BA (Hons) Fashion with Foundation Year Bachelor's degree at the University of Derby

The Creative Studies module encompasses a wide range of skills that will help you look, record and translate visual information. A variety of drawing and/or recording methods will be used ranging from precise drawing techniques to more experimental mark-making or performative skills using a wide range of media; this will be approached through a variety of structured workshops. These will enable you to develop your skills and techniques in areas such as printmaking, life-drawing, still-life, observational drawing, design drawing, collage and photograms, performance and recording. You will also choose an area or movement in art and design or media and/or performing arts that particularly inter

Assessment: Coursework

The interpretation of the visual world around us and the ability to capture and manipulate images through photo-based processes are fundamental skills in creative practice. This module introduces you to a variety of processes and allows you to explore the many possibilities for creating images that technologies provide. The module allows you to explore and create images using the notion of collage, narrative content, sequence and serialisation. Module Learning Outcome Demonstrate an ability to control processes within areas of image capture, manipulation, and/or performance and reproduction Demonstrate an ability to use relevant technologies for creating meaningful images or recording perfor

Assessment: Coursework

In order for you to become a confident practitioner in art and design you need to become familiar with a range of fundamental processes and skills in art and design. These include an understanding of the values and qualities of shape, space, form, colour, texture and surface pattern. Allied to these is the ability to research visual information, to generate and develop your own ideas, and to put all these attributes into context. In this module you will learn to develop and focus your own ideas to produce an individual body of work. You will do this by acquiring the skills to research, analyse and translate visual material. The skills and techniques you gain will enable you to develop and cr

Assessment: Coursework

This module allows you to consolidate and develop a range of subject-specific and transferrable skills by designing and realising a project based on a specific brief. This will allow you to gain skills relevant to your chosen programme but will also enable you to consider how you can work with students from other subjects and disciplines to create innovative and creative approaches to a particular project brief. While you will be able to exercise a considerable degree of freedom over the way you interpret the project brief, you will be supported and guided in your work through a series of seminars, workshops and tutorials. Module learning outcomes On successful completion of the module, you

Assessment: Coursework

This module is designed to encourage the exploration and development of practical skills through the combination of various visual media, including but not limited to graphic design, photography, illustration, fine art, and 3D modelling. Students will engage with the creative process, experimenting with interdisciplinary techniques to expand their artistic vocabulary and deepen their understanding of visual communication. Through workshops, critiques, and practical projects, students will refine their technical abilities and conceptual thinking, preparing them for further study or practice in creative arts disciplines. Module learning outcomes On successful completion of the module, you will

Assessment: Coursework, Practical

This module will introduce you to the academic skills needed for study at undergraduate level and enable you to plan for your future study and career, including research skills, critical thinking, self-reflection, and independent and collaborative working. In doing so, it aims to set the groundwork for your success on the remainder of your programme. Module learning outcomes On successful completion of the module, you will be able to: Identify key resources and techniques applicable in the context of university-level research Communicate knowledge, understanding and arguments effectively Reflect on learning and identify areas of strength and weaknesses Demonstrate the ability to utilise a ra

Assessment: Coursework

The module aims to introduce you to the processes, skills and knowledge required to operate as a creative within Fashion. You will be introduced to a range of design, technical knowledge and communication skills. These will include: Drawing and visualisation Fundamentals of pattern and garment construction Surface pattern and printed textiles Photography and imaging Digital fashion Fashion communication Crucially you will understand the inter-relationship of these skills and practices in a Fashion Industry context and take the first steps in determining your academic journey in fashion. The work in this module demands a reflective, questioning and analytical approach which will be supported

Assessment: Coursework

This module aims to introduce and embed a personal fashion design language through the development and completion of themed projects. The module will focus on research and experimentation in Fashion and Textiles, focusing particularly on drawing skills both manual and digital and the development of sketchbooks. Research provides the basis for experimentation and innovation, and you will be expected to undertake primary and secondary research from a wide range of sources. Critical analysis of imagery, artefacts and practitioners, both historical and contemporary will enable the development of stronger, informed decision making, relevant to your practice. The skills taught in this module enric

Assessment: Coursework

This module will run in tandem with the module Fashion and Textiles Principles and Practice. Where Fashion and Textiles Principles and Practice will provide the intellectual, research and experimentation skills, this module will focus on the realisation of those ideas as 3D and 2D outputs. The module will be delivered in studio, with an expectation that you synthesise the skills that have been learnt in your first semester with the ideas developed in FTPP. The first year of study places an emphasis on experimentation and encourages risk taking and the promotion of what fashion, and its portrayal, could be. Module learning outcomes On successful completion of the module, you will be able to:

Assessment: Coursework

Creative Debates introduces you to academic contextualisation, analysis and research relevant to creative practices. Throughout the academic year, alongside your studio practice, you will engage in regular constructive dialogues presenting, discussing and responding in critical debates which frame and critique dominant and emerging discourses and themes. Through this, you will learn the process of forming arguments, presenting and discussing confidently, and understanding and articulating cultural works in different contexts. The module starts from the theme of representation and how this relates to issues such as race, gender, identity and taste. Through a series of talks and smaller semina

Assessment: Coursework

Creative Interventions is a cross disciplinary module which brings together students from diverse programmes to understand and undertake different creative practices and their application and impact within different cultural, social, technological and environments. You will engage with ideas around the application and impact of creativity in society, including artistic research, design thinking, systems thinking and other approaches to creative problem finding and solving. They will also engage with practices of collaboration and interdisciplinary teamwork and collectively consider the ethics and sustainability of their practice. You will be given a specific scenario, which articulates a pro

Assessment: Coursework

This module begins the process of applying your fashion practices into an industry context through the development of a project in response to an Industry focused brief. The intention is to prepare you for the requirement of the Innovating for Industry module which immediately follows this one. You will research and develop ideas in response to the brief. You will analyse your priorities and explore these in relationship to markets, consumers, brands and companies. You will develop outcomes which articulate these and also your own emerging design identity. This module aims are to embed the idea that fashion does not exist in a vacuum; it is part of an international world of commerce and cons

Assessment: Coursework

This module frames the process of applying your fashion practices into an industry context through the development of project(s) in collaboration with Industry partners. A Project brief will be set in collaboration with one or more industry partners, outlining a specific commercial problem which they would like you to research and respond to. Students in both Fashion and Fashion, Marketing and Communication will form a dialogic studio to develop and debate research and development processes and ultimately conceptual and realised work which will be presented to the partner. You will be able to utilise this context to evolve your specific Fashion specialisation, whether in Design, Textiles, Ma

Assessment: Coursework

This module aims to enable you to bring together the accumulated experiences of Level 5 into a personal practice which provides a foundation for your independently negotiated study in Level 6. The module provides an open brief for Fashion Design, which requires and enables you to highlight and test your personal strengths and aspirations as designers, makers and thinkers. This is accompanied by a personal illustrated reflective document which sets out preferences and potential directions for Level 6 study. The module also emphasises and encourages student autonomy enabling and empowering you to direct your practice into a range of specialisations relevant to Fashion which may include fashion

Assessment: Coursework

Digital Lab - Explorations is an experimental module which situates student interests and practice in digital approaches and processes. In particular this module will focus on an understanding of the digital infrastructure, systems and processes and their impact on creative practice, human experience and communities. Building on the initial digital practices, developed in Level 4, you will be introduced to a range of digital processes and tools, which you will learn through engagement and practice, evaluate the affordances and implications, and apply through experimentation and enquiry. Through this, you will be able to form your own preferences and begin to direct a more focused deeper prac

Assessment: Coursework

Social Practice Lab: Explorations provides an opportunity for you to explore the potential impact of creative practice on people and communities. You will review and evaluate a range of conceptual, theoretical and historical approaches to socially engaged practice, understanding the relationship between approaches and specific social, economic and cultural contexts, and consider these as value and impact models. You will consider ways of working collaboratively and co-creatively with communities, including communities of place, intention, identity and practice in both real and online environments. From this foundation in practice and theory, you will engage in a live project with a defined c

Assessment: Coursework

Materials Lab - Explorations is an experimental module which situates your interests and practice in materials, craft and making in a process of practice and research development. You will explore and experiment with a range of processes including analogue, hand-based approaches, and digital approaches. Through this, they will be able to form your own preferences in process and develop a deeper practice which can develop into the strategies modules in Level 6. You will engage with a range of conceptual, theoretical and historical approaches to materials and making, understanding the relationship between evolution, innovation and the social, economic and cultural context. Also having a perspe

Assessment: Coursework

Culture Lab - Image Explorations begins with looking, as an aesthetic, historical and political act. You will be encouraged to develop your own critical practice of looking, observing and interpreting critically and contextually. Culture Lab - Image Explorations begins with looking, as an aesthetic, historical and political act. You will be encouraged to develop your own critical practice of looking, observing and interpreting critically and contextually. You will engage with a range of conceptual, theoretical and historical approaches to images, image making and image interpretation, using a range of critical lens such as semiotic, grotesque, feminist, queer and postcolonial approaches. You

Assessment: Coursework

Creative Industry and Enterprise Lab - Explorations is a module that aims to underpin your industry interests and intentions with experiences, methods and approaches rooted in best practice. In particular this will focus on experiential research undertaken through work experience placements and internships, and/or creative enterprise development looking at bringing a product or service to market. In both cases these rely on understanding the needs of different stakeholders and applying knowledge, skills and competences to understand how they can add value to that given situation. The experiential knowledge acquired will be contextualised by a range of workshops and resources which will addit

Assessment: Coursework

This module provides a framework for the development of “lifelong learning” skills appropriate to all areas of professional practice; including objective setting, planning, negotiating, implementing, demonstrating and reflecting. The emphasis in this module is on the analysis and evaluation of the work completed within the organisation. This module also gives students an opportunity to relate their academic knowledge to the work environment.

Assessment: Coursework

Students need to be aware of the commercial realities and external factors that influence the success of an organisation. This module provides opportunities for students to acquire an understanding of contemporary issues that may impact on industrial and professional practices relevant to a career within their chosen discipline. During this period of work experience, students can gain a deeper appreciation of the responsibilities arising from both corporate and individual responses to such issues, thus enabling them to relate to the wider world when exploring a personal direction for potential career development.

Assessment: Coursework

This is the first of two self-directed modules where you will further develop your own personal approach(es) to solving design and manufacturing problems within the practice of fashion. This module asks you to explore and experiment with 2D and 3D processes, relevant to an independently developed project brief. You will demonstrate openness and curiosity for the subject. This will be evidenced in a thorough and wide-ranging research process, allowing you to develop new approaches to the resolution of complex design problems. You should show awareness of historical, contemporary and/or emergent design practice and how this informs your work. Planning and research will be evidenced through a p

Assessment: Coursework

This is a negotiated module where you will develop your own personal approach(es) to solving design and manufacturing problems within the practice of fashion and textiles. You initiate and develop questioning approaches to design evidenced through 2D and 3D processes and relevant to a specified market. Where possible this will be in collaboration with local, national and/or internationally recognised brands/companies. You will demonstrate your awareness of market-led, trend-driven, contemporary and/or emergent design practice and the relevance of your work to this, indicating inventive and novel idea creation. The ability to efficiently plan and research will play a major role in demonstrati

Assessment: Coursework

This module is the culminating module for Fashion students’ study and aims to provide a launchpad into post-graduation professional life. Drawing on your previous experiences within the programme, you will work with independence and initiative to develop a collection of work which evidences your professional, aesthetic and ethical ambitions. For BA Fashion Students, the primary mode for this is a Fashion collection, normally presented to a public and professional audience both within the University and also at external events. These have included Graduate Fashion Week in London. For BA Fashion, Marketing and Communication students this will be a conceptual proposition developed in response t

Assessment: Coursework

Digital Lab - Strategies situates your research and practice within the discourses of digital systems and invites you to develop a novel practice which reflects your interests, experience and ambitions. You will investigate the infrastructure, principles, operations and ethics of digital systems and their impact on culture, society and the environment. These include generative AI, data mining, speculative futures, user experiences, new industries. From this specific knowledge and context, you will develop a creative digital intervention which reveals, critiques and engages audiences with digital cultures, and an illustrated research paper which outlines the critical context of that intervent

Assessment: Coursework

Social Practice Lab: Strategies focuses on the impact of creative practice on people and communities. You will define a community, which may include place based, online or communities of practice and undertake a process of research, including live research, into the factors, needs and opportunities for that community and devise a creative process which is responsive to that defined situation. You will frame your practice in the context of selected theories and appropriate exemplars of practice from a diversity of socially engaged practitioners, critically evaluating and understanding the specific relationship of approach to context. You will propose, negotiate and realise a self-directed ind

Assessment: Coursework

Materials Lab - Strategies will embed your research and practice within the emergent discourses and practices of materials and materiality. Drawing on resources and contexts such as: Theories of materials and materiality, including new materialism, actor network theory, embodiment, phenomenology, aesthetics and emotional design Social, economic and historical precedents of craft, materials and making Experimental practices in novel materials and applications You will be situated in a rich critical, creative and practical environment through which to develop your own research and practice which articulates your future academic and professional intentions. You will combine a practice-based eng

Assessment: Coursework

Cultural Lab - Curatorial Strategies provides an opportunity for you to draw on your research and practice in critical and cultural contextualisation into a curatorial proposal which gives an opportunity to contextualise works, artefacts and phenomena for an audience. You will need to consider a range of different perspectives on the exhibition proposal itself and also on the process of curating too. You will frame this into an exhibition catalogue, which articulates complex concepts and practices for an audience. You will propose, negotiate and realise a self-directed independent curatorial project which explicitly frames the module learning outcomes and the theme of the module. This will i

Assessment: Coursework

Creative Industry and Enterprise Lab - Strategies provides an opportunity for you to focus on a specific research investigation which articulates both your future and also the future of a specific industry context. This may take the form of an enterprise proposition, researching market opportunities, and forming an innovative proposal around these. This may take the form of an investigation into a specific industry problem and applying research to consider a novel response. The module begins with an audit of the your strengths, competences, and development needs, together with your professional intentions. Diagnostics around interpersonal and business development skills will support you in t

Assessment: Coursework

Independent Critical Strategies challenges you to speculate on your own future as a creative practitioner and critical thinker. The module will offer a variety of perspectives and challenges which will stimulate your thinking and inspire your distinctive direction as a creative practitioner researcher. You will propose, negotiate and realise a self-directed independent creative research project which explicitly frames the module learning outcomes and the theme of the module. This will be achieved through a negotiated learning agreement which is agreed by the academic team. You will have the option to propose a larger interdisciplinary research project which meets the requirements both for th

Assessment: Coursework