Students styling and directing modules for photos

Fashion Styling & Art Direction BA(Hons)

Influence the shape of fashion as you take on the world of fashion styling.

Key details
Location
Penryn Campus
Course duration
3 years / 4 years
Attendance
Full-time / Professional Placement
UCAS code
W234/W235/FY34

Course overview

On this future-focused Fashion Styling & Art Direction degree, which is underpinned by a progressive foundation of sustainability and ethical practice, you’ll be guided by industry specialists and collaborate with other creative disciplines on exciting live briefs. You’ll bring your fashion stories to life across multiple platforms including magazine shoots, window displays, fashion film, catwalk shows and new immersive digital spaces.

You will:

  • Develop confidence as a future fashion visionary, committed to harnessing the power of storytelling through multimedia productions
  • Gain the key practical skills necessary to operate at a professional level in the global styling industry
  • Engage in debate around the practical and theoretical context of fashion communication
  • Work on industry-led briefs as part of a collaborative team of supportive, risk-taking global practitioners, in preparation for your future creative career
  • Create a powerful professional fashion styling portfolio to launch into industry
  • Have access to enviable facilities, including industrial sewing machines, specialist construction equipment, a dye lab and a contemporary dress and textile archive

Course details

On this Fashion Styling & Art Direction degree, you'll have the opportunity to gain a BA(Hons) degree over three years or the option to study Fashion Styling & Art Direction BA(Hons) with Integrated Foundation Year and/or professional placement study options.

Throughout this degree, you'll learn how to construct powerful fashion stories in real-life visual merchandising environments and fashion shows, as well as immersive 3D digital spaces. You'll become proficient in styling and directing for magazine editorials and advertising campaigns, master garment fitting and construction for runway and celebrity client dressing, and consider the environmental and ethical considerations of the industry.

In year one of this degree, you'll take your first steps to becoming a progressive, conscious, professional and courageous practitioner within fashion styling and art direction. You'll start to develop your technical skills, gain an understanding of the varied specialisms within the disciplines and explore storytelling, sustainability, identity and body politics.

Modules

Fashion Foundations

You'll explore the key practical elements within your creative specialisms including, styling, sourcing, casting, location scouting and creative direction. You'll also learn about the roles and responsibilities of the key players within a creative team.

Fashion & Belonging 

Inclusivity and diversity, in the context of global histories and subcultures, are at the heart of this module. You’ll explore the ethical language of fashion and harness your emerging technical skills through a styled fashion photographic portrait project.  

Thinking & Storytelling 

In this module, you’ll develop your research, critical thinking and analysis skills. You’ll be supported to cultivate confidence in fashion reporting, spotting catwalk trends and curating a point of view. 

Body Politics

This module embraces issues around gender, sexuality, race, social position and body image. You’ll deconstruct, customise and reconstruct innovative styled fashion silhouettes, using the latest industry-standard processes and equipment to fulfil your vision. You’ll also have the opportunity to collaborate with your wider network within the Fashion & Textiles Institute. 

Earth Action

In this sustainability module, you’ll produce an environmentally conscious art directed zine/publication. This is a further collaborative module where you’ll extend new creative partnerships within the broader creative community at Falmouth. You’ll learn the foundations of magazine design and art direction, including harnessing persuasive contemporary layout and magazine design principles. 

In your second year of the Fashion Styling & Art Direction degree, you'll begin to acquire a tenacious, resilient and visionary set of skills for professional practice. You'll take on real-world briefs guided by icons of industry and embrace new technologies and advanced digital processes.

Modules

The Fashion Space 

You'll learn how to develop styled characters and write plotlines for fashion film. You'll also learn key art direction techniques for set design, window displays and fashion installations. Creating fashion stories for digital spaces, including Augmented Reality & Green Screen, are also at the creative heart of this exciting module.

The Fashion Show 

Taking on the role of fashion editor and influencer, you'll foster vital communication skills by reporting on the fashion season - incorporating fashion histories, the arts and contemporary street fashion.

The Fashion Client 

Acting as a real-life fashion consultant, you'll create an exciting visual direction for a contemporary designer or brand. You'll harness industry brand communication platforms such as look books, fashion shows, fashion presentations, catalogues, advertising campaigns, advertorials, social media, event launches and e-commerce.

Collaboration

Working as part of a team, you'll work on 'Challenge Briefs' that reflect the sort of assignments you could expect to be working on in industry. Developing your 'soft skills', like communication, problem-solving, critical thinking and leadership, you'll sharpen your ability to work well as part of a group to produce outstanding work.

You can choose to take an optional professional placement after your second year on a three-year programme, or after your third year if you’re studying for a degree with an Integrated Foundation Year. 

You’ll be responsible for finding your own placement, with support from the Employability team. 

Choosing this option will enhance your industry experience and skills while studying. 

How you’ll study during your professional placement

You’ll spend time working in a professional context, as part of a business or organisation. This can be in one role, or up to three, and must be for a minimum of 24 weeks. 

You’ll develop in-demand workplace skills, deepen your insight into industry and grow your network of contacts, all of which could help you get ahead in your career after graduation.  

Throughout this year, you’ll develop a portfolio of work that includes critical self-reflection on what has been learned from the experience. You’ll be required to evidence your experiences, the skills you’ve learned and your professional growth. 

The final year of the degree consolidates your ground-breaking creative critical thinking, advanced technical skills and professional practice know-how. Modules will give you the leverage to launch yourself into industry as a visionary fashion stylist and art director.

Modules

The Fashion Consultant 

You'll work with pre-selected iconic global clients, experience working in advanced professional teams and nurture authentic relationships with casting directors, location scouts, photographers, hair & make-up artists, model agencies and creative directors.

Breaking Ground

You'll be challenged to explore research ideas and issues that are central to your emerging fashion identity. You'll identify a topic, formulate a research strategy and plan and execute a piece of creative writing that reflects your practice and future career aspirations. Inspired by your research journey, you'll also produce a Project Proposal for your Final Major Project.

Fashion Visionary 

You'll embark on an extended Final Major Project. Harnessing sophisticated modes of visual communication, you'll draw upon your understanding of specialist styling and direction techniques, and aligned communication platforms, to realise your new professional identity. Your Final Major Project will be showcased in an end-of-year exhibition.

Future Skills 

You'll cultivate your professional journey, developing an understanding of your skills in the context of industry and employment. You'll be equipped with the confidence to articulate your knowledge and abilities, and evidence how you can apply them to real world challenges.

Working on a collaborative or solo project, you'll deliver real results, whether that's a profit on some seed funding, a professional portfolio of work, or a solution to a real-world challenge from industry.

Why study an Integrated Foundation Year route?

If you’re taking on a new subject that you haven’t studied in depth before, have been out of education for a while or have a non-standard educational background then an Integrated Foundation Year degree may be the right choice for you. It is a four-year degree with an Integrated Foundation Year to start, which allows you to explore the primary elements of your subject before progressing on to the remaining three years of the BA(Hons) degree.

What you'll learn

If you choose this pathway, you'll study five core modules in your Foundation year. These are all designed to help you explore the foundational elements of your subject. You'll gain relevant technical skills, learn to experiment and take risks, develop an understanding of professional practice, have opportunities to work across disciplines and collaborate with other students on live project briefs.

Modules

Explore

You'll begin your foundation year by working collaboratively with others to explore themes of the future. You'll take risks, experiment through play and be supported to break through barriers.

Technique

You'll take subject-specific workshops and develop essential technical and practical skills in your area of study. You'll also enhance your analytical and organisational abilities.

Apply

You'll work with your peer group to think beyond discipline by addressing a societal or global issue. You'll then showcase your work to your peers and deliver and accompanying evaluation of your process.

Industry

You'll enhance your creative and practical skills in your subject specialism by responding to typical industry briefs, underpinned by focused research and experiments. You'll also gain industry insights through guest lectures and workshops.

Launch

You'll develop your unique identity in your specialism through the production of a self-initiated body of work. Your final project will be the bridge to your next year, fully supported by evaluative reviews and critical analysis of the work you have created.

After the Foundation year, you progress into Year One of the full three-year degree, equipped with a deeper knowledge of your subject, a clear understanding of your strengths, and develop a practical and technical skillset and the confidence to excel in your chosen subject.

 

If you apply for and enrol onto a degree with an Integrated Foundation Year, you’ll have the option to switch onto a five-year version including a placement year. That means you’ll complete the first three years of your course before completing a placement in industry in your fourth year and returning to Falmouth for the fifth year of your programme. 

The modules above are those being studied by our students, or proposed new ones. Programme structures and modules can change as part of our curriculum enhancement and review processes. If a certain module is important to you, please discuss it with the Course Leader.

Facilities

  • Collaborate with fashion photographers in our fully equipped, industry-standard photo studios
  • Build your garment fitting and constructing skills using our industrial sewing machines and specialist design equipment
  • Experiment with colour in our dye lab, using our home-grown natural plant-based pigments
  • Create sets for window displays and fashion presentations using our digital and traditional screen-printing facilities & laser cutting equipment
  • Construct 3D styling looks in our digital suites using innovative industry standard software
  • Work with clothes and costumes from our on-site wardrobe store and learn through our historical and contemporary fashion archive collection
  • Develop your talents as a fashion cultural translator through our expansive fashion magazine archive
Stylists working with a model on the Fashion Design Lookbook shoot
Fashion Styling main image
students styling model on set
Fashion design lookbook shoot

How you'll learn & be assessed

Based within the Fashion & Textiles Institute, you’ll learn through a blend of lectures, seminars, tutorials, workshops and practical demonstrations. You’ll also develop professional practice skills by collaborating with peers across the University on project work. 

At Falmouth, we use a 'digitally enhanced learning & teaching' approach. Your experience will always be predominantly in-person, including seminars, tutorials and studio teaching, with some, more targeted elements, being online either live (synchronous) or pre-recorded (asynchronous). You can read more here.

You'll be assessed through coursework and practical submissions.

Assessment methods

Assessments can take many forms, including:

  • Practical projects
  • Presentations
  • Portfolios
  • Critical writing

Foundation year assessments are 100% coursework based.

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Staff

Staff will have industry experience working in many areas of fashion styling and art direction. You'll also learn from industry experts through our Fashion & Textiles Institute guest lectures. 

Some members of staff only teach on specific modules, and your course might not feature every staff member who teaches on the course.

Careers

As a graduate from this Fashion Styling & Art Direction course, you could become:

  • A creative director, art director, show producer or set designer
  • A celebrity, runway, editorial or personal stylist
  • A stylist for e-commerce, product or still life
  • A fashion researcher or curator
  • A fashion futurologist, visual merchandiser or model scout

How to apply

Ready to join us? You can apply for September 2023 through Clearing or for September 2024 through UCAS Apply and Track. You'll need to reference the course and University code (F33).

Apply through Clearing 2023

Apply for 2024

Course route UCAS code
Fashion Styling & Art Direction BA(Hons) three year degree W234
Fashion Styling & Art Direction BA(Hons) with Integrated Foundation Year FY34
Fashion Styling & Art Direction BA(Hons) with professional placement W235

We consider all applications on their own individual merit and potential. We invite all applicants to an interview day or audition to give them the opportunity to demonstrate this along with what inspires and motivates them in their field. Applicants will also be able to show their portfolio or give a performance depending on the course. We welcome applications from all subject backgrounds, whether you’ve specialised in STEM, the arts or humanities.  

Course route Entry requirements
BA/BSc(Hons) three year degree 104 – 120 UCAS Tariff points
BA/BSc(Hons) four year degree with professional placement 104 – 120 UCAS Tariff points
BA/BSc(Hons) four year degree with Integrated Foundation Year 80 – 120 UCAS Tariff points

Check the title of your course to see if it's a BA or BSc award. UCAS Tariff points will primarily be from Level 3 qualifications such as but not limited to A-levels, T Levels, a BTEC/UAL Extended Diploma or a Foundation Diploma. 

Check how many points your qualifications are worth

For applicants whose first language is English we require you to have or be working towards GCSE English Language Grade 4 (C), or equivalent. 

If English is not your first language you will need to meet the same standard which is equivalent to the IELTS Academic 6.0 overall score, with at least 5.5 in Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening. We accept a range of in country equivalencies and approved tests.  

If you need a student visa to study in the UK, you may need to take a recognised language test. You can read our English Language Requirements for more information.

For starting your studies in 2023

UK applications: 25 January 2023 (for equal consideration)

Applications after the 25 January will be considered on a first-come, first-served as long as there are places available. Apply for this course now.

International fee payers

International fee payers can apply throughout the year. But we recommend applying as early as possible, to make time for visa and travel arrangements.

Fees, costs & funding

Tuition fees

Annual tuition fee Student
£9,250 per year Full-time UK
£17,460 per year Full-time EU/international
£1,850 per professional placement year Full-Time UK and EU/international
Annual tuition fee Student
£9,250 per year Full-time UK
£17,950 per year Full-time EU/international
£1,850 per professional placement year Full-Time UK and EU/international
£1,385 per study abroad year Full-Time UK and EU/international

Tuition fees are set annually and are subject to review each year. The University may therefore raise tuition fees in the second or subsequent years of a course, in line with inflation and/or the maximum permitted by law or Government policy. Students will be notified of any changes as soon as possible. 

The figures above don't include accommodation and living costs

Typical course costs

  • £200-300 – Recurring annual cost (project materials and essential styling kit, such as pins, elastic bands, sewing kit and bulldog clips)
  • Adobe Creative Cloud - You will need access to Adobe Creative Cloud. You may be eligible for discounted licenses through Adobe's education pricing and Falmouth University seeks to provide further discounts when possible. If any discounts are available, we will communicate these to you. For more information please visit Adobe Creative Cloud.
  • £300 – One-off cost for the duration of the course (laptop)

If you need to bring equipment or materials with you, these will be outlined in your Welcome Letter.

Additional typical course costs for Integrated Foundation Year pathway

  • £250 for materials
  • A laptop/desktop computer
  • Adobe Creative Suite

To engage in the digital learning activity, although you will be able to access IT suites on campus, you will benefit from a laptop to access the platforms and tools we use. Depending on your subject, you may need a specific type of computer. If you're unsure about what you might need, please contact our course advisors.

Ask a student

What better way to find out about life at Falmouth University than by asking our current students?

From course details and academic support, to the social scene and settling in, our students are ready and available to answer any questions you might have. Simply set up your account, send them a question and they'll get back to you within 24 hours.

 

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