Why choose this course?

We were ranked No.1 in London and No.2 in the UK for fashion in the Guardian University League Tables 2023.

 

The Fashion MA at Kingston University is a unique and innovative course combining the creative thinking of the Design School's core beliefs with a very solid and 'creative' fashion industry focus.

 

The course equips students with the skills and attributes to thrive in a professional environment shaped by rapid cultural and technological change. The role of the fashion designer is changing within a digital age that embraces current and emerging digital technologies and the pre-digital methodologies of designing through making that are associated with the craft of fashion. Fashion MA designers will respond to this shift by applying inventive, daring and responsible approaches to fashion practice, including a return to ‘pre-digital' crafts, experimenting with new digital crafts, and /or adopting a hybrid practice which explores the innovative potential of synthesising digital technologies within crafts-based practice. This aligns with Kingston University's Town House Strategy and the development of students' future skills where they are actively encouraged to explore new and unfamiliar processes and techniques and use these to experiment and innovate within their own disciplines and individual creative practices.

 

The ethos of Kingston School of Art is thinking through making and Fashion MA students will not only realise their 2D ideas in 3D but will also use the 3D process to generate ideas in 2D, establishing the craft of fashion in response to the broader environment of AI and digital technologies. Students will explore making for design through the production of samples and modelling on the stand as a methodology that produces innovation.

 

Fashion MA students will synthesise their individual design identities through a series of challenging projects that elevate the students' approach to research skills, their ability to critically reflect and analyse their work and the work of other practitioners. The projects hone the students' ability to design responsibly, their communication skills, and their ability to think through making as a methodology that enables thoroughly considered and industry-appropriate outcomes. As the students progress through the modules over the course of the academic year, they will also consider the professional application of their work and develop the professional skills needed for their future careers. This approach to PG fashion design education aligns with KU's Future Skills strategy.

 

Key features

The Fashion MA focuses on the craft of making enables skill-based making practices for elevated design outputs, which include exploration and innovation of manufacture, fabrication, responsible approaches to garment construction and slower small-scale production. This aligns with the UN Sustainability Goals of responsible consumption and production and climate action.

 

The craft of making aligns with the KSA philosophy of thinking through making, ensuring quality and skills are celebrated as professional attributes for future practitioners. An elevated understanding of how clothes are made is essential for many roles within the fashion industry; designer, pattern cutter, product developer, or artisanal crafts person working within a specialist atelier within a brand.

 

The course enables students to work independently and collaboratively, and to develop professional networks through engagement with industry projects and visiting professionals, preparing them for professional placement, employment, or further study.

 

The design team have diverse and relevant industry experience as well as the academic skills and experience needed to help nurture fashion design talent.

 

Guest speakers from our well-established industry links and partnerships are invited to talk directly to the students, sharing their knowledge, insight and experience, adding texture and depth to the students' understanding of the fashion machine.