COURSE CURRICULUM

The BA Fashion Design Innovation at the University of Leeds is structured to progressively develop students’ creative, technical, and research skills over three years. In the first year, students build a foundation in fashion design, garment construction, and textiles, while exploring digital tools and sustainable design practices. Modules focus on understanding the fashion industry, materiality, and design thinking, alongside developing academic research, critical analysis, and communication skills. Students also gain practical experience through creative challenges, team projects, and optional modules such as photography and colour design. In the second year, the focus shifts to experimentation and transformation in fashion, with students investigating material innovations, emerging technologies, and future-focused design solutions. Research, interaction design, and post-digital experience modules develop analytical and practical skills, while specialist modules allow deeper exploration of areas like 20th-century fashion or fashion management. The final year emphasizes independent, self-directed study through a major research project and a fashion design contexts project, allowing students to consolidate skills and produce innovative, context-specific design outcomes. Practical and digital experimentation, sustainability, and ethical considerations are integrated throughout, preparing students to respond to real-world fashion challenges. Optional modules in advertising, marketing, styling, and social design provide further opportunities for specialization, ensuring graduates are equipped with the expertise, creativity, and critical awareness to innovate and lead in the evolving fashion industry.