Textile Art, Design and Fashion - BA (Hons)

Overview

The course provides diverse learning experiences ensuring you have the confidence and skills for a future in textiles and fashion.

Summary

BA Hons Textile Art, Design and Fashion explores the breadth of skill, technology, knowledge, heritage and cultural significance associated with contemporary Textiles and Fashion. Through the five specialist areas, embroidery, knit, garment construction, print and weave you will be challenged to explore both tradition and innovation supported be expert technical and academic staff. In well equipped workshops we support you to work ambitiously and creatively, selecting the pathway most suited to your strengths and future ambitions as either a Textile Artist, Textile Designer or Fashion Designer. Employability is very important to us so we support you to make the right decisions throughout the course by identifying clear career goals and strategies in professional practice modules, placement opportunities and competitions. The Course also provides the (optional) opportunity to take a placement year due to our excellent industry connections.

Foundation Year

A foundation diploma year gives you the opportunity to explore a range of art and design approaches and disciplines to help you choose your undergraduate specialism.

Find out about our Foundation Year

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The course provides excellent learning opportunities through practical workshops, challenging lecture programmes, discursive seminars, digital technologies, history and theory modules, with an emphasis on professional practice throughout. You will be encouraged to take creative risks, be ambitious and pursue professional opportunities throughout. We offer the opportunity to experience both low and high tech approaches to both an art and design practice to ensure confidence in selecting the right pathway. After a broad based first year learning the fundamental skills associated with each specialism, visual literacy and cultural contexts, second year explores two and three dimensional thinking and processes through the specialist skills modules. It is at this stage, you start to refine and select your specialism and pathway to focus your studies to ensure confidence and expertise. Support and guidance is given as you develop your practice in one pathway as either a Textile Artist, Textile Designer or Fashion Designer. In final year you write your own project, directing your study in areas of specific interest and the year has an additional graduate skills focus to ensure you are ready for graduate life in the creative industries.

The course has a strong practical focus with workshops at its heart, so in order to support a wide range of practical activity we buy specialist materials to produce workshop quality materials packs for an annual consumable materials charge of £100.

Careers & opportunities

Graduate employers

Graduates from this course are now working for:

• Avoca
• BEDECK
• Decora Blind Systems Ltd
• B&M Stores
• Primark UK (Penneys Ireland)
• Port West Workwear
• Marks & Spencer

Job roles

With this degree you could become:

• Assistant Designer
• Colorist
• Buyer
• Artist in Residence
• Designer
• Education (Primary
• Secondary & FE)
• Freelance Artist & Designer

Career options

Graduates will be equipped to pursue a range of career paths within an increasingly diverse field as self employed and freelance textile artists, designers, and makers of craft objects. For those focusing on business and industry they will work as designers, buyers, product developers and design marketing executives. For those in the public and private sectors they will find careers as arts officers, educators, workshop coordinators, community artists, curators and cultural commentators. Others will choose to become freelance textile artists, designers and makers of functional and non functional artworks, selling their work through art and craft markets, online, or through agents. They will undertake private and public commissions, residencies and will adopt a portfolio approach to building a career.

These career opportunities are established through longstanding formal and informal relationships with a wide range of art, design and cultural organisations and businesses in Northern Ireland, Ireland and beyond.

Graduates from this course have gained experience and employment with a wide range of organisations, such as;Bedeck, Dunnes Stores, H&M, Marks & Spencer, Douglas and Grahame, Ulster Carpets, R A Irwins, Decora Blind Systems Ltd, Inis Meáin Knitting Co., Lululemon, Brown Thomas, JW Anderson, Alexander McQueen, House of Holland, Lizzie Agnew, Una Rodden, Studio Souk, Primark, Magee, Hand & Lock, Insignia, Avoca, HBO, BBC, Universal, Fire and Blood Productions, Opera House, Lyric Theatre, Donegal Yarns, Mourne Textiles, PortWest, Cooneen, Ulster Carpets, etc.

Work placement / study abroad

As part of your academic studies, you may opt to undertake a period of placement where you will be studying or broadening your experience in either a professional/industrial situation or undertaking academic studies in another institution. A successful placement year in industry or study abroad results in the following awards:

Diploma in Professional Practice (DPP)

Diploma in Professional Practice International (DPPI)

Diploma in International Academic Studies (DIAS)

Apply directly

Next steps if you are applying directly:

1. find your course
2. check you meet the University’s General Entrance Requirements and any course-specific requirements
3. If your first language is not English, check you meet the English language requirements for your given course