Textile Design with Foundation Year BA (Hons)

Buckinghamshire New University

This course is also 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 benefit from their industry knowledge and the industry 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, 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 also only 30 minutes by train into London, enabling you to visit exhibitions, shows and watch emerging styles from one of the world’s fashion capitals.

Our fashion and textiles programmes are also ranked 3rd best in the UK (The Guardian University Guide 2023).

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. We are extremely proud to be able to offer industry-standard studios, technical machines and high-quality equipment to our fashion and textile-based courses.

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?

Textile design is a fast-paced and engaging industry, this course allows you as a designer to work with a variety of different elements including colour, materials, pattern, structure and composition.

Focussing on three core areas, print, knit and surface design, you’ll explore design led projects, here you’ll develop your research, drawing, colour, design and workshop technical skills. You'll get taster projects in each of the textile practices, and once you know which one suits your creativity most, you can start to specialise.

Designed to provide a wide range of craft and digital making skill, this course will teach you the knowledge and skills you need for employment, whilst also giving you a deep understanding of theoretical, analytical and social contexts.

The programme focuses on exploration of a range of creative and technical approaches, including innovative drawing methods, the use of trends, CAD for design and presentation, specialist techniques; including material knowledge and experimentation, as well as problem solving skills.

Textile Design has a long and successful history of developing highly skilled and creative graduates from Buckinghamshire New University. The course team have a broad range of current industry practice, which enables a range of project opportunities, both, live and studio based that challenge you to be versatile and adaptable in this highly competitive industry.

Upon graduation you’ll be a confident, highly skilled designer with an individual approach to your discipline, which will be reflected in your portfolio.