Diploma Of Branded Fashion Design

Design Context is a foundational subject that introduces students to the designed world and their place within it. Students are encouraged to explore the interconnected nature of design and its capacity to inspire change, drive progress and navigate complex challenges.

Through observation, research and iterative approach students will develop a series of creative responses that demonstrate an awareness of the value of design and its ability to create meaningful interactions for people, communities and their environments.

In this subject, students will simultaneously study the human body and its ergonomics whilst developing the skill of visual representation and communication through the art of drawing. It acknowledges drawing as a fundamental skill of the designer, and its importance in communicating design ideas. Students will cultivate an understanding of human movement, balance, proportion and shape by developing their observational and drawing skills. Students will also develop their ability to visually render various surfaces, fabrics and structures as they learn to understand the manner in which different materials and fabrics drape, shape, change and interact with and on the human body. This subject underpins the development of fundamental principles of apparel design such as proportion, materiality and coordination, as well as the capacity of the student to visually communicate their designs.

This subject is twofold e.g. hand drawing and computer drawing skills development. Students develop hand-drawing skills to depict, show their understanding as well as explore technical and construction details for apparel. In addition students demonstrate their understanding of clothing history and fashion by isolating key recognisable garment design elements and principles specific to the identified historical periods. In addition to a folio with hand drawings, students develop a digital folio with fully annotated and proportionally correct garment drawings. In order to transfer their hand skill drawings they are introduced to CAD drawing methods and folio layout specific for branded fashion. By analysing and evaluating their hand drawings they select and synthesis these into a computer generated document.

The subject introduces the student to various aspects of the elements of design, e.g. materiality, form and shape, colour, positive and negative space etc. utilised in creative problem solving. Initially students are introduced to a design development process, from the tangible to the digital; through paper model making with its inherent skills development and risk taking, then on to further digital development using newly introduced software. Concurrent, weekly, individual homework tasks focus on understanding and appreciation of materials, their many varied uses, properties and the manufacturing processes related to them. Students will make incremental progress towards choosing a material in which their individual design can be realised. The submission will include a material and colour folio. The final submission will be a model executed in an appropriate material with its function/usage contextualised with all relevant information gleaned throughout the trimester.

This subject introduces the importance of clothing structure, shape, form, line and volume. A variety of cutting, sewing and finishing techniques and terminology are introduced through the examination of constructed garments and the execution of a variety of sewing samples. Through the analysis of a manually deconstructed garment, students are able to familiarise themselves with the various components that make up a garment and the interrelationships between those components. Using this knowledge, students execute and assemble a self-designed garment that addresses an understanding of the structural purpose and interrelationships of individual pattern pieces. Students will be required to make decisions about the most appropriate construction techniques to use based on the relevant market position. Students have the option of participating in a Sewing Skills program – a series of additional sewing workshops that run concurrently with their formal study. These weekly two hour workshops provide students with an opportunity to further develop their garment construction skills, should they so choose.

In this subject students develop foundational design studio practice skills and knowledge in fashion creation. Students acquire specialist practical and theoretical skills and knowledge such as concept development, fabric manipulation and draping. Throughout the subject, students work to develop their conceptual ideas and translate them into a commercial garment design. At the same time students will broaden their understanding of a design studio environment and the interplay between individual and peer responsibilities in a studio context. In addition, students cultivate a broader comprehension of design studio practice through the exploration of 2D and 3D forms and objects. Students gain a deeper understanding of design elements and principles as key design concepts, by conceptualising and producing 2D and 3D design outcomes. The concepts of thermoplasticity, resiliency, dimensional stability and drape are incorporated into this exploration.

Design Studio 2 offers an introduction to the building blocks of creating and developing brands and is designed to give students a broad understanding of the stages and methodologies adopted in the brand development process. The subject draws on the theory and practice that sits behind brand creation. It covers the broad spectrum of brand development, values, trends and branding techniques, as well as fundamentals such as brand positioning and brand architecture. The subject also explores the relationship between branding and audiences, cross-cultural influences and shifts in consumer behaviour. Students must first understand and apply the fundamentals of branding and then go on to use that knowledge as the basis for developing and progressing a brand. This theoretical and practical subject will equip students with the knowledge and insight with which to build their own branding expertise.

This subject provides the opportunity for discourse on the “meaning” of fashion, branded fashion and clothing. The students will study various texts and historical periods to develop their sensitivities and understanding of the “fashion phenomenon” and clothing behaviour. Examination of several case studies of fashion occurrences will inform the student of the issues, attitudes and foundations that may lead up to the formation of a fashion, the role of the designer in that process and its effect on general dress behaviour as a result. Students research a variety of historical periods and develop a digital design folio depicting clothing of the studied periods in addition to an essay on a chosen historical period. To compliment this study, students will gain digital design foundation skills and techniques used to present their work.