- UCAS Code
- W233
- Location
- Falmouth Campus
- Length
- 3 years full-time
- Direct line
- 01326 213730
- Admissions
- admissions@falmouth.ac.uk
Performance sportswear is a booming specialism, with forward-thinking designers creating new materials, products and styles every day. We'll give you everything you need to become one of those designers, encouraging you to experiment, create and innovate so you can discover your unique design identity. With our support, you'll design cutting-edge apparel that’s practical, functional and aesthetically pleasing, producing wearable designs to launch your career in this fast-paced exciting industry.
Surfing, snowboarding, running, climbing, mountain biking; performance sportswear is a huge industry that is driven by creative and scientific exploration. Shaped in response to industry needs, this course offers an opportunity to develop your intellectual, technical and creative skills, enabling you to design and create clothing specific to a variety of action sports.
From ultrasonic welding to bonding, laser cutting to digital printing, you'll experiment with the latest fabrics and construction methods and, using both hand drawing and digital technology, develop designs that meet the needs of this most demanding of sectors. You'll also study trends, computer-aided design (CAD) and branding to ensure your practical skills are balanced with an appreciation of aesthetics and marketing.
You'll put your skills into practice on live projects and undertake work placements with recognised brands – including Decathlon, Finisterre, Rip Curl and howies – to gain a thorough insight into the industry. Visiting speakers will inspire you to create original, exciting and progressive designs, so you graduate primed to launch into the industry.
How is the course taught
This is a full-time, practical course that reflects the real-world fashion industry. Project work is supported by lectures, demonstrations, field trips, professional experience and focus groups, seminars and tutorials. You'll also be asked to develop peer and self-evaluation skills, which will be used in critical, conceptual, productive and professional capacities.
Careers
- Career as an assistant designer/designer with a performance sportswear company
- Work as a buyer or merchandiser
- Becoming a proprietor of a clothing label
- Career as a stylist
- Work as a production manager
Assessment
Continuous assessment of visual, verbal and written assignments, as well as a dissertation, final year project and exhibition.
Experience you'll get
- Study trips, international work experience and live projects with industry partners
- Final year fashion show
- Computer-aided design (CAD)
- Fashion website design
By choosing to study for a degree in Performance Sportswear Design at Falmouth you will:
- Benefit from being taught by friendly and approachable staff who are experts in their field.
- Develop the skills to design cutting-edge apparel that's practical, functional and aesthetically pleasing, so you can create wearable designs that will make a mark in this progressive and exciting industry.
- Design a range of performance sportswear as well as associated clothing - like drysuits, wetsuits, thermal garments and base and insulating layers.
- Experiment with the latest fabrics (such as neoprene, Polartec and polypropylene) and construction methods (like glued, blind and stitched seams), using both hand drawing and digital technology to develop designs that meet the needs of this most demanding of sectors.
- Be based at the inspirational Woodlane Campus, with its industry-standard facilities.
- Benefit from visiting speakers - including both design professionals and sports personalities - as well as our links with external sports academies and the local marine leisure industry.
- Go on self-funded study trips to manufacturers and visit design fairs.
- Have the opportunity to gain work placements with leading regional, national and international brands that we have close relationships with, including our international partner, Decathlon, Finisterre and Gul International.
- Engage with current industry debates and compare different approaches to design.
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 sportswear or fashion design.
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 performance sportswear or 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
What you'll do
Stage 1
In your first year, you'll work alongside the BA(Hons) Fashion 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 performance sportswear 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 designer with more live briefs and assignments, experimenting with new technologies and mastering different techniques. You'll begin to shift from staff-directed to student-led study, take another 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 the Falmouth Fashion Show in June. You'll also create your industry-standard portfolio, ready to launch your fashion career on graduation.
