BA (Hons) Fashion Design

"The biggest dream I had was to work for Galliano at Dior, which I did achieve. I completed my studying at Central St Martins and my success can be traced back to being at CSVPA." - Tam Pekanan, magazine editor and former student

Ideal for...

Determined, independent-minded individuals who have completed an Art Foundation with a good portfolio or the Access to Higher Education Programme for guaranteed progression.

The BA (Hons) Fashion Design is awarded by Kingston University and all 3 years of the programme are completed at CSVPA. The course is designed to develop your creative abilities within an industrial and commercial context so that designing, selling and marketing are all seen as connected creative pursuits.

You will take advantage of the full range of workshops and processes that are available in our state of the art studios, integrating these techniques into clothing and accessories design.

At the end of each year you will have the opportunity to show completed garments at our end of year fashion show. Recent sponsors of our fashion show have included: Jean Paul Gaultier, Vivienne Westwood, Julien Macdonald, Ben de Lisi, Valentino, Philip Treacy, Katharine Hamnett, Betty Jackson, Levis Strauss and Burberry.

"It is very flattering, as a designer, to be requested to set a project for young talent." - Ben de Lisi

More about the course...

What is a Kingston University awarded degree?

This means that students studying the BA Fashion Design programme at CSVPA are awarded the same qualification and degree certificate as would a student studying at Kingston University.

• Our two undergraduate degrees have been designed in collaboration with, and approved by, Kingston University.
• We are the only art college in the world to be awarded the right to offer these programmes.
• Students will spend all 3 years of their degree at CSVPA, Cambridge.

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What will I study?

Year 1

• Introduction to fundamental skills of research and design
• Design development
• Technical skills - pattern cutting, garment manufacture
• Fashion illustration, design drawing and specification drawings
• IT skills – Adobe Photoshop, InDesign, Adobe Illustrator
• Study of cultural and visual influences on fashion

Year 2

• Live project
• Professional work experience
• Research and design development process continued
• Advanced technical skills
• Fashion illustration and portfolio building

Year 3

• Portfolio building
• Advanced technical skills
• Live project
• Major project – Final collection for Fashion show
• Dissertation

View course modules in more detail

Enjoy world-class facilities

"One of the best things about CSVPA is that we all have our own working area and equipment and from year one, we get to put our design skills into practice making garments." - Ly Fyang, current student

CSVPA is open seven days a week, twelve hours a day, providing a state-of-the art learning environment and individual work space for every student.

Built over three floors, the Campus includes Mac computer suites, fashion studios, sewing machine and dye rooms, woodwork, metalwork, photography and fine art studios.

Learn from a team of inspiring artists and designers

"No tutor I've worked with since has matched the dedication and spirit of my tutors at CSVPA." - Michelle Ng, former student

Our approach to creative learning is unique, highly personalised and guaranteed to ensure you meet your full potential.

Our tutors are all professional artists, designers and practitioners including a pattern cutter for Yves Saint Laurent, Artist in Residence at Christ’s College Cambridge and an Award-Winning sculptor in metals.

Encompassing a wide range of skills and talents, our tutors all share a passion for the creative arts, a dedication to sharing their knowledge and skills with their students and a unique ability to uncover your individual talents.

The teaching approach

In Level 1, the focus is on developing core skills and knowledge from traditional and non typical pattern-cutting techniques.

There is also a strong focus on developing visual, analytical and verbal research abilities with an emphasis on design development and the evolution of a personal illustrative technique.

You will receive Computer Aided Design (CAD) teaching including Photoshop and Illustrator with access to specialist Fashion CAD.

Students are also taught the fundamental principles of fashion related commercial practice.

In Level 2, you further develop key skills with a greater emphasis on live projects working with influential industrialists. We develop your key skills including textile technology awareness and understanding of materials.

In Level 3, you are taught how to prepare yourself for your final year with emphasis on your degree essay and your design and commercial directions.

There is greater emphasis on self-initiated work enabling you to think and work independently. This is an exciting time where you will be working towards a professional portfolio and final collection.

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Work placements and fashion careers

"I've just been accepted for my work placement at Jenny Packham this Summer and can't wait, but never would have got there without the unwavering support of my tutors." - Yang Yuan (Meer), BA (Hons) Fashion

During Semester 2 in your second year, you have the opportunity to undertake a work placement.

This is self-initiated and can be with some exciting retailers and designer. The outcomes can lead towards offers of employment when you graduate.

Students at CSVPA have previously obtained work experience with Jenny Packham, Alexander McQueen, Dior and Julien MacDonald.

Careers

The emphasis throughout the degree is on a range of knowledge and skills in fashion and clothing design, including practical aspects of production awareness and marketing. This will equip you to work in a broad range of areas in the fashion industry, from design, styling, marketing, manufacturing, visual merchandising, buying and selling.

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BA Fashion Design: A Week in the Life

"On Mondays I start at 10 - some students do English first, starting at 9 but I have 6.5 IELTS, so don't need any more English teaching.

Mondays are Technical Fashion and it is where we learn all about pattern cutting and garment construction using the sewing machines and steam irons and other professional equipment to realize our designs. We work all day until at least 5 with a lunch break but many days we work on until much later especially if we are close to a deadline.

Tuesday, we have studio practice today with our design lecturer and the technical lecturer. We start at the usual time and have a busy day of working on our designs creating fashion illustrations or working on finished garments. Sometimes Tiina the tech lecturer helps us with the IT elements of research and design - she instructs us using Photoshop and inDesign. We officially finish around 5 but the lecturers finish at 6 so we mostly work until then unless we can convince them to stay later!

Wednesday we have cultural and critical studies which is lectures about Fashion design and the history of design, sometimes it covers more cultural or sociological topics. We then have small discussion groups and often one-to-ones where I am able to talk about my written work and get help with it.

In the afternoon we have fashion drawing, working with the Head of Fashion. She is showing us how to record the body and gain our own styles. After this we usually finish around 5.

Thurdays we are working in the studio on our own work. The technical lecturer is there to help but it is our chance to develop our project work until lunch time. In the afternoon we are working with the design lecturer on our set projects - we have been designing a white shirt and now we are starting a project about architecture using the ideas and shapes we see to create a garment. Again we stop around 5 or 6.

Fridays are again a day of design and garment making either in the design room or the technical fashion room working with one of the technical lectures and our design lecturer until lunch time. Then in the afternoon we continue working with the technical lecturer supervising us.

On Saturdays and Sundays we can use the design studios and if I am busy I try to come in. We have our hand-in for semester one next week so I expect to be there both days."

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About CSVPA

CSVPA is highly regarded by the top institutions and employers in the creative industries. Our fashion students have gone on to work with leading names such as Dior, Armani, Louis Vuitton, Alexander Mcqueen, Boden, Red by Wolves, Emilio de la Morena.

• Specialist creative school with exceptional facilities
• Teaching by professional artists, sculptors and designers
• 5 days of teaching, 1 lecturer to 15 students
• Individual work space for every student, a mannequin for each student
• Access to studio 7 days a week
• Opportunities to work on real life commissions and show your work publicly
• Dynamic mix of nationalities bringing creative inspiration from different cultures

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