Fashion Buying with Design

Fashion buying requires both strong commercial understanding as well as theoretical knowledge. This course will prepare you for a diverse range of roles within the global fashion industry by developing in-depth design and buying expertise, and by gaining knowledge of the product lifecycle and critical path, current trends, selection, costing and promotion.

Learn about garment design, pattern cutting, prototyping, construction, and computer-aided design (CAD), while investigating materials, embellishments and technical approaches. We will nurture your professional practice through personal development planning, as well as guided research and critical reasoning.

The shift in fashion retailing from high street to online is driving exciting innovations, and you will develop the resilience and skills to respond to new directions in consumer demand. Our experienced academic team work alongside industry professionals to put your learning into context, ensuring that you are ready to take on the challenges of our rapidly changing industry.

Key features:

• We are recognised as one of the country’s most sustainable fashion and textiles schools (Green Gown Awards, 2021) and one of the best fashion schools in the world for 2022 (CEOWORLD, 2022).

• Meet and learn from successful practitioners in the fashion industry. Produce innovative designs for them and discuss your ideas.

• Gain industry-specific knowledge of the design process, from market analysis and trend prediction to pattern cutting, manufacture, assessing fit, and garment success.

• Take part in our one-year UK or global placement schemes. Fashion Buying with Design students have gained experience at Tommy Hilfiger, O'Neill, Marks & Spencer, Next, George, Joules, G-Star, River Island, The Global Brands Group, and at supply bases. Many of our graduates have gone on to work for these international brands and suppliers.

• Learn how to innovate in the design process and work towards a more sustainable future for the industry. Recent graduate Abi Harris designed a kidswear collection to educate children about plastic pollution in the ocean.

• Take advantage of international opportunities through our DMU Global programme. Students have visited Hong Kong, New York, Antwerp, Amsterdam and Porto.

• Study in the award-winning Vijay Patel Building, where our well-equipped design workshops and photography studios enable you to explore your design potential while making and testing products.

If you are interested in advanced entry into Year 3 of this course, please visit the DMU website for the course details: https://www.dmu.ac.uk/study/pre-edu-2030/fashion-buying-with-design-ba-degree/fashion-buying-with-design-ba-degree.aspx

First year
Block 1: Fashion Consumer and Marketplace
Block 2: Design and Development
Block 3: Fashion Lifecycle
Block 4: Sustainable Futures

Second year
Block 1: Buying and Professional Practice
Block 2: Design Innovation and Sustainable Futures
Block 3: Introduction to Global Sourcing Skills
Block 4: Fashion Design Practice

Third year
Block 1 and 2: Sustainable Sourcing and Supply Management and Collaboration with Industry
Block 3 and 4: Major Design Project OR Major Research Project

We want to ensure you have the best learning experience possible and a supportive and nurturing learning community. That’s why we’re introducing a new block model for delivering the majority of our courses, known as Education 2030. This means a more simplified timetable where you will study one subject at a time instead of several at once. You will have more time to engage with your learning and get to know the teaching team and course mates. You will receive faster feedback through more regular assessment, and have a better study-life balance to enjoy other important aspects of university life.

Structure
This includes design studio practice, formal lectures, group seminars, tutorials, lab work and practical workshops. There are regular tutorials and reviews which allow you to reflect and develop your work ready for your final presentation at the end of the year.

Contact hours
You will be taught through a combination of lectures, tutorials, seminars, group work and self-directed study. Assessment is through coursework (presentations, phase-tests, essays and reports) Your precise timetable will depend on the optional modules you choose to take, however, in your first year you will normally attend around 15 hours of timetabled taught sessions (lectures and tutorials) each week, and we expect you to undertake at least 25 further hours of independent study to complete project work and research.