University of Brighton

(2010) BA (Hons) Textile Design for Fashion with Business Studies, (3 years)

(2010) BA (Hons) Textile Design for Fashion with Professional Experience, (4 years)

(2010) MDes Textiles with Business Studies, (4 years)

(2010) BA (Hons) Fashion Design with Business Studies, (3 years)

(2010) BA (Hons) Fashion Design with Professional Experience, (4 years)

(2010) MDes Fashion with Business Studies, (4 years)

Our three Textile courses share the first two years of their programmes and students are grouped according to their specialist subject, Knit, Print or Weave. Throughout this time students gain an awareness of the many complex aspects that need careful consideration in order to design more ethically. Initially they work on a project where each student focuses on the textile traditions of a particular culture. This raises their awareness of the relationship of textiles to people and its historical and global context. According to their specialism students learn to appreciate fundamental skills, such as spinning and handknitting and there is a visit to a farm to learn about wool, sheep and their role in the environment.

In the second year students work on a project to sensitively produce a trend newsletter for producers who belong to the World Fair Trade Organisation. The three Fashion courses share the same model of curriculum design. Second year students joined textiles to contribute to the trend newsletter for producers belonging to the World Fair trade Organisation. The programme currently exposes students to the issues of ethical fashion through competition project opportunities that challenge participants to consider ethical and sustainable practices within Fashion. The last two academic years have seen projects that require consideration in design and well-being, where both ethical and sustainable issues have been explored. This year 16 third year students submitted design work for the IFFTI  Student Design Competition as part of the world conference organised by them, Fashion; Sustainability and  Creativity in Taiwan, where debates and presentations will take place around ethical practice in both design, production and business in the fashion and textiles industry.

In Business Studies speakers who are involved with sustainable and ethical businesses are invited to discuss related issues with students at all levels. During the third year, students on the four year courses spend time in industry and there is opportunity to gain experience with ethical organisations both in the UK and with communities at the beginning of supply chains. In the final year each student defines their own project and may choose to incorporate social and environmental issues. Those students on the MDes courses are able to select an optional 20 credit Unit of Study from the MA Sustainable Design course as an integrated element of their degree.

For more information contact: Toni Hicks at <T.Hicks_at_Bton.ac.uk> (replacing _at_ with
@)

Course websites:

Fashion Design with Business Studies BA (Hons)/MDes
Visit the course website

Textile Design for Fashion with Business Studies BA (Hons)/Mdes
Visit the course website

Sustainable Design MA                                                                                                                                 Visit the course website