BA (Hons) Fashion Design

School of Design

BA (Hons) Fashion Design at the University of LeedsThe University of Leeds is a top civic university in the heart of one of the UK’s most fashionable and student friendly cities. Fashion design is well established at Leeds and many of our graduates are successful designers and business leaders in the UK and overseas. Leeds’ fashion graduates possess strong visual and communication skills combined with creative expertise – they have developed the skills they need to become ‘articulate designers’.

Our unique BA (Hons) degree will enable you to study fashion design in a stimulating and internationally renowned academic environment. You will study artistic, theoretical and technical aspects of fashion design, to reflect the needs of industry and commerce. You will acquire professional skills through your academic studies and your practice and be well prepared for your future career.

The information contained in this brochure is accurate at the date of publication. However, courses, University services and the content of this brochure remain subject to change. Changes may be necessary to comply with the requirements of accrediting bodies or to keep courses contemporary through updating practices or areas of study. Circumstances may arise outside the reasonable control of the University, leading to required changes. Such circumstances include, industrial action, unexpected student numbers, significant staff illness (where a course is reliant upon a person’s expertise), unexpected lack of funding, severe weather, fire, civil disorder, political unrest, government restrictions and serious concern with regard to the transmission of serious illness making a course unsafe to deliver. After a student has taken up a place with the University, the University will look to give early notification of any changes and try to minimise their impact, offering suitable alternative arrangements or forms of compensation where it believes there is a fair case to do so. Offers of a place to study at the University will provide up to date information on courses. The latest key information on courses can be found at www.leeds.ac.uk/coursefinder. Please check this website before making any decisions. The University’s contract with its students (following an acceptance by a student of any offer of a place) does not confer third-party benefits for the purposes of the Contract (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999.

Studying Fashion Design at LeedsThis distinctive course develops your creativity in fashion design within an intellectually stimulating learning and research environment. This course promotes independent enquiry, reflective practice and an academic understanding of fashion design, along with a commitment to individuality, which will enable you to realise your personal design philosophy.

A framework of academic studies, delivered by experts from a range of design disciplines, gives a dynamic context to your specialist fashion design studies. You may also develop complementary skills and knowledge through a choice of optional subjects and/or elective subjects offered by the School or other university departments. A wide range of discovery modules are available, in many different subjects, from across the University.

Learning and teaching takes place through lectures, seminars and tutorials, as well as one-to-one contact with tutors in studios and workshops. Practical work is assessed by visual presentations, portfolios or other appropriate documentation.

Assessment may be based on conventional written examinations, essays or other written responses to assignment briefs and the submission of practical log books or collections / portfolios of design work.

Major design projects are submitted in the final year and all students submit a written dissertation.

The teaching staff are committed to quality research and academic excellence and have many years of direct experience within the fashion industry.

The School of Design is located next to the Clothworkers Court, at the heart of the University Campus. Facilities include: spacious, well-equipped design and art studios, purpose-built PC and Apple Macintosh computer clusters, and the University of Leeds’ Yorkshire Fashion Archive.

Course structureThe BA (Hons) Fashion Design is a three-year course – or a four-year course if you decide to undertake an optional year out in industry or study abroad after year 2.

In Year 1, you will undertake core studies in the historic, cultural and technological aspects of art and design.

Alongside your academic work, you will acquire an understanding of the fashion design process through visual research and product development. In design practice, emphasis is placed on visual research and the analysis and development of your findings. You will learn how to build on this research to formulate diverse design solutions. You will study pattern making and garment construction. These core skills form the building blocks of the course.

You will develop an understanding of menswear and womenswear to enable you to select your option for years 2 and 3.

In Year 2, you will develop your academic understanding of the core subjects and an awareness of professional standards. You will focus your studio practice and specialise in womenswear or menswear.

A sound understanding of the industry will be acquired through research and analysis, design development and product development. In design practice, you will develop your understanding about building a professional and diverse portfolio of your work. Through varied project briefs, you will explore the fashion market place and customer profiling, to produce considered and creative design solutions. Your practical studies will further advance your technical skills in your chosen pathway.

You will be encouraged to take the optional module ‘20th Century Fashion’ to strengthen your understanding of the historical context of fashion design.

The Fashion Design course has developed links with industrial partners, and students have exhibited work in the UK and abroad. The fashion team also organise an educational visit to Premiere Vision, the fashion industry’s most important fabric exhibition, which is held in Paris.

In Year 3, you will work towards creating final innovative garments, a professional design portfolio and a written investigation into a fashion subject of your choice. Study is totally self-directed and this is your opportunity to explore and cultivate your own design philosophy. Your portfolio will demonstrate your skills as a designer and the breadth of your enquiry. You will showcase your design skills through the fashion innovation module, with the option to further develop these ideas into finished garments. We are constantly searching for innovative ways to bring students’ final year work to a larger audience, such as through the use of film, photography and exhibitions.

Subjects studiedYear 1Core modules: Fashion Research and Design Development; Garment Technology 1; History: 1900 to the Present day; Material Culture and Mass Consumption; Fundamentals of Imaging.

Optional modules: Fashion Brand Analysis; Green Design and Sustainability; Patterns and Culture; Introduction to Photography (Digital); Colour and the Design Process; Drawing; Technologies for Art and Design; or choose from a range of Discovery Modules available throughout the university.

Year 2Core modules: Fashion Design Development and Portfolio; Garment Technology 2; Finding and Using Research Resources; Research, Writing and Dissertation; Design Theory; Marketing Creativity and Innovation.

Optional modules: Contemporary Art and Memory; Photography (Digital); Class, Taste and Society: Interpreting Designed Objects; The Condition of Things: Curating, Critical Writing and Designed Objects; Eco-Design: Understanding Design’s Role in Global Ecology; Design for Sports and Performance Clothing; Colour: Art and Science; 20th Century Fashion; Principles of Typography; or choose from a range of Discovery Modules available throughout the university.

Year 3Core modules: Fashion Innovation:Research and Analysis; Fashion Portfolio: Research and Analysis; Fashion Portfolio: Design and Content; final exhibition.

Optional modules: Fashion Innovation: Product(Negotiated Project); Fashion Styling andPhotography; Collaborative Marketingand Promotion; Design for 21st CenturySocieties; Information Design; BrandCommunications; ContemporaryAdvertising; Landscape, Placeand Environment in Contemporary Art; or choose from a range of Discovery Modules available throughoutthe university.

Professional skills for your careerThrough your degree studies, you will actively develop a range of skills to prepare you for employment. You will develop your communication, presentation, research and analytical skills and your visual and critical awareness; together with your knowledge of the fashion design industry and related employment. In the final year you will be equipped to present a portfolio of work at a professional level.

Year in IndustryThe School of Design offers all students the opportunity to gain valuable industrial experience. The Year in Industry module provides you with highly relevant industrial experience, an opportunity to improve your design, communication and people skills and create a network of relevant contacts. The industry experience also helps you to make informed career choices when you graduate. You have the flexibility to do one or more work placements, which can be as short as one month or as long as a year, with opportunities in Leeds, London, Europe, and the rest of the world; recent locations include New York, Sydney, South America, and China.

Placement roles are diverse and have included designing, buying, pattern cutting, PR and visual merchandising. Many companies are so impressed with the standard of University of Leeds fashion design students that they request students from our course every year. Companies have included: ASOS; Amanda Wakeley; Christopher Kane; Monsoon; WGSN; Mark Jacobs; River Island; Alexander McQueen and French Connection.

“Alice was a much valued member of our team. She was very positive, enthusiastic and confident, displaying a high level of professionalism and skill – and she managed a heavy workload!”Student’s supervisor at Alexon

“My year out was an amazing experience. I developed skills I had learnt at university, within a professional environment and gained first hand knowledge of the industry. This experience will be invaluable for my future career.”Alice Parsons, final year student

Study abroad opportunitiesIf you wish to study abroad and are suitably qualified, you may extend your course to study for a year at one of several overseas universities, including institutions in Europe, Australia and the U.S.A. Your overseas placement would take place after year 2.

Career destinationsOn completion of this course, you will be equipped for a range of opportunities in employment, or postgraduate study. Our Fashion Design graduates regularly find jobs with sought-after employers. Recent graduate destinations include: Abercrombie & Fitch; Amanda Wakeley; Betty Jackson; BMB Menswear; Christopher Kane; Dunhill International; French Connection; Next; Paul Smith; River Island; H&M and Ted Baker.

University scholarshipsThe University offers a range of undergraduate scholarships and bursaries to support students from less affluent backgrounds.

Please go to the University of Leeds’ website at www.leeds.ac.uk/scholarships for full details.

Applying to study in the School of DesignApplications should be made online through UCAS, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service. Please go to their website at www.ucas.com, for details of how to apply. The Fashion Design course code is W230. The University of Leeds’ UCAS code is L23.

Entry requirements The School of Design bases its offer of a place on careful consideration of information provided in the UCAS application form. Pre-A level qualifications, including GCSEs, your personal statement and academic reference are all of importance. Good performance at ‘A’ level (or equivalent) is regarded as essential.

You are required to have a minimum of six subjects at GCSE level to grade C or above, including English Language. Maths or a science subject and Art or Design are expected. We typically ask for three ‘A’ level subjects to grades A, B, B, including an art or design subject. Equivalent qualifications may also be considered.

Art and design foundation course qualifications are welcomed as an additional qualification to ‘A’ levels, but are not a requirement for entry.

Interviews and portfolio viewings do not usually form part of the selection process for this course. However, where it is felt that an interview would be of particular benefit to the applicant or to a group of applicants or where it is considered that further information is required to assess a candidate’s potential, applicants may be invited to attend for an informal interview and portfolio viewing to show their practical and written work. The School particularly welcomes applications from mature students and where appropriate, interviews mature candidates undertaking a relevant validated access course in art and design.

The School of Design actively participates in the University of Leeds’ Access to Leeds Scheme. This widening access scheme gives special consideration to applicants whose personal circumstances may affect their ability to demonstrate their full potential through grades alone. Successful applicants receive an alternative, lower offer alongside a standard offer.

For further information please go to www.leeds.ac.uk/a2l or contact accesstoleeds@leeds.ac.uk.

For full details about our entry requirements, please visit the Undergraduate Study section of the School of Design website at www.design.leeds.ac.uk

Visiting the School of DesignIf we offer you a place, you will be invited to attend one of our School open days, where you will have the opportunity to find out more about studying fashion design at Leeds. If you want to find out more about the BA in Fashion Design prior to application, you are recommended to attend one of these events, which include presentations about the course and a tour of the School.

You will find the dates of scheduled events on our School website at www.design.leeds.ac.uk or by emailing designundergrad@leeds.ac.uk

Further informationIf you wish to find out more about this course and the University of Leeds, please visit the University’s website at www.leeds.ac.uk and the School of Design’s website at www.design.leeds.ac.uk You may also wish to find out about the School’s Yorkshire Fashion Archive at www.yorkshirefashionarchive.org

For enquiries about admissions and qualifications, please email designundergrad@leeds.ac.ukor phone the School on 0113 343 3700.

For enquiries about the structure and content of the course, please contact:

Mr David BackhouseSchool of DesignUniversity of LeedsLeedsLS2 9JT

Telephone: 0113 343 3802Email: d.backhouse@leeds.ac.ukWebsite: www.design.leeds.ac.uk