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HomeStudyCoursesLeather for Fashion

This page was last updated 09.04.2018

Leather for Fashion BA (Hons)

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Graduate Fashion Collection by Alice Chambers - London Graduate Fashion Week 2016

Sept 2018

HP Laptop and software included with this course*

Available as Part Time and Full Time

Length of Study: 3 Years

Start Date: September

This unique course will give you the specialist skills you need for careers in the Leather garments area of the fashion industry. You will have access to bespoke facilities, including our working tannery, to help you learn more about the properties of leather and applying them to garment design and manufacture. We have industry links which support live design projects and provide opportunities for work experience.

Starting university is a big step and we want you to have everything you need from day one. That’s why if you choose to study this course full-time at Northampton from September 2018, you will be provided with your own brand new Hewlett Packard laptop* to keep at no additional cost. For more information on this and many other benefits you can enjoy, please visit our benefits webpages.

*Terms and conditions apply. Please see the benefits webpages for more information.

We will encourage you to develop your own individual aesthetic signature in a stimulating work environment, where you will be able to explore materials and develop exciting conceptual pieces in leather and suede. We put an emphasis on on technical finesse, balanced by creative exploration and material investigation.

You will start your degree with an introduction to fashion, textiles and leather so that you can tailor your studies to your interests. You will then focus on Leather for Fashion, with a specialist module at the Institute for Creative Leather Technology (ICLT). As well as developing your technical skills, you will produce a portfolio of conceptual design work culminating in a final collection utilising leather or suede.

More information is available for you to download – Creative Leather Applications.

The Degree Show

Final year students display their work at the annual Degree Show at our Avenue Campus. Our Fashion students deliver some stunning designs; feel free to view them on Flickr.

Graduate Fashion Week

Our final year students take part in the Catwalk Show at the annual London Graduate Fashion Week.

This year’s Graduate Fashion Week saw collections influenced by traditional international costumes, grime music and the negative side of social media when the University of Northampton students presented their work on the catwalk on Tuesday 6 June. You can also download the Graduate Fashion Week 2017 brochure.

The 15 students from the BA (Hons) Fashion, BA (Hons) Textiles for Fashion and BA (Hons) Footwear and Accessories programmes have been working on their fashion collections, textile designs, footwear and accessories, using a broad range of traditional and unexpected materials, such as silk, cotton, leather, parachute nylon, bandages and even a duvet!

Take a look at the Graduate Fashion Week video from 2016 to see what our previous students designed.

Subject Futures Week

Our annual Subject Futures Week is an exciting event and an excellent opportunity for our students to explore the potential of their course and understand where their university experience can lead them beyond graduation. It offers a unique chance to network with high profile industry professionals from the arts, TV, film, fashion and more.

Take a look at the  2016 Subject Futures Week video, which highlights just some of the creative industry guests who attended to share knowledge and insights with students about the reality of working and life after university.

 

Apply now

Waterside Campus

Waterside is our purpose-built campus, designed to provide you with the learning experience and opportunities you expect from a modern university.

We know our staff and students want the very best, and that’s what Waterside will provide. It is the embodiment of our mission to transform lives and inspire change.

We’ve designed Waterside to put you first – it is flexible to the changing needs of our students but also makes the most of our fantastic staff. A University that teaches in a way that mirrors the skills you will need when you graduate, a place that provides everything you will need to live and learn, and that will provide a home-from-home as you enjoy one of the best and most fulfilling experiences of your life.

Our new campus opens its doors in September 2018 and while Waterside will be home to most of our teaching, we’ll also be making use of the excellent facilities around the town. We’ll also be retaining some facilities at our current campuses (Park and Avenue) on a temporary basis for the initial period. These will mostly be used to offer off-campus accommodation options to make sure we have a great range of rooms to suit everyone.

Find out more about our new campus at Hello Waterside or come and visit the new campus on an Open Day.

More about our campuses »

Course content

Leather has always played a major role in the creation of garments and it is still significant today, with many leather designs appearing on catwalks. Appreciating the properties of materials will allow you to maximise your creative flair, so this course uses theory and practical work to help you understand leather as a material. You will learn how to take leather through the design and manufacturing stage for the production of leather garments so that you can meet the demands of innovative design while ensuring that the product remains fit for purpose, meeting the high demands of the commercial world.

In the first year you will be introduced to studio design and workshop practice, covering core skills and practical experience in fashion, textiles and leather for fashion supported by theory. This will all be underpinned by historical and contextual studies.

During the second year, the emphasis will be placed on your creative potential and individuality, with the opportunity for co-ordinated work experience. In order to give you a feel of what it’s like to work in the fashion industry, your projects will be set by external contacts and sponsors and some projects will include consultancy groups. You will also have a range of guest lectures from notable industry specialists.

Your final year encompasses the final major project, which is the design and production of a capsule collection, supported by academic research. This is a chance for you to focus on what you have found most interesting, working in collaboration with industry and reflecting what you have learned through the course including pattern cutting, manufacture, design research, portfolio presentation, photography and styling, leather/fabric/colour forecasting and CAD. Your final collection may be showcased at Graduate Fashion Week or our Degree Show.

 

Course modules (17/18)

stage1

  • Design Practice: Concept Research and Design Development (60 Credits)

    • Module code: FSH1107
    • Core module Y

    In this module you will investigate the nature of design in relation to a range of contexts. It aims to stimulate and promote an ethos of exploratory and questioning attitudes, through problem solving, allowing you to develop a broad personal vocabulary in order to synthesise technical workshop processes, visual research and contextual aspects as a means of communicating a design research concept. Fundamental technical knowledge of processes utilised within Fashion, footwear/accessories and printed textile application will be widened.

  • Contextual Studies 1 (20 Credits)

    • Module code: FSH1101
    • Core module Y
  • Fashion, Leather Fashion and Textiles: Context (40 Credits)

    • Module code: FSH1106
    • Core module Y

stage2

  • Design Practice: Research and Design Development Fashion/Leather/Footwear and Accessories and Printed Textiles (60 Credits)

    • Module code: FSH2105
    • Core module Y

    The module will consolidate and expand upon design principles and processes introduced in level 4 relevant to modes of design enquiry specific to Fashion, Footwear & Accessories, Textiles for Fashion and Leather for Fashion. The focus will be further creative, aesthetic technical exploration whilst developing a considered approach to research and conceptualizing the design development process. The expectation is that students will develop increasingly independent lines of design enquiry, technically and aesthetically, whilst being underpinned by supporting contextual analysis.

  • Contextual Studies 2 (20 Credits)

    • Module code: FSH2101
    • Core module Y
  • Visual Communication and Promotion (20 Credits)

    • Module code: FSH2106
    • Core module Y
  • Fashion with Leather (20 Credits)

    • Module code: LEA2012
    • Core module Y

stage3

  • Design Context Communication (40 Credits)

    • Module code: FSH3105
    • Core module Y
  • Final Major Project (80 Credits)

    • Module code: FSH3103
    • Core module Y

Module information is quoted for 17/18 entry. Please note that modules run subject to student numbers and staff availability, any changes will be communicated to applicants accordingly.

Opportunities Abroad

Our international study visits provide a unique opportunity for you to gain an insight into various cultures and international business. Previous study visits have included New York, Milan and Tokyo.

All the study trips are optional and the costs vary year on year. Typically, this is approximately £800 for New York, and £400 for European trips  (Milan, Amsterdam, Sweden). 

Methods of Learning

Project briefings are supported by tutorials, seminars, group work, visiting lectures, professional practice, field trips, independent study and assessment.

Assessments

Theory is assessed through:

  • essay writing
  • assignments
  • presentations
  • a dissertation

Practical work is judged through studio presentations and exhibitions.

Facilities and Special Features

  • the Fashion area has dedicated studios and a range of high quality workshops to enable the production of 2D and 3D work
  • emphasis is placed on your creative development whilst recognising the importance of marketing and management skills
  • strong links with industry, invited guest speakers and live project learning experiences
  • opportunities for work experience and internships are embedded within the curriculum
  • optional international study visits
  • Leathersellers’ Scholarships to £800 to £1200 for fashion leather collections

Reading List

The reading list for first year students is available to download.

Progression Courses

  • Leather Technology (Professional)

    • Award MSc
    • Qualification Postgraduate
    • Length 1 Year
  • Three month Professional Leather Development course

Careers

Career Opportunities

When you graduate from this course, you will be well suited to work in the fashion industry, including:

  • designing and leather crafting
  • leather technology and testing 
  • footwear and accessories manufacturing
  • pattern cutting
  • buying
  • merchandising
  • PR
  • editorial

You could also continue into the further study with a focused MSc Professional Leather Technology.

Our fashion graduates have secured fashion design jobs with:

  • POP Magazine
  • Ted Baker
  • House of Holland
  • COS
  • Topshop
  • River Island

Work Experience

Work based leading opportunities will improve your industry knowledge and make you more employable, while building confidence and giving you new motivation. You will be given the chance to work with industry specialists, including:

  • Clothes Show Live Birmingham
  • research visits
  • visits to exhibitions and galleries
  • commercial industry projects
  • Graduate Fashion Week

How to apply

For application information please see our how to apply page.

Entry requirements

Standard entry requirements apply. A typical offer would be BCC at A Level or DMM at BTEC. In addition, you are expected to have studied an Art or Textiles related subject in an A Level or BTEC level 3 Diploma, or equivalent qualification. We will also accept a Foundation Diploma in Art and Design.

Applicants are interviewed and are requested to provide a portfolio of their own work in Art and Design. Students with a relevant HND or Foundation Degree with a suitable profile of achievement may be admitted onto year two or three.

Foundation Study Framework Entry Requirements

Admission to this programme is normally DEE at A Level or MPP at BTEC.

Fees and funding

Fees quoted relate to study in the Academic Year 18/19 only and may be subject to inflationary increases in future years.

Full Time: £9,250 per year
Part Time: £1,350 per 20 Credit Module
Foundation: £6,500 as part of a four year programme (subsequent years will be charged at standard BA rate)
International: £12,000 per year
International Foundation Fee: £9,400

Scholarships

  • TD Lewis Scholarship

    The T D Lewis Scholarship provides both undergraduate and postgraduate students with financial awards of up to £1,500.  This scholarship is awarded on educational excellence…
  • The Chancellor’s Fund

    The Chancellor’s Fund is a bi-annual fund providing students with awards of between £100 and £1,000. You must be a current student to apply. The…
  • The International Scholarship

    We are very pleased to offer a generous scholarship to applicants from outside of the European Union who have strong academic backgrounds. All full-time courses…
  • Wilson Endowment Scholarship

    The Wilson Endowment Scholarship provides a £1,500 scholarship to undergraduate students from the Northamptonshire area. The endowed scholarship was donated in memory of Mr Lynn Wilson,…

International

This course is available to international students.

Full-time international tuition fees

For information on our international tuition fees, please see our Tuition fees for international students page.

Please note that tuition fees for EU students will remain the same as UK fees for 2018/19. For more information, please visit the Gov UK website.

How to apply as an international student

For information on how to apply to study with us, please see our How to apply page.

Scholarships available to international students

For information on the scholarships available to you as an international student, please see our International scholarships page.

Foundation Study Framework

Our Foundation Study Framework offers an exciting route into studying for a degree, attracting ambitious and driven students who are willing to learn and advance.

If you have non-standard qualifications or do not quite meet the entry requirements for this course, we can offer you a fantastic opportunity to study a four year course which includes our Foundation Study Framework.

The Foundation Study Framework will help you to develop the theoretical/practical and academic skills you will need in order to successfully progress to the full award.  The Foundation Study Framework provides you with a practical and group-based approach to learning that supports your development and your transition to Higher Education, whilst also studying a number of specialist modules.

Students interested in this course might also like to consider:

  • Fashion »
  • Fashion (Textiles for Fashion) »
  • Fashion Promotion and Communication »
  • Footwear and Accessories »

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