Costume Design and Making BA (Hons)

Buckinghamshire New University

Why study at Buckinghamshire New University?

With a history of delivering expert craft, art and design education for more than 130 years, Buckinghamshire New University is the perfect place to start your creative career.

Led by a dedicated and experienced course team, you’ll benefit from their industry knowledge and the links they bring to the course. You’ll get direct access to guest lectures, who are specialists in the sector, and can benefit from live project briefs and networking opportunities. We also have links with the National Theatre and the British Fashion Council. The University also has a teaching base at the iconic Pinewood Studios, which means there could be opportunities to engage with the community there.

Our fashion and textiles programmes are ranked 3rd best in the UK (The Guardian University Guide 2023) and we celebrated 95% overall student satisfaction in the 2022 National Student Survey.

Degrees at BNU are designed to offer a broader and more flexible education by giving you the opportunity to try a range of subjects before specialising. Even if you know exactly what you want to do, with most of our courses you can choose to study additional subjects to enhance your education.

What facilities can I use?

We’ve spent a lot of love and care making the Fashion and Textile Studios the perfect creative space and one of the best-equipped workshops in the country. You'll be working on industry standard equipment, learning latest techniques and future focused methods of costume craftsmanship. You will master materials, both through traditional methods and using digital software. This includes an in-house fabric and yarn store, screen printing facilities, a dye laboratory and sewing and garment production facilities.

What will I study?

Creativity, innovation, critical, independent thinking, and the development of your personal design philosophy are at the core of this Costume Design and Making degree. The course aims to develop your knowledge and skills in costume design on both an artistic and professional level. You’ll apply your knowledge and understanding to the range of professional environments where your practice can be developed, from film and television productions to theatre and media performances.

Across the duration of your course, you will learn approaches that will enable you to understand the design process from concept, through design to production and product placement. On the course you’ll start with the core fundamentals, including contextual studies, 2D and 3D, pattern cutting, manufacturing, illustration and applying your knowledge to character representation through script and story interpretation.

As you progress through the course, you’ll begin to investigate the fashion, theatre, and film industry, through a series of design and live industry projects, advanced pattern cutting, manufacturing, processes and materials workshops. You will also begin to develop your aesthetic style, leading to the completion of a final collection, an industry ready portfolio and promotion package.

Upon graduation you’ll be able to solve problems and make creative and professional decisions, using your skills and talent to create show-stopping designs. Your portfolio will be well-rounded, ensuring you have what current employers are looking for.

What are my career prospects?

Upon graduation, you will be prepared for a range of career possibilities. Such as:

Costume designer for the creative industries

Pattern cutter

Costume developer

Garment technologist

Studio manager or costume design coordinator

Film/theatre/performance stylist

Costume supervisor

Costume exhibition or game designer