BAFashion Knitwear Design and Knitted Textiles

Study location	United Kingdom, Nottingham
Type	Bachelor courses, full-time
Nominal duration	3 years
Study language	English
Awards	BA
Course code	4W28

Entry qualification	High school / secondary education (or higher) The entry qualification documents are accepted in the following languages: English. Often you can get a suitable transcript from your school. If this is not the case, you will need official translations along with verified copies of the original.

Language requirements	English Accepted proof of proficiency: Cambridge English, IELTS, TOEFL or other equivalent IELTS: 6.0; CAE (Cambridge English Advanced): 169 points or above

Other requirements

At least 1 reference(s) should be provided. A motivation letter must be added to your application. A relevant portfolio is required. • Aim to bring approximately 15 pieces of work. There is no need to window-mount the work, or spend money on mount board. We are happy for the work to be float-mounted onto plain white cartridge paper or thin white board. • Please select a range of work which shows us who you are and what you are interested in, as well as showing a range of Art and Design skills. • We are interested in looking at a variety of creative work, including design, photography, life drawing, mixed media work, digital work, as applicable and relevant to your area of study. Due to the fact that some applicants have worked on more ‘design’ projects than others, your focus may vary. What matters most is your potential and passion for the subject. • We like to see evidence of your working process, so bring your two most relevant sketchbooks and any working drawings which relate to specific projects in your portfolio. • Bring a piece of writing in the form of an essay or report, completed as part of your studies. • If you keep a visual diary or scrapbook of Art and Design interests please bring that along too. • If you have 3D work which you wish to show at interview, it is often useful to bring photographs rather than the actual piece, unless it is easily transportable.

More information	ntu.ac.uk/..ar-design-and-knitted-textiles

Overview

Interested? To learn more about this study programme, entry requirements and application process, please contact one of our consultants in a country nearest to you.

Programme structure

What you study
Year One: these two year-long modules run side by side.

Fashion Knitwear Design: An Introduction (100 credit points)
You will be introduced to the basic principles of creative fabric and garment construction. You’ll receive an on-going series of technical inductions, as you’re introduced to a wide range of specialist machinery and start to develop your practical skills. You will complete a variety of different projects throughout the year, where studio workshops and tutorials will build your skills in areas such as colour, visual research, idea generation, fabric creation, manipulation of form, fashion styling, and fashion illustration.

Design, Culture and Context (20 credit points)
This module will encourage you to test your research, presentation and written skills, and to be socially and culturally aware when considering your own environment and design decisions. You will be introduced to the power of images, objects and materials in visual and material culture, and see how these are central to the way fashion knitwear designers represent, making meaning and communicate.

Year Two: these two year-long modules run side by side.

Fashion Knitwear Design: The Context (100 credit points)
This module aims to help you to develop a better awareness of the practice of design within the global fashion knitwear industry through a variety of different projects. You will gain experience of Computer Aided Design (CAD) and Computer Aided Manufacture (CAM) and develop a range of industry-standard skills which will allow you to communicate your design ideas professionally. There will be opportunities to take part in live projects and competitions, working with our industry partners. This module will also prepare you for your placement year, offering sessions that cover CV building, letters of application, interview techniques and CAD and portfolio development.

Design, Culture and Context 2 (20 credit points)
In the first half of the year you will focus on how the commercial contact affects design culture. You’ll consider the role played by design in the creation of desire in a trend-driven consumer culture, in an era of mass production and consumption, and the need of responsibility and sustainability to make design a force for positive change. In the second half of the year you’ll focus on creating a negotiated, individual brief in preparation for your final-year project.

Year Three

Optional Work Placement Year
The aim of a placement year is for you to combine and apply what you have learnt so far on the course. Your placement will give you the opportunity to experience the realities of the commercial world, and you’ll gain an understanding of different industrial practices and develop a range of transferable skills. Your placement must be 36 weeks long, and you’ll have the opportunity to work with one or more companies in the UK or overseas. You’ll also have the opportunity to gain an extra qualification, a Placement Diploma in Professional Practice.

Final Year

Negotiated Fashion Knitwear Design and research project (120 credit points)
During this year-long module you’ll undertake a range of self-negotiated projects which are guided by your own career aspirations. You will build your portfolio by completing projects which you will choose from a broad selection of live projects and competitions. You will choose one of two pathways; either a Fashion Collection pathway where you will create a garment collection for a catwalk show, or a Fashion Textile pathway where you will create a display of knitted textile fabrics and garments. You will showcase your work at the Degree Shows in Nottingham, and have the opportunity to be selected to present your work at Graduate Fashion Week in London. You will also complete an individual research project where you will demonstrate your skills in analysis, communication, presentation and independent thinking.

Career opportunities

Employability for this course is excellent, with 100% of students going on to employment or further study within 6 months of graduating. (DLHE survey 2012/13)

This course has been designed to enhance your employment prospects, and will give you the opportunity to:

Undertake a year-long work placement.
Take part in live projects with industry.
Learn from visiting professionals.
Gain access to specialist careers guidance.
Compete in national and international competitions.
Be selected to showcase your final-year work at Graduate Fashion Week .
Our graduates go into a range of design-related roles. Here are some recent examples:

Abercrombie and Fitch, Assistant Designer
Alphatex, Designer
Amina Rubinacci, Junior Designer
Fashion UK, Designer
Hugo Boss, Designer
Jaeger, Assistant Designer
Josh Goot, Studio Assistant
Julien Macdonald, Assistant Knitwear Design
Lauren Richards, Fashion Knitwear Designer
Lauren Richards, Handbag Designer
Pantherella, Assistant Designer
Sophie Steller, Knitwear Designer
Stine Ladefoged, Knitwear Design Assistant
Sun Hing Ltd, Assistant Knitwear Designer.
Graduates from this course have also gone onto roles within the wider fashion industry including buying, merchandising, styling and PR