Advanced Diploma in Fashion Design
Fanshawe College
Key Information
Campus location
London, Canada
Languages
English
Study format
On-Campus
Duration
3 years
Pace
Full time
Tuition fees
CAD 13,893 **
Application deadline
Request info *
Earliest start date
Request info
* equal consideration deadline. After that, we consider applicants on a first-come, first-served basis until programs are full
** total fee for Canadian students. $50,000.16 for international students
Scholarships
Explore scholarship opportunities to help fund your studies
Introduction
The evolving world of fashion and apparel needs creators to produce innovative, sustainable, and inclusive designs. If you are interested in a career that rewards your passion for creating ethical, dynamic products that reduce the global footprint, the Fashion Design program will help design your future. Balancing artistic, theoretical, and practical training with digital technologies and research opportunities, the Fashion Design program can give you a head start in the career you’re looking for.
Your Learning Experience
Fashion Design is a three-year co-operative Ontario College Advanced Diploma program providing professional career-directed training in the development, production management, and marketing of apparel design. Through classroom theory, lectures, lab work, field trips, and work term experience, skills are applied. Networking with industry professionals promotes future employment opportunities. Emphasis is placed on design analysis, apparel manufacturing, and technology, and design communications and marketing.
You’ll develop skills in creative design, visual communication, business marketing, and apparel production technologies. You’ll also learn practical skills like fashion illustration, computer-aided design, pattern-making and draping, and garment construction. The third year of study culminates with a capstone project, where students conceptual, produce, and present a final collection.
Apply your skills throughout the program in a combination of lab work, field trips, and working semester experiences, as well as in a variety of research opportunities. Our faculty are committed to research opportunities through industry and community partnerships that move the industry forward. With these experiences, you’ll graduate with a professional portfolio and the skills to work in a variety of jobs in the fashion and apparel industry.
Skills such as fashion illustration, computer-aided design, pattern-making and draping, and apparel construction techniques are taught, and supported by studies of textile technology, historical research, manufacturing processes, and applied computerized technology in the fashion industry. The program fosters creative and independent problem-solving in students, preparing them for a future in the various sectors of the rapidly changing fashion and apparel industry.
Gallery
Program Outcome
The graduate has reliably demonstrated the ability to
- Recognize the interrelationships among designers, manufacturers, merchandisers, and consumers in the domestic and global marketplace;
- Create innovative, sustainable, and inclusive designs using flat patterns and 3D prototyping techniques that incorporate design and fitting principles;
- Use most current computer technologies to design, digitally communicate, market, and manufacture apparel;
- Demonstrate a thorough understanding of materials, colors, silhouettes, textures, and techniques in order to communicate a reflective design process incorporating market research and analysis to solve design problems;
- Source materials, illustrate concepts, develop patterns, produce technical packages and costing information, apply production specifications to produce apparel that incorporates both sustainability and human-centered designs;
- Analyze the organizational functions, systems, and logistics in the manufacturing and marketing of fashion and apparel;
- Apply business principles that foster entrepreneurship from both a social and sustainable perspective;
- Adapt global fashion trends from historical, current, and future perspectives to produce marketable designs for consumers;
- Produce and present work that meets the standards, ethics, and practices of the domestic and global fashion industry;
- Apply visual communication skills to develop products, support design collaborations, and create a professional portfolio;
- Operate industrial sewing, pressing, and other technical equipment safely and to industry standards.
Admissions
Curriculum
Co-op Opportunities
The Fashion Design program offers a cooperative education component, which provides students the opportunity to gain invaluable first-hand work experience in their chosen field. Here are some co-op jobs that have kick-started the careers of some Fashion Design students before even graduated!
Assistant Designer
Aide in the creation of an apparel line through illustration, cutting, stitching, and pattern tracing.
Production Assistant
Assist in the quality control and efficient production of products.
Sewer/Tailor
Custom garments according to client needs. Repurpose something vintage, or simply alter a piece for continued wear.
Courses
Level 1
Take all of the following Mandatory Courses:
- WRIT-1036 ---- Reason and Writing 1-Art and Design
- DRAF-1057 ---- Pattern Making 1
- ARTS-1024 ---- Fashion Drawing and Theory
- DESG-1062 ---- Sample Room Production 1
- FASH-1003 ---- Design Studio 1
- FASH-1005 ---- Fashion Industry Analysis
Level 2
Gen Ed - See requirement below
Take all of the following Mandatory Courses:
- COMP-1353 ---- Computerized Fashion Illustration 1
- FASH-1001 ---- Textile Science 1
- DRAF-1058 ---- Pattern Making 2
- FASH-1009 ---- Design Studio 2
- DESG-1063 ---- Sample Room Production 2
- COMM-3074 ---- Communications for Design
- COOP-1020 ---- Co-operative Education Employment Preparation
- FASH-1041 ---- Technical Drawings and Specifications
Level 3
Gen Ed - See requirement below
Take all of the following Mandatory Courses:
- COMP-1386 ---- Computerized Fashion Illustration and Spec.
- DESG-3038 ---- Sample Room Production 3
- COMP-3005 ---- Computers for Apparel Manufacturing 1
- DRAF-3027 ---- Pattern Making 3
- FASH-3013 ---- Design Studio 3
- FASH-1007 ---- Textile Science 2
- HIST-1027 ---- Style Influences and Attitudes 1
Level 4
Gen Ed - Take a 3-credit General Education elective course
Take all of the following Mandatory Courses:
- BUSI-1078 ---- The Business of Fashion
- DESG-3039 ---- Sample Room Production 4
- COMP-3011 ---- Computers for Apparel Manufacturing 2
- FASH-3021 ---- Design Studio 4
- DRAF-3028 ---- Pattern Making 4
- HIST-3014 ---- Style Influences and Attitudes 2
- DESG-1079 ---- Drape
Level 5
Take all of the following Mandatory Courses:
- BUSI-3034 ---- Global Apparel Sourcing and Mass Production
- DESG-5020 ---- Sample Room Production 5
- COMP-5003 ---- Computers for Apparel Manufacturing 3
- FASH-5011 ---- Design Studio 5
- DRAF-5014 ---- Pattern Making 5
- METH-5009 ---- Industrial Pattern Grading
- COMP-3097 ---- Portfolio and Career Development
Level 6
Take all of the following Mandatory Courses:
- DESG-5021 ---- Sample Room Production 6
- FASH-5013 ---- Line Development
- FASH-5012 ---- Fashion Show Production
Gen Ed - Electives
Take 6 General Education Credits - Normally taken in Levels 2 or 3 and Level 4
Program Residency
Students Must Complete a Minimum of 30 credits in this program at Fanshawe College to meet the Program Residency requirement and graduate from this program
Career Opportunities
With a passion for fashion and an eye for design, graduates of Fanshawe’s Fashion Design program can make that quote come alive in a rewarding career working in positions of:
- development production
- production in apparel manufacturing
- designers
- assistant designers
- technical designers
- computerized fashion illustrators
- pattern makers
- graders
- quality controller technicians
- CAD-aided design technologists
- independent designers or consultants
Here are some examples of career opportunities for graduates of Fanshawe’s Fashion Design program:
Technical Designer
Set up, maintain and update style summaries, create technical sketches for design, and track and relate all changes and modifications from fit meetings to suppliers.
Fashion Designer
Manufacture, produce, market, and sell streetwear.
Seamstress – Bridal and Special Occasion Wear
Complete flawless alterations including hems, bustles, and custom requests.
English Language Requirements
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