Fashion Design

Fashion at Bedfordshire is fun! Our course asks you to think outside the box, finding creative approaches, and negotiating conceptual and wearable designs. While providing you with technical skills alongside open and creative briefs, our highly experienced academic team encourage you to experiment and play, taking you on a journey of creative discovery and suspended disbelief. There is an emphasis on digital design skills in textile and pattern cutting as well as 3D garment design using specialist software.

Facilities and specialist equipment

• Spacious fashion studio that replicates the commercial world.

• Textile and pattern-cutting facilities with cutting tables; digital pattern cutting; and industrial sewing machines.

• 3D-modelling and avatar software - like Browzwear - allowing you to bring designs to life before the fabric has even been cut.

Career-powered links

We are members of The Graduate Fashion Foundation (GFF), enhancing our Fashion Design students’ opportunities to make creative industry connections and build employability.

Your student experience

Our teachers are industry-experienced practitioners and academics eager to develop your creativity and technical skills, preparing you for a vibrant future in fashion.

Our course incorporates both manual and digital skills so you develop to be a well-rounded fashion practitioner, ready for industry and the professional world.

Benefit from hands-on learning in a nurturing studio environment with ample contact time with tutors.

Participate in Graduate Fashion Week, where you can interact with potential employers and new graduates as well as showcasing your work.

Attend weekly World of Work guest talks from a wide range of creative-industry professionals, who share insights into how to get your first job in fashion and establish yourself as an independent creative.

All three years of our courses include opportunities for visits to art and design studios, galleries, museums and exhibitions throughout the UK including Tate Modern, the Royal Academy and Gagosian.

Our graduates have entered many areas of the fashion industry and completed internships with Alexander McQueen, Mary Katrantzou, Sophia Webster, Amanda Wakeley and Jimmy Choo, to name a few.

Course modules

Year 1

Fashion design: exploring materials and methods – Learn how to turn your ideas into real designs using pattern cutting and sewing. Context and ideas - Explore how fashion and art shape society and everyday life. Introducing studio practice – Develop your ability to work independently and with others, sharing and presenting your design ideas. Thinking through making - Experiment with different materials to bring your ideas to life visually.

Year 2

Developing professional practice -- Build a portfolio that reflects your creativity and understanding of the fashion industry. Collaborative enterprise - Work with others on creative projects in real-world settings. Context and meaning – Explore global ideas and theories behind visual culture. Fashion design: developing materials and methods – Build on the skills gained in Year 1 by experimenting with new techniques and creative approaches.

Year 3

Final major project: Fashion Design - Pursue your personal creative interests by producing a fashion collection for public display. Creative futures - Prepare for your career after graduation. Critical and creative contexts - Explore current ideas and debates in art, design and fashion.

Every effort is made to ensure this information is accurate at the point of publication on the UCAS website. For the most up-to-date information, please refer to our website.