Fashion (Top-Up) - BA (Hons)

More about this course

We'll invite major brands to share their knowledge with you. These invaluable networking opportunities will help you secure future internship roles and employment with industry leaders.

Throughout the year, you’ll study at the School of Art, Architecture and Design – our renowned art and design centre situated in the heart of London. Here, you’ll experience a multi-disciplinary studio environment where fashion, textiles and jewellery work in close proximity. This not only recreates the dynamic environment of haute-couture fashion houses, it also exposes you to the broader industry and the inspiring influence of these related disciplines. You'll benefit from regular feedback through one-to-one and group tutorials, seminars and critiques.

There are opportunities to collaborate with fellow students as well as ongoing live projects, international industry competitions and the chance to visit and participate in industry fashion events. 

As a final year student, you will have the opportunity to carry out an in-depth exploration of a topic of your choice in your dissertation. Our dissertation students all belong to a themed dissertation studio, which offers a supportive group context for planning and writing your dissertation, and specific academic tutoring about how to manage the project.

Assessment

You will be assessed via a portfolio of project work and written work. There are no examinations on the course. 

Entry requirements

In addition to the University's standard entry requirements, you should have one of the following:

• 240 credits from a Higher National Diploma (HND), Foundation Degree (FdA/ FdSc) or equivalent international qualification in a relevant subject
• 240 credits from years 1 and 2 of an undergraduate degree (BA/BSc) in a relevant subject at a different institution
• a portfolio interview

Suitable applicants living in the UK will be invited to a portfolio interview.

Applicants living outside the UK will be required to submit a portfolio of work via email.

We encourage applications from international/EU students with equivalent qualifications and also accept mature students with diverse backgrounds and experiences.

Portfolios and interviews

Your portfolio should be selective but have enough work to show the range of your interests and talents. We're interested in seeing how you develop a project from beginning to end, not only finished work.

Physical portfolio

If you are coming in person to your interview we strongly suggest bringing a physical portfolio of work.

Things to bring:

• Sketchbooks – we love to see your sketchbooks with ideas and notes, even if they are messy
• Examples of the development of a project from start to finish and the final outcome
• Some work that you are really proud of and want to talk about
• Some work that shows you experimenting with different processes

Digital Portfolio

If you are submitting an online application, please follow these guidelines.

Things to include:

• Scans or photographs demonstrating items from the list above
• Storyboarding for motion-based work
• Scans of sketchbook pages showing development
• Be sure to check the resolution and overall quality of your image to ensure submissions are not pixelated

Accreditation of Prior Learning

Any university-level qualifications or relevant experience you gain prior to starting university could count towards your course at London Met. Find out more about applying for Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL).

English language requirements

To study a degree at London Met, you must be able to demonstrate proficiency in the English language. If you require a Student visa you may need to provide the results of a Secure English Language Test (SELT) such as Academic IELTS. This course requires you to meet our standard requirements.

If you need (or wish) to improve your English before starting your degree, the University offers a Pre-sessional Academic English course to help you build your confidence and reach the level of English you require.

Modular structure

The modules listed below are for the academic year 2023/24 and represent the course modules at this time. Modules and module details (including, but not limited to, location and time) are subject to change over time.

Year 3 modules include:

3D Design and Development 3 (core, 30 credits)

This module currently runs:

• all year (September start) - Friday morning
• all year (September start) - Tuesday afternoon
• all year (September start) - Tuesday morning
• all year (September start) - Friday afternoon

Through synthesis of the knowledge of processes and design principles that you have gained in the previous years of study, using intellectual, creative and practical skills, you will design and develop self-directed projects, including your ‘major project’.

The projects will be individually set, but will require negotiated and approved project proposals before commencing. You will undertake and record in-depth research, a well-constructed design development process, the exercise of critical thinking skills and the selection of production skills resulting in a significant body of creative outcomes.

Your process will include market and competitor research, idea generation, concept development, material investigation, sampling, modelling or prototyping and visualisations that lead towards the realisation of the project proposed in the ‘Project Resolution’ module.
The module will require you to critique your own work and adopt the professional standards of your disciplines. The module emphasises the growth of a personal focus and creative identity whilst acknowledging commercial and professional ethics, expectations and constraints.

Read full details

Critical & Contextual Studies 3: Dissertation (3D) (core, 30 credits)

This module currently runs:

• all year (September start) - Wednesday afternoon
• all year (September start) - Wednesday morning

Critical and Contextual Studies (CCS) in Level 6 offers you an opportunity to understand and explore the historical, social, cultural and economic factors which influence, and provide a context for, the development of architecture, art and design practice. Building on critical and academic skills gained during two years of previous study, the module encourages you to develop an awareness of issues around which there is some debate, uncertainty or contest. Based on this awareness, you will develop a set of research questions which constitute the topic of your study. This topic can be theoretical, historical, or technical and you may, with guidance, decide to engage with an area of scholarly interest outside the territory of your degree course.

You will develop your topic and respond to your research questions in the form of an extended critical study or Dissertation (6,000–7,000 words). Through this study you demonstrate that you can thoroughly research a topic, use appropriate methods of investigation, and work in a methodical and organised way to develop a coherent argument or line of thought. Teaching and Learning on the module is designed to support you in this process through a combination of tutorials and one to one supervision; as well as a series of formative and summative assessments which prepare you for the final submission.

The final form and presentation of your Dissertation can reflect a broad range of approaches to research and writing. It may include visual materials or other non-written forms of presentation as long they support your enquiry and comprise an integral part of the whole. By prior approval at the start of the module, your research can be part practice-based, and include primary research and fieldwork.

The dissertation may, by prior approval at the start of the module from the Head of Subject, be part practice-based and can include fieldwork and primary research in its methods. Its form and approach can reflect a broad range of design-specific approaches based on discussion and agreement with your supervisor.

By virtue of the sustained, independent nature of the learning and substantial final output, the dissertation is also intended to prepare you for possible postgraduate study.

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Major Project Resolution: Fashion (core, 30 credits)

This module currently runs:

• all year (September start) - Friday morning
• all year (September start) - Tuesday afternoon
• all year (September start) - Tuesday morning
• all year (September start) - Friday afternoon

The Major Project module provides the opportunity for you to prepare yourself for employment or independent practice in fashion, or to progress to higher studies. Through the self-determined project, you will synthesise the specialist knowledge and skills that you have gained through the course and effectively communicate these through the professional-standard production of your designs.

You will exercise your abilities in selecting, analysing and applying knowledge, skills and understanding to a fully researched project. Through this process, you will be able properly to understand and communicate your strengths, interests and position in your field, as well as your opportunities for future professional development.

A negotiated and approved proposal will confirm your individual project. Through careful planning and recording of process, you will demonstrate your ability to negotiate the complex and changing nature of problems in professional fashion design, balancing the competing demands of creativity, practicality, commercial reality and ethical principles.

Your outcome will exhibit a professional standard of realisation, contextualisation and presentation, providing the elements for an interview-ready portfolio of practice.

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Professional Practice 2 (core, 30 credits)

This module currently runs:

• all year (September start) - Wednesday afternoon
• all year (September start) - Friday afternoon

By the end of this module you will have a detailed plan and materials ready for the launch of your career, whether that be in employment, self-employment or further study.

You will be set tasks to research in detail how designers and practitioners in your sector (your future competitors) build their professional and creative profiles and businesses and achieve success. There will also be a focus on how to identify opportunities such as competitions, exhibitions and notice of commissioned work being available. How to achieve effective and cost-effective promotion of your practice will be demonstrated, using the full range of traditional and newly-available communication channels and strategies as appropriate for your practice.

You will be asked to identify what is distinctive about your practice and approach, so that you can make an offer to the market that is attractive and unique. This will require fully professional and sophisticated visual presentation of your work in formats that are recognised by your professional peers and potential clients or employers.

You will continue to research the various roles and employment opportunities that are available to you, understanding how those roles interact and what the skillset requirements for them are, so that you can evaluate and select from the widest range of career openings.

Your final submission should represent a fully rounded, professional and appealing creative profile ready for presentation to potential employers and clients.

Read full details

What our students say

"The difference between London Met and many other universities is that the focus is on post-graduation employment. There is a great focus on practical skills for the workplace and the importance of workshops and hands on experience. Art and design based modules run alongside business studies to help us up-and-coming designers understand the real working-world."

Kate Woodhead, fashion graduate

Where this course can take you

If you want a career in fashion or you’re keen to undertake a Fashion MA, this is the perfect degree for you. Designed to help widen your opportunities and skill set and advance your career in fashion, the course focuses on the professional presentation of project ideas.

Following graduation, you could enter any number of roles ranging from working for a well-known brand at a junior level to becoming a freelance designer or even setting up your own label.

Other career paths include becoming a retail buyer, stylist, technologist, fashion writer or design journalist.

Important information about this course

We're committed to continuously improving our degree courses to ensure our students receive the best possible learning experience. Many of the courses in our School of Art, Architecture and Design are currently under review for 2023-24 entry. We encourage you to apply as outlined in the how to apply section of this page and if there are any changes to your course we will contact you. All universities review their courses regularly and this year we are strengthening our art, architecture and design courses to better reflect the needs of employers and ensure you're well-equipped for your future career.

Collaborative and international links

We have established links with international companies including Celine, Louis Vuitton and Marks & Spencer.

Additional costs

Please note, in addition to the tuition fee there may be additional costs for things like equipment, materials, printing, textbooks, trips or professional body fees.

Additionally, there may be other activities that are not formally part of your course and not required to complete your course, but which you may find helpful (for example, optional field trips). The costs of these are additional to your tuition fee and the fees set out above and will be notified when the activity is being arranged.

The School of Art, Architecture and Design Fashion Book

We have our own fashion publication that you can choose to be involved with. Our School of Art, Architecture and Design's fashion book showcases students' work and provides a space for students to reflect. 

Stay up to date

Follow our School of Art, Architecture and Design on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date with everything that's happening in our creative community.

When to apply

The University and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) accepts applications for full-time courses starting in September from one year before the start of the course. Our UCAS institution code is L68.

If you will be applying direct to the University you are advised to apply as early as possible as we will only be able to consider your application if there are places available on the course.