w e s t m i n s t e r fa s h i o n

westminsterfashion

constance blackaller

westminsterfashion

emma hart

westminsterfashion

Goioiza ferreras GandiaGa

westminsterfashion

jack byne

westminsterfashion

philip luu

westminsterfashion

annie malcolm

westminsterfashion

eleanor bemand

westminsterfashion

leah white

westminsterfashion

v ictoria hopcroft

westminsterfashion

lydia smith

westminsterfashion

katie mcGuiGan

westminsterfashion

yasemin cakli

westminsterfashion

isabel brooke

westminsterfashion

l iam o’sullivan

westminsterfashion

p ip paz-howlett

westminsterfashion

christopher pak

about the course

the ba (hons) fashion design course at westminster is famous for producing highly creative and original designers capable of working at the highest levels within the international fashion industry.

the course offers a comprehensive and intense design education for dedicated and ambitious individuals looking for a specialist career in a global industry.

whether negotiating the design elements appropriate for commercial fashion design or exploring their own individual conceptual practice as a designer, students are critically challenged to extend their creativity. we do not instil a prescriptive design style into our students, but help them to develop their own innate design sensibility as creative individuals.

COURSE PHILOSOPHY

the philosophy of the ba (hons) fashion design course at westminster is to work with a small select group of students on a one–to-one basis to fully develop their design aesthetic and to critically challenge them to understand how their personal practice addresses the needs and requirements of the international fashion industry.

due to the intensity of this teaching method we only select approximately 40 of the most creative and dedicated students who can demonstrate they have the drive and determination to meet the highly intensive demands that this course requires.

the course is intrinsically studio-based in its delivery and practice; all students have their own work space within their studio, as well as access to specialised sewing machine rooms, pattern cutting rooms, fitting rooms, print studios, a fashion resource room and dedicated computer suites.

students are therefore expected to be working in their dedicated studios and interacting with their tutors on a daily basis. access to the studios is from 8am – 9pm monday to friday, and 9am – 7pm

at weekends; whilst the library is open 24 hours during term time.

throughout the course, the emphasis is on the development of the students’ own personal design aesthetic. this is achieved through a series of design modules which challenge students to work from original research to final outcome, which is usually a series of garments.

the main areas of study on the course include: fashion design, creative pattern cutting, construction, trend, research, illustration, menswear, textile print, cad, sportswear, live industry projects, sampling, creative textiles, contextual studies, and industry internships.

PATHWAYS

the ba (hons) fashion design course is designed so that whilst students have to address the specific learning outcomes of the module briefs, there is still flexibility for students to develop their own work in a particular direction, whether that is womenswear, menswear, print, textiles or accessories.

as well as the traditional three year full time pathway there is the opportunity to undertake the course on a four year sandwich pathway, which includes an internship year working within the international fashion industry.

internships are an integral component of the course, whether students are on the 3-year pathway, when all students undertake an 8-week placement in their second year; or the 4-year sandwich pathway where students spend up to 16 months on placement between their second and final year of study.

the course’s exceptional links with the fashion industry ensure fast-track access to both cutting edge and established designers. students are currently working with the following designers:

in london: alexander mcQueen, simone

rocha, preen, burberry prorsum, christopher kane, mulberry, and celine.

in paris: lanvin, balmain, christian dior, haider ackermann, Givenchy and balenciaga.

in new york: diane von furstenburg, proenza schouler, thom browne, marc jacobs and alexander wang.

YEAR ONE

the first year of study at westminster concentrates on introducing the student to a variety of skills and techniques related to all areas of 2d and 3d fashion practice. design, research, illustration, cut & construction print, and cad are all covered. research is fostered through a variety of methods including visits to london fashion week, exhibitions, sketchbooks, museums, archives and industry visits.

there are lessons in life drawing and illustration so that students gain a greater understanding of proportion in 2d as well as 3d.

by the end of year one, all students are fully equipped with the relevant technical and theoretical skills to successfully address the specific, sometimes industry-led, requirements of their second year projects.

YEAR TWO

the second year focuses on understanding and addressing the demands and needs of the fashion design industry through specific design assignments. this is accomplished through:

• Guest industry speakers and lecturers, allowing students to understand their personal design practice within the context of the wider international design industry. recent guests include meadham kirchhoff, charlie porter, sibling, liam hodges and john booth.

• Industry-led design projects. recent partners for these design based projects include max mara,

isko denim, asos, burberry, warehouse, the Gap, and topman.

• Industrial work placement and internships. these take place over eight consecutive weeks, starting at the end of december until the end of paris fashion week. the timing enables students to have the opportunity to work with a designer on their collection from its conception through to the runway show presentation.

INTERNSHIP YEAR

students on the four-year pathway undertake a year-long period of placements between levels 5 and 6 of the course.

the purpose of the sandwich year is to allow students to work within the international fashion industry for a far more substantial period of time, usually abroad in paris, new york or europe. it also further enhances the profile of industrial placement within the framework of the students’ undergraduate studies.

the course has extremely strong industry connections, and a great track record of successful internships that have benefitted both the students and the host companies.

examples of where our students have worked during their internship year include: acneadidasaitor throupalexander mcQueenalexander wangamerican vogueann demeulemeesteranya hindmarchashley williams balenciagaballybalmainbernhard willhelm burberrycalvin kleincelinechalayanchanelchristian diorchristopher kanechristopher raeburn

christopher shannonclaire barrowdamir domadazeddknye tautzerdemfendiGareth pugh Giambattista valliGieves & hawkesGiles deaconGivenchyGQ styleh&m harper’s bazaarholly fultoniris van herpenissaj.w. andersonjames longjonathan saunderslanvin liam hodgesloewemarc jacobsmargaret howellmarques almeidamary katrantzoumatthew williamsonmcQmeadham kirchhoffmoschinomulberrynasir mazharnicolas andreas taralisnorton & sonsold navypaul smithpeter jensen preen proenza schoulerrejina pyo roksanda ilincicroland mouretshaun samsonsiblingsimone rochastella mccartneythom brownethomas taittodd lynntom fordtopmantopshopungaroversacevictoria beckhamviktor & rolfvivienne westwoodvogue

FINAL YEAR

in the final year of study on the course, students further develop their own signature aesthetic style in both 2d portfolio work and 3d design projects. advanced research, sourcing and design development leads to a full runway collection range being developed and realised. a sustained piece of written work, in the form of a fashion thesis is written focusing on the chosen theme or research of the students’ final design proposal.

a precollection is developed alongside research and design proposals together with a marketing strategy. students work on their final portfolio which is then shown at the british fashion council portfolio day and also at the westminster portfolio preview day in london during may.

all final year students are considered for inclusion in the westminster Graduate runway show held in central london in may in front of an invited audience of designers, journalists and the fashion industry.

CAREERS

Graduates of the ba (hons) fashion design course are extremely successful in the job market with over 90 percent of all final year students going directly into fashion related work, predominantly as designers or assistant designers working within established companies, or starting up their own design businesses.

Graduates from june 2016 are already working at mulberry, norse projects, alexander mcQueen, loewe, jw anderson, burberry, tom ford, acne, and max mara.

alumni of the course include:ashley williams, lfw designerclaire barrow, lfw designer liam hodges, lfw designerroberta einer, lfw designer christopher bailey, ceo - burberrystuart vevers, creative director – coach

examples of where westminster

graduates from the last three years are now working include the following international fashion companies:

acneadidasaitor throupalexander mcQueenalfred dunhillarmani exchangeaspreyballybelstaffburberry prorsum celinechloechristian dior GapGivenchyh&mharrodsj.w. andersonjacquemuslanvinlouis vuittonmax mara paul smithpreen roberto cavallitimothy everesttom ford

additionally some graduates go on to study fashion design at postgraduate level in london at either the ma fashion design course at central saint martins or at the royal college of art, or in new york on the ma fashion design and society course at parsons new school.

APPLYING

entry onto the course is highly competitive and judgements will be made based on the quality of portfolio work that you present if you are called to interview.

please note, due to the course being heavily oversubscribed, qualifications alone are not enough to gain an offer of a place on the course.

for all full-time higher education courses at universities and colleges in the uk, you must apply online via the universities and colleges website, www. ucas.com.

the ucas course code is:

ba fashion design 3 year course w230ba fashion design with sandwich year w232

the optional sandwich year is subject to an annual administration fee.

OPEN DAYS

coming to one of our fashion design open days is a great opportunity for you to look around the fashion course, see our buildings and facilities, meet our current fashion design students and staff, and find out important information about our teaching methods, student finances and career opportunities.

you will be able to look around the design studios, our specialist machine rooms, our fashion print and dye rooms as well as our fashion resource room. additionally, you will see examples of current students work at all levels in the form of sketchbooks, final garments and portfolio work.

there are also presentations from the fashion design team on all aspects of the course where you can ask any questions that you want answered regarding the course, how to apply and what we look for from applicants.

all open days last approximately two hours and pre-booking your place is essential.

CONTACT US

to contact us regarding admission and open days please contact:

course enquiriest: +44 (0)20 7915 5511e: course-enquiries@westminster.ac.uk w: www.westminster.ac.uk

you can view all our students’ portfolios and runway images at our website: www.westminsterfashion.com

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