Year One – Learn the core skills required for fashion design, such as fashion drawing and illustration, design methods, colour awareness and application, material use and behaviour, pattern cutting and garment production, visual research methods, portfolio presentation, and digital applications for design. Educational visits can take a variety of physical and virtual formats. These experiences offer a cultural insight into the fashion ecology and inspire your work.
Year Two – Continue to develop your work process and presentation skills, taking pride in your work and gaining confidence in sharing your creations through live projects, competitions, and industry events. Through pattern cutting and garment production, you will combine elements of traditional tailoring techniques with contemporary genderfluid design and you will explore and apply the technique of creative pattern cutting, as integral to the design process, to realise ‘creative cut’ concepts into final garments.
Year Three – This self-directed final year takes a holistic approach to your practice. You will produce a body of work supported by reflective and critical writing, culminating in the realisation of your graduate fashion collection. Live projects will further enhance your portfolio in preparation for employment and your identity as a successful creative fashion-design practitioner.
Work experience covers a broad range of activities and students are encouraged to undertake work placements during their time at university. Through our Portfolio and Professional Practice module in year two you will be introduced to relevant platforms and opportunities for sourcing work experience. Our Careers, Employability and Enterprise team offer support that enhances employability skills and underpins engagement with industry.
Our students have had prize-winning entries put into production that have led to offers of employment and exposure in national media. Recent accolades include:
- London Fashion Week – class of 2022 film showcase on the British fashion Council LFW platform
- Finalist Golden Shears Tailoring Competition 2023, 2021, 2019 and 2017
- ‘Brightest talents emerging from Britain’s leading fashion schools’ feature photographed by Tim Walker
- Students’ work featured and interview in Love Magazine Diaries, Volume 2, July 2020
- Grazia magazine – Graduate Fashion showcase, student featured as one of nine UK fashion graduates to watch, June 2020
Undergraduate degree courses at Leeds Arts University are delivered and supported through a range of teaching and learning strategies. Courses are made up of modules, these are elements of study that are taught and assessed separately. Each module carries a clearly identified credit value, the accumulation of which will allow you to progress to the next level of the course. Around 100 hours of learning are expected for every ten credits of the course. Each level (year) of the course is made up of 120 credits and therefore requires 1200 hours of learning. Teaching is split over 2 semesters; each semester has 13 weeks of teaching and 2 weeks of assessment.
For further information visit Undergraduate teaching & learning at Leeds Arts University.
The fashion industry is ever diversifying, and there are many opportunities for our fashion design graduates. Typically, careers include positions in fashion design, fashion buying, trend prediction, visual merchandising, garment production and technology, and pattern cutting. Some graduates choose to take on freelance work, or set up their own company. Graduates may also continue to postgraduate study.
We’re looking for students with the best potential to succeed - irrespective of their background. That’s why we welcome a wide range of qualifications and experience.
Click here to view our entry requirements
Tuition Fees
Our current fees are listed here
Other Costs
Further costs of study are related largely to the costs of materials and depend very much on how individual students choose to respond to University briefs.
The costs below are the result of asking our students to state how much they spend during the year and creating an average, as such they are indicative only.
Equipment and Materials
- Level 4 (First Year)
Module Related Costs - £100 (approximately)
- Level 5 (Second Year)
Module Related Costs - £200 (approximately)
- Level 6 (Third Year)
Module Related Costs - £400 (this is only a guideline, as costs of some level 6 modules are entirely dependent upon individual students’ direction)
The University pays a contribution to the costs of materials each year of study along with a further payment at Level 6 to help prepare your portfolio and/or promote your work professionally.
Computers and Digital Equipment
Teaching and learning are supported through access to some online events and learning materials. This might include visiting speakers or the chance to review lectures that have been recorded. The University also uses a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) to support learning. There are a range of computer facilities across the University available to access Monday to Saturday including weekday evenings. If you are intending to buy a computer we suggest you wait until you start your course. You will quickly find out what you do and don’t need. The Course Team will be able to offer you advice on what to buy and where to purchase it from, based on your creative needs and budget.
Books, Online Subscriptions and Competitions
There is an extensive range of books, text and online resources available through our Library including access to WGSN the fashion trend prediction platform. There will also be opportunities to submit to national and international competitions and live projects as part of your course. These resources are directly related to your studies and highlighted in modules as you progress through the course. Throughout your time on the course, you may choose to purchase your own copies of key texts, subscribe to online networks and enter non-compulsory competitions. These may cost up to an additional £100 per year.
Educational Visits and Off-Site Activities
Educational visits to enhance your experience may take place throughout the course and can range from a visit to a UK conference, exhibition or gallery, to a European or international study trip. All trips requiring a student financial contribution are optional and costs will always be kept as affordable as possible. We do not guarantee that we will run international visits. The decision is made annually based on availability, cost and the number of students required to make the trip viable.
We provide support for undergraduate students dependent upon their financial circumstances. Visit Undergraduate Finance for further information.
We are delighted to welcome undergraduate visiting and exchange students from Europe and around the world who would like to spend a semester or a full academic year taking credits from our exciting range of courses. You will be fully integrated into the academic and social life of the University during a period of full-time supervised study and your credits transferred back to your home institution.
You can join us through programmes such as Erasmus+, individual university partnerships or as an independent applicant. Please see here for more information and how to apply.
Leeds Arts University students interested in spending some time overseas can find information on the international opportunities available during your course here.
Questions? Contact international@leeds-art.ac.uk
@leedsartsuniversity_fashion
