The National College
Fashion Design
BDes in Fashion Design
BA in History of Art and Design and Fashion
The programme for the course in Fashion Design, which includes knitwear design, enables students to develop technical and design skills and to develop design briefs from conception to conclusion. Emphasis is placed on professional practice, marketing skills and on preparation for the needs of industry.
Fashion Show 2009
Click here to visit the 2009 Fashion Show gallery.
Course Description
After successfully completing First Year (Core), selected students can specialise in Fashion Design.
From Year 2, elements covered in the course include fashion design, knitwear design, pattern cutting and construction, illustration, presentation and design research, drawing, and manufacturing techniques.
Year 3 includes specialised computer studies for Fashion, range planning and a merchandising and marketing approach to design work for industrailly based projects. A mini collection is undertaken at the end of Year 3. Students are encourged and assisted to spend a minimum of 6 weeks in industry between 3rd and 4th Year. The Department is assisted by the EU Leonardo Scheme for technical placements in EU countries, and by FÁS for placements in Irish Industry.
In Year 4, students carry out a major project, which incorporates practical application of their marketing, business and professional practice studies.
The final year programme involves the presentation of a range of clothing aimed at a specific market through the medium of a fashion show. Research and marketing reports, a portfolio with ongoing design, as well as major projects undertaken during the course, are required in addition to the range of clothing for the final presentation.
Twenty percent of the course in Fashion Design is devoted to studies in Visual Culture including Marketing and Business Studies, and in 4th year, the preparation of a thesis.
Career Prospects
Fashion graduates go into many different areas of the fashion business. As well as designing 'in-house', or as free-lance consultants, they may go into design management, journalism, fashion teaching, fashion styling, forecasting or merchandising. Film, theatre and television design, or retail management and retail buying are other available career options for fashion graduates.
Click here for Entry Requirements and Application Procedures
Download: BDes in Fashion Design (PDF 1.9Mb)
