Ba Hons Fashion Design Technology Womenswear

Overview

Bring your creative and original ideas to life on our multi-award-winning Fashion and Textile Design degree course.

You'll develop your innovation, self-awareness, and critical thinking via our teaching approach – which integrates sustainable and ethical design principles, focuses on your unique strengths, and shapes you into a confident and cultured professional. You'll also develop communication, leadership, and collaboration skills through exchange and enterprise projects, and you'll build a deep knowledge of traditional and digital making skills using industry-level facilities.

Using innovative research methods, you'll be able to deliver authentic, imaginative work that pushes the boundaries of what fashion and textile design means now and in the future.

Course highlights

Master traditional and modern fashion design methods including drawing techniques, pattern-cutting, fashion illustration, silkscreen and digital printing, embroidery and constructed textiles
Further your creativity, research, practice and environmental specialism by taking part in our sustainable fashion research project PO1
Bolster your entrepreneurship by setting up your own label or fashion and textile company as part of your studies
Gain valuable industry experience by taking an optional placement – either with a company or as self-employed
Enhance your collaboration and team-working skills by working with other students on other courses in the Faculty of Creative and Cultural Industries
Get insight into the fashion industry by attending guest lectures by visiting international professionals – previous visitors include Julian Roberts, Niccolo Casas and Shingo Sato
Impress potential employers by exhibiting your work at the University's annual graduate shows and Graduate Fashion Week showcases in London

TEF Gold Teaching Excellence Framework

What you can do on this BA (Hons) Fashion and Textile Design degree course

The ultimate aim of this course is to develop really well-rounded, ambitious, highly skilled and highly creative fashion and textile designers, ready to make an impact on the industry.

I've learnt to pattern cut, I've learnt to drape, I've learnt to print, I've learn how to use the 3D printer, and the fabric printing.

I never would have had the opportunity to do that without being here.

Everything seems more attainable now with all the skills that I have and especially with the placement year.

I've got a lot more confidence in making clothes and obviously without this course it seems impossible to be able to make your own collection.

The best thing about studying Fashion and Textiles at the University of Portsmouth is the sense of creative community that we have here, the way that the staff and students work together.

Entry requirements

BA (Hons) Fashion and Textile Design

Your facilities

BA (Hons) Fashion and Textile Design Course Showreel 2021

From inspiration to innovation

Watch our 2021 graduates' impressive work and see the limitless creative possibilities of Fashion and Textile Design at Portsmouth.

Film by Sebastian Professional.

Careers and opportunities

Our collaborative and project-orientated course will give you the skills to become highly employable.

Graduate areas

Our graduates have worked across design, marketing, communications and commerce in areas such as:

fashion, textile or accessories design
trend prediction
buying
visual merchandising
teaching or lecturing
journalism or writing

Graduate destinations

Our graduates have worked with some of the biggest names in fashion and major retailers, including:

Ralph Lauren
Hugo Boss
Matthew Williamson
River Island
Fat Face
Marks and Spencer

Graduate startups

Previous students on this course have also set up their own fashion and textile labels. For example:

Sunny Williams set up his label, House of Sunny, in 2011 and has developed minimal, androgynous aesthetic womenswear, which sells internationally and is stocked by ASOS
Nikki Strange created her own-name line for Marks and Spencer in 2015 and also works as a freelance textile designer and visiting lecturer.

Alumni profile: Lauren Chivers, Fashion Designer

Find out about Lauren's life and success after University

Lauren Chivers graduated in 2018 with a Fashion and Textile degree from the University of Portsmouth. She's now a self-employed fashion designer.

Find out what Lauren's role entails and how she's applying the skills she learnt during her time at Portsmouth.

Ongoing careers support

Get experience while you study, with support to find part-time jobs, volunteering opportunities, and work experience. You can also venture into freelancing, or set up and run your own business with help from the University Startup Team.

Towards the end of your degree and for up to five years after graduation, you'll receive one-to-one support from our Graduate Recruitment Consultancy to help you find your perfect role.

Entrepreneurs in Residence

If you're interested in setting up your own business while you study, you can get support on this course from the Entrepreneurs in Residence programme. Our Entrepreneurs in Residence are experienced business professionals who work with us to deliver group workshops and 1-to-1 drop-in clinics to help you plan and market your business idea.

Placement year (optional)

After your second year, you can do an optional work placement to get valuable longer-term work experience in the industry. Placements are also a great way to build upon your existing skills and knowledge for your final-year studies, and can make you attractive to employers after you graduate.

You can work with a company, or go self-employed and start up your own business with other fellow students or by yourself.

Whatever you decide, you'll get support from our Creative Careers team.

Creative Careers

Our in-faculty Creative Careers team has extensive recruitment experience and knows the creative sector well, making it easier for students to find placements within the creative industries.

They can guide you through every step of the application process, including:

Searching for the ideal job through their database of vacancies
Giving tips on how to write an interesting CV that will catch employers' attention, no matter the role
Organising mock interviews, so you can hone your technique and familiarise yourself with the recruitment environment
Writing your startup business proposal – if you're going down the self-employment route

The team will continue to give you support throughout your placement year.

Placement destinations

Previous students have completed work placements at designers such as:

Paul Smith
Mary Katrantzou
Peter Pilotto

What you'll study on this BA (Hons) Fashion and Textile Design degree

Each module on this course is worth a certain number of credits.

In each year, you need to study modules worth a total of 120 credits. For example, 4 modules worth 20 credits and 1 module worth 40 credits.

Modules

Core modules

Core Skills: Fashion and Textiles (40 credits)
Design Fundamentals (40 credits)
Digital Designing for Fashion and Textiles (20 credits)
Introduction to Visual Culture (20 credits)

Optional modules

There are no optional modules in this year.

Unless otherwise stated, modules listed below are worth 20 credits each.

Core modules

Designer-Led Brief
Enterprise and Industry: Practice
Enterprise and Industry: Experience
Enterprise and Industry: Research

Optional modules

Art, Design and Performance Study Exchange (60 credits)
Engaged Citizenship Through Interdisciplinary Practice
Exploratory Practice
Professional Experience
Student Enterprise
Visual Culture: Cult, Taste and Collecting
Visual Culture: Performing Identity
Visual Culture: Technology and the Image
Visual Culture: Visions of the body

On this course, you can do an optional work placement between your second and third years to get valuable experience working in industry.

We'll help you secure a work placement that fits your situation and ambitions. You'll get mentoring and support throughout the year.

All modules listed below are worth 20 credits each.

Core modules

Major Project: Concept
Major Project: Development
Major Project: Promotion
Major Project: Resolution
Portfolio

Optional modules

Visual Culture: Dissertation
Visual Culture: Research Project

We use the best and most current research and professional practice alongside feedback from our students to make sure course content is relevant to your future career or further studies.

Therefore, some course content may change over time to reflect changes in the discipline or industry and some optional modules may not run every year. If a module doesn't run, we'll let you know as soon as possible and help you choose an alternative module.

How you're assessed

You'll be assessed through:

research and developmental work
industry set briefs/live competitions
fashion and/or textile collections
digital designs and design boards
making and construction skills
group work
written essays or reports

You'll be able to test your skills and knowledge informally before you do assessments that count towards your final mark.

You can get feedback on all practice and formal assessments so you can improve in the future.

Teaching

Teaching methods on this course include:

lectures
workshops
seminars
studio practice

There's an emphasis on developing your design and creative skills, challenging your creativity and encouraging participation in shaping the future of the fashion and textiles industry.

You can access all teaching resources on Moodle, our virtual learning environment, from anywhere with a Web connection.

For more about the teaching activities for specific modules, see the module list above.

Teaching staff profiles

These are some of the expert staff who'll teach you on this degree course.

How you'll spend your time

One of the main differences between school or college and university is how much control you have over your learning.

We're planning for most of your learning to be supported by timetabled face-to-face teaching with some elements of online provision. Please be aware, the balance between face-to-face teaching and online provision may change depending on Government restrictions. You'll also do lots of independent study with support from staff and our virtual learning environment, Moodle. Find out more about how our teaching has transformed to best support your learning.

Term dates

The academic year runs from September to June. There are breaks at Christmas and Easter.

See term dates

Supporting your learning

The amount of timetabled teaching you'll get on your degree might be less than what you're used to at school or college, but you'll also get support via video, phone and face-to-face from teaching and support staff when you need it. These include the following people and services:

Types of support

Your personal tutor helps you make the transition to independent study and gives you academic and personal support throughout your time at university.

You'll have regular contact with your personal tutor in learning activities or scheduled meetings. You can also make an appointment with them if you need extra support.

In addition to the support you get from your personal tutor, you'll also have access to a Faculty student support advisor. They can give you confidential, impartial advice on anything to do with your studies and personal wellbeing and refer you to specialist support services.

You'll have help from a team of faculty academic skills tutors. They can help you improve and develop your academic skills and support you in any area of your study.

They can help with:

improving your academic writing (for example, essays, reports, dissertations)
delivering presentations (including observing and filming presentations)
understanding and using assignment feedback
managing your time and workload
revision and exam techniques

If you need support with software and equipment or you want to learn additional skills (including skills not covered on your course), our creative skills tutors provide free workshops, activities and one-on-one tutorials. Skills you can learn include life drawing, film camera operation and video production.

Computing support staff are always available to give technical support in the Faculty's computer suites during normal working hours. There's also some support available from 5pm to midnight at busy times of the year.

As well as support from faculty staff and your personal tutor, you can use the University's Academic Skills Unit (ASK).

ASK provides one-to-one support in areas such as:

academic writing
note taking
time management
critical thinking
presentation skills
referencing
working in groups
revision, memory and exam techniques

If you require extra support because of a disability or additional learning need our specialist team can help you.

They'll help you to:

discuss and agree on reasonable adjustments
liaise with other University services and facilities, such as the library
access specialist study skills and strategies tutors, and assistive technology tutors, on a 1-to-1 basis or in groups
liaise with external services

Library staff are available in person or by email, phone or online chat to help you make the most of the University's library resources. You can also request one-to-one appointments and get support from a librarian who specialises in your subject area.

The library is open 24 hours a day, every day, in term time.

Course costs and funding

Tuition fees (2022 start)

UK/Channel Islands and Isle of Man students – £9,250 a year (may be subject to annual increase)
EU students –£9,250 a year, including our Transition Scholarship (may be subject to annual increase)
International students – £16,200 a year (subject to annual increase)

You won't pay any extra tuition fees to another university for taking part in a study/work abroad activity if you choose to do it for the whole academic year. During a year abroad you'll only have to pay a reduced fee to the University of Portsmouth.

Funding your studies

Find out how to fund your studies, including the scholarships and bursaries you could get. You can also find more about tuition fees and living costs, including what your tuition fees cover.

Applying from outside the UK? Find out about funding options for international students.

Additional course costs

These course-related costs aren't included in the tuition fees. So you'll need to budget for them when you plan your spending.

Costs breakdown

You'll study up to 6 modules a year. You may have to read several recommended books or textbooks for each module.

You can borrow most of these from the Library. If you buy these, they may cost up to £60 each.

We recommend that you budget £75 a year for photocopying, memory sticks, DVDs and CDs, printing charges, binding and specialist printing.

If your final year includes a major project, there could be cost for transport or accommodation related to your research activities. The amount will depend on the project you choose.

You'll need to pay extra printing costs of around £100–£600 on portfolio work.

Material and production costs are around £100–£500 a year.

Any study trips are optional and you will be expected to pay full cost. Optional study trips abroad will cost in the region of £200–£800. UK trips, where offered, will be £50–£150.

Apply

How to apply

To start this course in 2022, apply through UCAS. You'll need:

the UCAS course code – W990
our institution code – P80

If you'd prefer to apply directly, use our online application form.

You can also sign up to an Open Day to:

Tour our campus, facilities and halls of residence
Speak with lecturers and chat with our students
Get information about where to live, how to fund your studies and which clubs and societies to join

If you're new to the application process, read our guide on applying for an undergraduate course.

How to apply from outside the UK

See the 'How to apply' section above for details of how to apply. You can also get an agent to help with your application. Check your country page for details of agents in your region.

To find out what to include in your application, head to the how to apply page of our international students section.

If you don't meet the English language requirements for this course yet, you can achieve the level you need by successfully completing a pre-sessional English programme before you start your course.

Admissions terms and conditions

When you accept an offer to study at the University of Portsmouth, you also agree to abide by our Student Contract (which includes the University's relevant policies, rules and regulations). You should read and consider these before you apply.