Fashion Design with Foundation Year BA (Hons)

Buckinghamshire New University

This course is offered as a four-year programme, including an initial Foundation Year. The Foundation Year will allow you to develop your academic study skills and build confidence in your abilities, identifying your own strengths and development needs for progression onto an undergraduate programme.

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 get direct access to guest lectures, who are specialists in the sector, and can benefit from live project briefs, master classes, and networking opportunities. As a member of the British Fashion Council, UKFT and WGSN our students are supported by industry to reach their full potential.

We’re proud of the many achievements of our students and staff and throughout your course you will have the opportunity to take part in international competitions, including British Fashion Council reviews, exhibitions and the BNU Summer Show. Our fashion and textiles programmes are also ranked 3rd best in the UK (The Guardian University Guide 2023).

We’re also only 30 minutes by train into London, enabling you watch emerging styles from one of the world’s fashion capitals.

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 will I study?

Creativity, innovation, holistic thinking and the development of your personal design philosophy are at the core of this degree programme. The course aims to develop your knowledge and skills in fashion design on both an artistic and professional level. You will be encouraged to research, interpret and develop your own appreciation of the use of traditional techniques, new technologies, materials and innovative design solutions.

During your time with us, you’ll learn approaches that will enable you to understand the design process from concept, through design to production and product placement. Starting with the the core fundamentals, including 2D and 3D, pattern cutting, manufacturing, illustration and an introduction to a range of processes and materials, you’ll begin to get hands-on within our professional working studio. This includes an in-house fabric and yarn store, screen printing facilities, a dye laboratory and sewing and garment production facilities.

You’ll then continue to develop, with a focus on the fashion industry, through a series of design and live industry projects, advanced pattern cutting, CAD, manufacturing processes and materials workshops. You’ll also start to build your portfolio, putting in place newly learnt promotional skills.

In your final year you’ll have developed your aesthetic style, which will then lead on to the completion of a final capsule collection, an industry ready portfolio and promotion package, all of which is shown at our end of year summer show, which both industry and friends are invited too.

Upon graduation you’ll be skilled and experienced in creative problem-solving, with a good range of techniques in pattern cutting, manufacturing, processes and materials, and a clear understanding of how these can be applied to create innovative design solutions. Your portfolio will be well-rounded, ensuring you have what current employers are looking for.