BA (Hons) Textile Design

Overview

This creative course covers an extensive programme of study that instils the practical, digital and professional skills required to become a designer in the contemporary global textile market.

You can specialise in one of four areas of textile design – mixed media, print, knit or weave – and will cover the key applications of fashion, interior and lifestyle. Mixed media focuses on creating contemporary collections using design and crafting of embroidery and embellishment to build up surfaces. Print explores the translation of imagery onto textile surfaces with the inventive use of screen printing and dyeing processes. Constructed textiles, knit and weave concentrate on developing innovative textile structures through yarn and fibres.

You will be based in the award-winning Vijay Patel Building, where you can experiment and hone your making skills within the print, knit and weave workshops, and access industry-standard equipment in our specialist laboratories.

We aim to prepare you for a career in the international textile industry, whether that be working with high street brands, high value designers and bespoke makers, or as a self-employed entrepreneur. Employability skills are embedded into the curriculum, alongside opportunities to participate in live briefs set by industry experts and take part in prestigious competitions. Our expert teaching team will encourage you to take dynamic approaches to textile design that will influence the future of the industry and you will graduate as a forward-thinking, responsible designer.

Key features

We have been recognised as one of the most sustainable fashion and textiles schools in the country as winners of the Next Generation Learning and Skills Award in the Green Gown Awards 2021.
Experience all four specialist areas of textile design, enabling you to make an informed decision about the pathway you will choose for your second and third year.
Our award-winning Vijay Patel Building provides state of the art facilities including print tables, digital print and knit machines, jacquard looms, digital sewing and domestic embroidery machines, laser cutters, CAD packages and laboratories for textile technology testing and advanced dyeing.
Work on live projects with industry to develop your experience of professional practice. Recent briefs have been set by Hallmark Cards, Sainsbury’s Design Studio and Dulux.
Enhance your career prospects with a placement year. Recent students have worked at Alexander McQueen, Primark, Berghaus, ASOS, Joules and Marks & Spencer.
Boost your industry exposure with exclusive competitions in which DMU has a national profile of success, such as Hand and Lock, The Bradford Textiles Society and The Textiles Society.
Gain valuable international insight and experience of the world of design as part of our DMU Global programme. Previous trips have taken students to New York, Berlin, Amsterdam and Paris.
We provide core workshop materials at no cost, and give cash awards – £150, £200 and £300 in years one, two and three respectively – to support personal materials/printing costs*.

Structure and assessment

First year

Visual Enquiry
Textile Design Rotation
Define
Textile Contexts
Design Cultures

Second year

Technical Block
Live Project
Consolidation
Textile Visions
Design Cultures 2

Third year

Portfolio
Final Major Project by Practice
Final Major Project by Dissertation
Professional Practice
Design Cultures 3

Structure

This includes lectures, demonstrations, individual and group tutorials, seminars, laboratory work, critical reviews, presentations and self-directed studio practice.

Each year you will participate in various national and international competitions such as the Hand and Lock, Hallmark cards and New York SURTEX Exhibition Design competition. Students regularly win awards at New Designers. Their work has also been exhibited in showcases such as The Discerning Eye, and selected for Licentiates with the Society of Designer Craftsmen, One Year On and Graduate Showcase with the Embroiderers Guild.

Contact hours
You will be taught through a combination of lectures, tutorials, seminars, group work and self-directed study. Assessment is through coursework (presentations, essays and reports) Your precise timetable will depend on the optional modules you choose to take, however, in your first year you will normally attend around 19 hours of timetabled taught sessions (lectures and tutorials) each week, and we expect you to undertake at least 22 further hours of independent study to complete project work and research.

Facilities and features

Art and design facilities

You will share a lively studio area which is used for drawing and painting. There is a digital fabric print facility, a CAD area and open access to sewing machines, paper-making, felt making, batik and tapestry-weaving facilities. The course also has a large print room with extensive facilities for dyeing and printing.

Library

The main Kimberlin Library is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year (other than in exceptional circumstances) and offers a huge range of online resources, all of which can be remotely accessed from anywhere you choose.

The library is run by dedicated staff who offer additional support to students, including help with academic writing, research strategies, literature searching and reference management and assistive technology, and mathematical skills for non-maths students. There is also a Just Ask service for help and advice, available via email or telephone.

Learning zones

Our comfortable and well-equipped study areas provide a range of environments to suit your needs.

Our Learning Zones and The Greenhouse provide flexible spaces, whether you are working as a group, practising a presentation or working quietly on your own.

They feature workstations with power supplies for laptops, plus bookable syndicate rooms with plasma screens, laptops and DVD facilities. Wi-Fi is available across all campus locations.

Opportunities and careers

Placements

Work placements are offered as part of this course and they are one of the best ways to boost your skills and experience while studying, as well as improving your chances of gaining a graduate level job and can often lead to an offer of employment for when you graduate.

We have numerous links with organisations both in the UK and internationally, and the placements team will help you find a placement to suit your and you interests and aspirations.

#DMUglobal

This is our innovative international experience programme which aims to enrich your studies and expand your cultural horizons – helping you to become a global graduate, equipped to meet the needs of employers across the world. Through #DMUglobal, we offer a wide range of opportunities including on-campus and UK activities, overseas study, internships, faculty-led field trips and volunteering, as well as Erasmus+ and international exchanges.

Graduate careers

Opportunities include freelance designer/maker, designer for industry, buying and production, gallery exhibitions, private and public commission work, demonstrators, art therapy, gallery and retail opportunities and teaching.

Graduates work for companies such as Hallmark, George, Lucy Woodhouse Studio, Gilbey and Cheyne, Tiger Print, Osborne & Little, H&M and Warner Fabrics.

Zobacz więcej na stronie uniwersytetu >>

Wiza studencka do Wielkiej Brytanii

Aby studiować w Wielkiej Brytanii potrzebujesz wizy studenckiej. Aby złożyć wniosek o taką wizę studencką musisz zdjać certyfikat językowy na poziomie B2.
Uważaj! Do celów wizowych musisz wybrać wyłącznie egzamin w wesji Secure English Language Test (SELT) UKVI .
Co to jest test SELT UK VI registration? Przeczytaj więcej o testach SELT UKVI >>