Program Overview

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Fashion Design BA(Hons)

Turn heads and change minds as you steer the industry toward a more sustainable future.

Key Details

• Location: Penryn Campus
• Course duration: 3 years / 4 years
• Attendance: Full-time / Professional Placement
• UCAS code: W232 / FY13 / PY22

Course Overview

With a pressing need to reduce its environmental impact, the fashion industry is calling for designers who place sustainability and circularity at the forefront. This is your chance to help shape fashion’s future. You’ll explore the environmental, ethical and moral contexts of fashion design as you tackle real-world challenges, learning how to embed responsible practice throughout the process of garment concept and creation – from pattern cutting and construction to curating fashionable, functional and highly original collections that don’t cost the earth.

You Will:

• Learn design skills needed to make positive change at the forefront of the creative industries
• Explore the environmental, ethical and moral challenges of our time in relation to the fashion design sector
• Have access to resources ranging from specialist industrial sewing and knit machines and ultrasonic welding equipment to screen printing and a natural dye garden
• Discover the sustainable ways of working in both traditional and digital pattern cutting – including CLO3D
• Collaborate with like-minded students, expert staff and industry specialists to unlock new ideas, opportunities and networks
• Tackle live briefs from leading brands with a focus on global sustainability
• Investigate brands and business models to develop professional practice skills
• Have the opportunity to explore all realms of fashion design, including streetwear, sportswear and functional clothing concepts
• Graduate as a confident, innovative and responsible fashion designer, with a career-launching portfolio, look book and final collection

Course Details

Year One

• Through design and practical projects, you’ll build an awareness of the fashion industry’s social and environmental impact and seek innovative and sustainable solutions.
• Through tutorials and workshops, you’ll develop core skills in research, design development, drawing, pattern cutting and construction – utilising professionally equipped studios to create original works.

Modules

• Cut and Construct
• Redesign
• Belonging
• Histories
• Colour and shape

Year Two

• The second year focuses on industry knowledge, responding to global challenges and exploring how digital and traditional fashion practices can invoke positive change.
• By investigating brands and sustainable business models, you’ll continue to build on your creative design skills and start to align with sustainable practices.

Modules

• Industry Practice
• Core Skills: Digital
• Core Skills: Stretch
• Collaboration
• Innovation
• Theories

Professional Placement (Optional)

• 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.

Year Three

• In the final year of your Fashion Design degree, you'll develop a graduate collection by intensively researching, developing and exploring 2D and 3D concepts.
• Your collection will be underpinned by a consideration of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and supported by a dissertation.

Modules

• Pre-Collection
• Investigations
• Collection
• Professional Strategies

Integrated Foundation Year (Optional)

• 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.

Modules

• Explore
• Technique
• Apply
• Industry
• Launch

How You'll Learn & Be Assessed

How You'll Learn

• Regular learning comes through practice-based workshops, technical demonstrations, tutorials, both one-to-one and in groups, lectures and seminars.
• You’ll also learn through collaborative project work, guest lectures and live briefs with real brands.

How You'll Be Assessed

• 100% of your assessment will be coursework.

Assessment Methods

• Foundation year assessments are 100% coursework based
• Studio-based projects, including portfolio and garments, and written assignments
• Final year dissertation, collections & portfolio

Facilities

• Digital design solutions like CLO3D, Gerber and Adobe
• Silicon taping equipment, and Ultrasonic construction machines
• Industrial flatbed machines
• Industrial overlockers
• Knitting machines
• Fitting stands
• Laser cutting equipment
• Digital and traditional printing equipment
• Publication/portfolio production facilities
• Online access to WGSN and LS:N Global

Staff

• Our staff are passionate about creating a more sustainable fashion industry and aim to foster a mindset of sustainable and creative professional approaches to fashion design.
• The tutors and support staff provide detailed knowledge in areas like construction, pattern cutting, sportswear, knitwear, fabric knowledge, ethics, sustainability, and running independent labels.

Claire Barker-Phillips

• Course Leader, Fashion Design BA(Hons)
• Claire studied Textiles at Buckinghamshire before undertaking a Masters degree at the Royal College of Art.

Geertje Dreijerink

• Senior Lecturer, Fashion Design
• I graduated from ArtEZ Institute of the Arts’ BA(Hons) Fashion Design in Arnhem, the Netherlands.

Sarah Braddock-Clarke

• Senior Lecturer
• Sarah E.Braddock Clarke studied Textile Design at Winchester School of Art, University of Southampton.

Kathryn Broad

• Lecturer
• An artist and educator who traverses the applied and fine art genres driven by a fascination with an...

Camilla Dixon

• Senior Lecturer in Fashion Design
• After graduating from Central St Martins with a first class hons degree in Fashion Design in 1993, I...

Dr Julie Ripley

• Course Leader, BA(Hons) Costume Design for Film & TV
• Dr Julie Ripley is a senior lecturer and course leader for BA(Hons) Costume Design for Film & TV...

Dr Kate Strasdin

• Senior Lecturer
• I joined Falmouth in 2009 as an Associate Lecturer, teaching across the fashion and textile undergra...

John Boddy

• Head of Fashion Design
• John studied fashion design, specialising in womenswear, at Central Saint Martins College of Art and...

Chihoko Jones

• Lecturer
• I went to Bunka Technical College in Tokyo for my degree in Fashion Studies. I joined fashion design...

Freya Moses

• Senior Technician, Printed Textiles
• I work as a senior technician within the Fashion & Textiles Institute. I specialise in printed t...

Peter Doubleday

• Senior Technician, The Fashion & Textiles Institute
• I am an artist with a broad portfolio of skills gained from my own art practice and time s...

Careers

• Our Fashion Design graduates have worked as:
  • Product Developer at Palmer//Harding
  • Pattern Cutter at COS
  • Design Assistant at Liam Hodges
  • Senior Designer at Adidas Outdoor
  • Tailoring Assistant at The Tailoring Academy

How to Apply

• Ready to apply for 2025?
• You can apply for our undergraduate degrees via UCAS. You'll need our university UCAS code (F33) as well as your course code (which you'll find on your course page) for your application.

Application Advice & Interview Information

• Go to Toolkit

Deadlines

• For starting your studies in 2025
• UK applications: 29 January 2025 (for equal consideration)
• Applications after the 29 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 can apply throughout the year. But we recommend applying as early as possible, to make time for visa and travel arrangements.

Entry Requirements

• 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 Routes & 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

Language Requirements

• 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.

Fees, Costs & Funding

Tuition Fees

• Tuition fees for students starting the course in September 2025
• Annual tuition fee: £9,535 per year (Full-time UK)
• Annual tuition fee: £17,950 per year (Full-time EU/international)
• Annual tuition fee: £1,905 per professional placement year (Full-time UK and EU/international)
• Annual tuition fee: £9,535 per Integrated Foundation Year (Full-time UK)
• Annual tuition fee: £17,950 per Integrated Foundation Year (Full-time EU/international)

Typical Course Costs

• Approx £200 - Recurring annual costs
• £150 - Recommended reading
• £100-£400 - One-off costs for the course duration (compulsory trips, final portfolios or shows, etc)
• £450-£600 - Optional study visits

Funding

• For information about funding available, please visit our student funding pages.

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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