Textiles Design with Foundation Year

BA (Hons) Textiles Design at Arts University Bournemouth is a specialist textiles course that does not ask you to specialise before you arrive. We will encourage you to fully embrace colour, pattern and texture in the production of both hard and soft surfaces; for both Fashion and Interiors. Core to course delivery are experimentation with drawing, dye techniques, print, stitch, constructed textiles and knit.

We will encourage you to explore the parameters of textiles design for both interiors and fashion and challenge you to contribute to the British textiles industry and its worldwide reputation for originality, creativity and innovation. We ask you to interrogate long-standing traditions, question existing processes and create new ways of working setting you up to confidently become part of the next generation of distinctive, skilled and inventive designers and makers.

What you will learn

AUB will provide you with the opportunity to become a creative textile designer/maker. Emphasis is placed upon individual exploration of both visual and theoretical principles in the investigation of colour, texture and pattern, through experimentation with drawing, dye, print, stitch, CAD, fabric construction and manipulation, towards the development of tactile materials found within the discipline of textiles.

Central to the course delivery is understanding the professional practice of a textile designer/maker, and the demands placed upon them. Awareness of this rapidly changing profession and jobs of the future is supported through industry set briefs, competitions, live projects, student led placements and engagement with textile professionals from the course’s extensive industry links.

By the end of the course you will be able to

• Demonstrate a critical and systematic understanding of techniques, processes, and skills required for contemporary textiles practice.
• Apply developed and effective visualisation, making and problem-solving skills through the research and production of both traditional and innovative textile works.
• Communicate the ideas, development and concepts underpinning your creative practice in your portfolio for appropriate and related professional career choices or further study.
• Underpin your creative work with critical and reflective contemporary debates and apply critical self-reflection and independent research to the development and management of your textiles practice and transferable skillsets.

Foundation Year
If you feel you need some extra preparation before the full undergraduate degree experience, this Integrated Foundation Year (IFY) might be for you. IFY is designed to provide and accessible route into higher education for students who may not have the academic qualifications needed for admission onto the degree course. This includes students from non-traditional academic backgrounds, such as those without standard qualifications, individuals returning to study after time in employment, or those whose education may have been disrupted.

Students enrolled on the IFY will be a part of a cohort with other students in IFY courses across our Fashion and Textiles courses. The IFY combines core academic and report-writing skills with essential introductory knowledge across all our courses in the fashion area:

• BA (Hons) Fashion

• BA (Hons) Fashion Communication

• BA (Hons) Fashion Technology

• BA (Hons) Textiles Design

Delivered through skills workshops, studio activity, critiques and seminars, the IFY provides an engaging and dynamic learning environment that fosters experimentation, critical enquiry, and real-world relevance. You will build confidence and develop collaborative, reflective, and communication skills, supporting both academic success and future professional practice.