BA (Hons) Fashion Design (Jan 2024 Start)

We are excited to offer a selection of BA (Hons) creative courses through our new distance learning provision, starting in January 2024. Our vision for excellence in art and design distance learning, under the banner of our Connected Campus, affords students flexibility in their studies whilst being a valued part of our community.

These three-year courses all share a common distance-learning first year, while specialising in a chosen subject, then progressing into named awards in year two and three.

The first year of your January Entry BA (Hons) Fashion Design course can be studied at home, in your own studio space, or at our dedicated international host institution. You will begin in January 2024, and your studies will finish in August 2024, allowing you to immediately progress on to your second year of study, which will take place in person, on campus in September 2024.

Our BA (Hons) Fashion Design degree provides a comprehensive design education for independently-minded fashion thinkers and makers who are looking to influence change within the industry. From future forecasting, concept and design development, creative pattern cutting through to leading compelling marketing campaigns, Fashion is one of the largest employers in the UK’s creative industries - offering endless opportunities to those forward-thinking individuals who seek to challenge the assumptions of design, take creative risks and communicate their individual style through their work.

A spirit of independence runs through our vibrant fashion programme; we empower and prepare young creatives to become future fashion thinkers, makers and versatile designers. By combining traditional craft techniques with digital technologies you will transform your concepts from two-dimensional fabrics into three-dimensional forms. You will learn ways of thinking that will inform your personal design philosophies and lead you towards an individualised specialism.

With online support from our expert teaching staff and technicians, you’ll investigate sustainable design and ethical manufacturing, acquiring a deep appreciation for every step of the commercial supply chain. You will become industry ready and develop entrepreneurial activity through collaborative projects with the Makers HQ, a visionary Arts University Plymouth initiative and community interest company, created to provide cut, make and trim services to the fashion industry, with a strong focus on achieving ethical and local British manufacture.

Our study programmes actively encourage diversity in thinking and making - from practical applications through to reflective, analytical writing. Through visual exploration, collaborative working, cross-fertilisation of ideas, and the exploration of histories and contemporary contexts you’ll examine fashion attitudes in popular culture and music, and gain insight into fashion movements and how they have impacted the world as we know it.

Through expert industry speakers, live briefs and collaborations with brands like Finisterre and Hiut Denim you’ll develop market awareness, project management and communication skills, along with insight into factors that impact design, development and production. You will engage with industry events in London, Paris, New York and Berlin, as well as having the chance to showcase your work at Graduate Fashion Week. Through our extensive professional network our students have secured placements with Alexander McQueen, Vivienne Westwood, Christopher Raeburn, Mary Katrantzou, Missoni, J.W. Anderson, Gareth Pugh and Lulu Guinness. Sessions by visitors are recorded wherever possible and shared with the Arts University Plymouth community.

As part of Arts University Plymouth’s unique interdisciplinary community, you’ll also develop your textile surface pattern and print, digital media and production skills. From presentation and marketing to designing a portfolio - you’ll collaborate with photographers, graphic designers and filmmakers throughout the university and in industry, culminating in a final collection and professional lookbook that launches you into the forefront of industry.

UK students can enjoy access to our Fashion Studio - a large, light space with panoramic views and comprehensively equipped with industry-standard technologies, but your experience at Arts University Plymouth is not just limited to the Fashion Studio. We encourage cross-disciplinary and collaborative working where you can expand your skills by exploring our professional textile print studios, workshops for jewellery and ceramics and our Fab Lab, which houses the latest laser cutting, 3D printing and design technology. International students can access facilities available at our dedicated host institution, based in China. Access to specialist facilities can support your studies, however it is not essential to succeed on this course.

International students can access facilities available at our dedicated host institutions, based in China. Access to specialist facilities can support your studies, however, it is not essential to succeed on this course.