Bachelor of Arts (Hons)

TEXTILE DESIGN

Develop your own unique style and bring your designs to life with BNU's Textile Design degree. With a focus on craftsmanship and innovation, this course will enable you to develop hands-on skills and equip you to be a successful designer. If you want to make your mark on the textile industry, this course can help get you there.

Benefit from BNU state-of-the-art fashion and textile studios and experienced lecturers to help you create your designs and creative ideas. As well as this, you’ll have the opportunity to work closely with designers through work placements and guest workshops.

Why study this subject?

The creative world is full of exciting and rewarding opportunities. Did you know, the creative industries contribute over £92billlion (gov.uk DCMS 2017) to the UK economy every year? And the fashion and textiles industry is one of the largest sectors in the UK.

Textiles are everywhere; they are the very fabric of our everyday environment, so why not learn how to design them? Providing us with identity, comfort and shelter, textiles are the material that we have our closest relationships with, literally clothing our bodies from head to toe, or surrounding BNU's homes with stimulating colour and tactility.

Why study at Buckinghamshire New University?

With a history of delivering expert craft, art and design education for more than 130 years, BNU is the perfect place to start your creative career.

BNU will make sure that you have all the skills you need to start a career in Textile Design through their focus on craftsmanship and skills so you can graduate with a robust understanding of the sector.

With their strong links with the textile industry, you’ll get direct access to guest lectures and can benefit from live project briefs, masterclasses and plenty of networking opportunities. You'll have the opportunity to get noticed at our London degree show and take part in our annual art and design show. We'll also provide you with the chance to enter industry competitions.

As well as working on your own briefs, you’ll be able to work on industry-based projects with leading designers which will help you develop ideas into textiles and textile products. We have industry collaborations with brands like Dulux, Gerflor, Tengri, Jane Bowler, Bradford Textiles, Worshipful Company of Framework Knitters, The Arts Society and The Society of Dyers and Colourists.

Acting practitioners regularly work with us as associate lecturers to enable students to fully develop their projects and ideas whilst injecting industry standard practices and experiences. Regular guest lectures from industry professionals support this further, examples of invited guest lecturers include Laura Perryman, Marianne Shillingford – Creative Director of Dulux, WGSN, Craig Green, Christopher Raeburn, Alice Wilby, Oliver Heath and Rowan Mersh.

What facilities can you use?

We’ve spent a lot of love and care making BNU fashion and textile workshop the perfect creative space and one of the best-equipped workshops in the country.

With your own personal workspace, you’ll benefit from being part of our vibrant and dynamic design studio community.

You'll be working on industry standard equipment, learning latest techniques and future focused methods of fashion craftsmanship. You will master materials, both through traditional methods and using digital software.

In their workshops, you’ll receive one-to-one teaching, working closely with lecturers, specialist technicians and alongside fellow students.

What will you study?

On this course you'll explore three main textile design practices - print, knit and surface design. In order to create innovative designs you'll learn to work with many different types of material and techniques, from traditional fabrics to contemporary technologies. From interior surfaces to luxury fashion accessories, you'll gain an understanding of the professional context and practice of textile design.

They put a strong emphasis on career, designer identity and industry in the course curriculum. For example, they hold regular careers and employability talks from a number of eminent guest speakers in the PR, automotive, fashion, interiors, accessories and colour industries as well as workshops on CV writing. You'll graduate with a professional portfolio, an authentic digital profile, industry familiarity and impressive presentation skills.

How will I be taught and assessed?

This course is 75% practice-based so you will have ample opportunity to develop your subject through a hands-on, experimental approach. This will involve access to workshops to support the design process.

BNU's Red Shed studio give you your own dedicated workspace. The Red Shed allows you access to all the specialist textile equipment you will need, both traditional and contemporary. You'll master materials, both through craft methods and using digital software and have full access to other cross discipline workshop facilities, including woodwork, metal, 3D printing, ceramics and more.

Exploring design led projects develops your research, drawing, colour, design and workshop technical skills. You'll get taster projects in each of the textile practices, print, knit and surface design, and once you know which one suits your creativity most, you can start to specialise.

As well as this you will benefit from our industry links and guest speakers. Gain real-life experience through exciting industry projects and competitions. These help you develop ideas for textiles and textile products. We have industry collaborations which include Dulux, Gerflor, Tengri, Jane Bowler, Bradford Textiles and The Society of Dyers and Colourists.

What are your career prospects?

Throughout your time with Buckinghamsheir New University they'll support you on the route to your chosen career. They will help you to develop crucial skills, encouraging you to become enterprising, employable and good leaders. They also help you find employment after graduation. 

BNU always encourage their students to take up work placements throughout the course, which is an ideal opportunity to develop key skills in a work background.