Benefit from being taught by friendly and approachable staff who are experts in their respective fields.
- Develop a range of skills to allow you to best demonstrate your ideas, from hand drawing to computer aided design (CAD).
- Take part in live projects and collaborate with fellow students across disciplines, locally, nationally and internationally.
- Experience the industry you'll be working in throughout your degree, with the opportunity 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.
- Pitch ideas to international clients - such as our course partners, Decathlon - using our video conferencing facilities.
- Be based at the stunning Falmouth Campus, with its inspirational atmosphere and industry-standard facilities.
- Take part in self-funded study trips and international work experience.
Interview and selection process
We invite all applicants to interview. Small groups of applicants will be interviewed with their portfolios and sketchbooks by a panel of two academic members of staff and two students. A departmental tour will follow the interview. The whole session will last approximately three hours.
Please bring your portfolio, project work and sketchbooks to interview, as well as a personal project that represents you. We are interested in seeing any self-motivated work which you have produced outside of school or college, for example, a personal sketchbook of fashion.
Your portfolio should demonstrate the ability to investigate ideas and use a range of media, skills in observational drawing, and any investigations into design methods and skills. The team will be mainly interested in your abilities in the field of design and design research, but other types of work can be included if they demonstrate your capabilities and interest in fashion design. Please do not bring actual garments, however, photographs of made garments within portfolios are welcomed. Life drawing should be limited to two portfolio pages only.
Interviews are currently taking place.
Location: Falmouth Campus
Work placements
Our students have undertaken work placements with the following companies:
- Decathlon France
- Elle magazine (India)
- Tanya Sarne (founder of Ghost)
- Maison Martin Margiela (Paris)
- Todd Lynn (London)
- Luella Bartley
- Howies
International fashion brand Diesel is also offering internships for Falmouth University students.
What you'll do
Stage 1
In your first year, you'll work alongside the BA(Hons) Performance Sportswear Design students to maximise your fashion experience in our authentic industry studio setting. Supported by your course team, you'll build up the fundamental skills of fashion design, have 'In Conversation With' workshops with fashion industry specialists, and take a study trip to London to do store reports and attend international fashion trade shows.
Stage 2
An increased focus on professional practice, in your second year you'll start shaping your identity as a fashion designer with more live briefs and assignments. You'll take another self-funded study trip to a global fashion capital like New York or Barcelona, complete an industry placement and be supported to develop an impactful fashion CV.
Stage 3
Comfortable with independent creative learning, in your final year you'll produce your dissertation and final project, showing in Falmouth’s fashion show in May. You'll also create your industry-standard portfolio, ready to launch your fashion career on graduation.
