De Montfort University
Contour Fashion BA (Hons)
De Montfort University

Key Course Facts

Student Reviews

Below you can see course specific reviews for 25 graduates of Contour Fashion BA (Hons) at De Montfort University for each of the survey questions in comparison to the average for all UK degree courses in Design Studies.

Overall student satisfaction
75 /100
25 total respondents
The NSS is commissioned by the Office for Students

Salary

Salary of Graduates in Design Studies

Important: Salary data below is not course specific, but contains data of all students of Design Studies at the university. Due to data collection methodology, salary data is mainly based on data related to undergraduate students.

  15 months after graduation 3 years after graduation 5 years after graduation
Median salary £23000 £21000 £24500
25-75 percentile range £20000 - £26000 £17000 - £25000 £19500 - £30000


Salary of all UK Graduates of Design Studies

  15 months after graduation 3 years after graduation 5 years after graduation
Median salary £22025 £20113 £23568
25-75 percentile range £19981 - £25071 £15144 - £24676 £17604 - £29974

Course Description

Established in 1947, our course has unparalleled links with the UK and global intimate apparel industry, providing opportunities to work with big brands on live projects, work placements and competitions.

With a focus on sustainability and innovation, this course covers a range of specialist areas and will prepare you for the changing demands within this dynamic sector. Specialise in lingerie, athleisure, swimwear, loungewear, nightwear, corsetry, menswear, sportswear or medical applications. You will develop specialist skills in conceptual design and application, pattern cutting, grading, fit methodologies, technical excellence and manufacturing. In your final year, you will choose to specialise in either an aesthetic or a technical route.

Your base will be the award-winning Vijay Patel Building, home to all of our art and design students, which provides both the space and facilities to foster creative thinking.

Key features

  • We are recognised as one of the country’s most sustainable fashion and textiles schools (Green Gown Awards, 2021) and one of the best fashion schools in the world for 2022 (CEOWORLD, 2022).
  • Develop the technical skills, market proficiency, design expertise and understanding of 2-3D creative development needed to innovate in this fast-evolving sector.
  • Work on live projects with industry experts to gain valuable skills and insight into the industrial and commercial challenges of design practice. Recent briefs have been set by global brands such as Lounge Underwear, ASOS, Gymshark, H&M and Lycra.
  • Enter prestigious national and international competitions to boost your industry exposure. Previous graduates have won a number of accolades, including Boux Avenue’s Lingerie Designer of the Year and the Worshipful Company of Leathersellers award.
  • This course has a global reputation in the intimate apparel industry, with recent graduates employed by ASOS, Gymshark, Agent Provocateur, Triumph, H&M, Clover International, Heidi Klein and Nichole de Carle.
  • Gain valuable international experience as part of your studies with our DMU Global programme. Previous trips have taken students overseas to visit global brands including Victoria’s Secret, Aerie and Adore Me in New York.

Jobs & Career Perspectives

15 months after graduation, graduates of this course were asked about what they do and, if they are working, about their current job and their perspectives.

Current jobs

Required skill level of job after 15 months

Jobs of graduates of this course (15 months after graduation)

Example below based on all graduates of Contour Fashion BA (Hons) at De Montfort University

19% Secretarial and related occupations
14% Business and public service associate professionals
13% Leisure, travel and related personal service occupations
6% Finance Professionals
5% Business, Research and Administrative Professionals
5% Managers, directors and senior officials
4% Elementary occupations
4% Information Technology Professionals
4% Artistic, literary and media occupations
3% Business and public service associate professionals

Grading & Study Time

We want to ensure you have the best learning experience possible and a supportive and nurturing learning community. That’s why we’re introducing a new block model for delivering the majority of our courses, known as Education 2030. This means a more simplified timetable where you will study one subject at a time instead of several at once. You will have more time to engage with your learning and get to know the teaching team and coursemates. You will receive faster feedback through more regular assessment and have a better study-life balance to enjoy other important aspects of university life. ****Structure** ** Teaching is a broad based mix of formal lectures, group seminars, tutorials, practical workshops, studio-based activities and visual and verbal presentations, often to external industry representatives. Assessment occurs generally at the close of each teaching module but may be broken down into smaller sections to deliver verbal critique of elements of the module and to acclimatise the student to public presentations. Students are expected to engage in self-directed learning when not in scheduled lessons developing work and encouraged to maintain a level of drawn work in sketchbooks to support practical sessions. Learning through practical application and manufacture are key components. The course is directed by highly experienced staff who have all worked in the industry and advise and train intimate apparel and the wider fashion industry globally. The course benefits from visiting lecturers from the wider fashion/intimates industry and often staff from other courses to support teaching and learning e.g. graphic, typology and presentation skills. Students engage with international design competitions such as The Leathersellers Award, and The Hand & Lock Prize and have won awards including New Lingerie Designer of the Year. External client projects with industry are a feature of the course and have included: Luxury French label Aubade, Stretchline Innovation Prize, Gossard Game Changing Competition, Lepel Swimwear Competition, Miraclesuit Swimwear USA, and H&M Lingerie competition Sweden. Gillian Proctor Programme Leader for Contour Fashion received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the UK Lingerie Awards in 2013 in recognition of her career spanning the past 30 years. Gillian chairs the IIIA and the staff team have received numerous teaching awards. ****Contact hours**** In your first year you will normally attend around 14 hours of timetabled taught sessions (lectures and tutorials) each week, and we expect you to undertake at least 25 further hours of independent study to complete project work and research.

Entry Requirements / Admissions

Minimum Required UCAS Tariff

- From at least 2 A Levels - Five GCSEs grades A*-C (9-4)

UCAS Tariff of Accepted Students for this course

Qualification requirements

Requirements for international students / English requirements

IELTS academic test score (similar tests may be accepted as well)

    • 6.0
    • Foundation / Pathway Courses
    • 6.5
    • Graduate Degrees
    • 6.5
    • Undergraduate Degrees
Get advice on which foundation courses are best for you to still study Contour Fashion, BA (Hons), if you do not meet the minimum requirements in terms of UCAS score, A levels, or English language requirements.

Costs

Tuition Fees Contour Fashion BA (Hons)

England UK £9250 year 1
Northern Ireland £9250 year 1
Scotland £9250 year 1
Wales £9250 year 1
International £15250 year 1
International £15750 year 1

Additional fee information

Please note that fees are subject to an annual review. Any increase in fees for Home students would be based upon a review of our provision and in line with the fee cap set by the government.

Average student cost of living in the UK

Rent £518
Water, gas electricity, internet (at home) £50
Supermarket shopping £81
Clothing £35
Eating out £33
Alcohol £27
Takeaways / food deliveries £30
Going out / entertainment (excl.alcohol, food) £24
Holidays and weekend trips £78
Transport within city £17
Self-care / sports £20
Stationary / books £13
Mobile phone / internet £13
Cable TV / streaming £7
Insurance £51
Other £95
  
Average student cost of living £1092

London costs approx 34% more than average, mainly due to rent being 67% higher than average of other cities. For students staying in student halls, costs of water, gas, electricity, wifi are generally included in the rental. Students in smaller cities where accommodation is in walking/biking distance transport costs tend to be significantly smaller.

How to apply

Application deadline:

January 1, 2025

This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.

Possible Entry Points:

  • year 1 (Default entry point)
  • year 2

University Rankings

Positions of De Montfort University in top UK and global rankings.

See all 25 university rankings of De Montfort University

About De Montfort University

De Montfort University, abbreviated as DMU, was founded in 1896 in the small city of Leicester, East Midlands. This university enjoys particularly strong post-graduation employment statistics, which can be explained by their commitment to work experience placements for all students on any courses. International students are well taken care of here. They receive orientation courses intended to provide advice and guidance on living in the UK, and free English language classes are provided to bring all new students up to speed.

List of 117 Bachelor and Master Courses from De Montfort University - Course Catalogue

Student composition of De Montfort University

undergraduates:
19290
postgraduates:
4010
Total:
23300
  • DMU Vloggers: Arpith’s reasons to study at DMU
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  • DMU students from around the world

Where is this programme taught

Leicester Campus
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