University of Derby

Take your designs from concept to catwalk with a Fashion Design degree that has strong industry links and collaborative opportunities with our Textile Design and Photography courses.

You’ll learn through portfolio building, group work and critiques, negotiated learning and practical production. Students gain a greater understanding of fashion on a global scale through field trips and having direct contact with significant cultural and commercial organisations and events.

We’ll introduce the fundamentals of fashion design practice for the ready-to-wear market to begin with and as the course progresses there’s a greater emphasis on the commercial world. Through independent study you’ll advance your thinking and practice and feel confident to take risks and experiment with ideas and techniques to develop a strong portfolio of work.

This course will help you develop fashion design skills and expand your knowledge of key business aspects through a combination of creative and practical study. It’s ideal for anyone who wants to learn about the business of fashion but also has a desire to design and make.

You'll gain a valuable insight into the commercial elements of the fashion sector, from an integrated perspective encapsulating emerging fashion design and marketing concepts.

We’ll introduce the fundamentals of fashion design practice for the ready-to-wear market to begin with and as the course progresses there’s a greater emphasis on the commercial world.

This is a new degree for people who love fashion, image-making and communication. Learn to use your design and artistic flair to help promote brands and individuals, and to bring about social change.

You’ll be introduced to essential foundational knowledge such as understanding the design process and the history of image-making and fashion. You’ll explore some of the industry’s current dilemmas, including the sustainability of materials, working conditions in factories, and the problems of 'fast fashion'.

This is a practical course and you’ll be given a wide range of briefs from tutors and external parties to prepare you for your career. You’ll research and develop ideas, present concepts that meet the commercial aims of the brief and create original content that reflects industry standards. This content could be images, video, text or experiences. Skills you’ll develop on this course include; fashion photography and illustration, concept and market research, creative still-life and live-model styling and digital media techniques and CAD.

This course gives you the skills needed to design and develop fabrics for fashion, interiors and decorative surfaces. You’ll explore the three creative areas of print, knit and weave through a combination of traditional processes and advanced new technologies before choosing an area to specialise in. You’ll learn through a varied programme of studio-based projects, competitions, live project work, field visits and practical workshops.

You’ll be supported by our team of technicians to confidently use a variety of industry-standard equipment such as our Jacquard looms and Shima Seiki knitting machines. You’ll also spend time learning how to use traditional hand looms and domestic knitting machines.

In the 2020 National Student Survey (NSS), 100% of students were satisfied with the overall quality of the course. Many of our graduates now work as designers, some on a freelance basis. Other roles this course will prepare you for include a buyer, merchandiser, stylist or illustrator.