Fashion design degree entry requirements

I'm interested in studying fashion design I know a portfolio would be required to apply. I have art work from the past year , including pencil fashion illustrations which experiment with other materials however my main concern is my sewing ability is limited and my cad skills are extremely basic. Would this put me at a disadvantage or is it still worth applying ?

Even though I have done a ual level 3 course the college itself didn't have a sewing space it mainly focused on photography, drawing ,painting and one lesson on how to use photoshop.

I haven't had the finances to buy a sewing machine plus a laptop that supports Adobe and pay for the subscription.

My previous art and design courses have mainly focused on drawing and painting with the odd bit of sewing even though it was a fashion pathway.

I'm worried if I hold off my applying for fashion design and decide to do a business /marketing course I won't be able to apply for a fashion design course after.

Reply 1

BCU Student Rep

Official Rep

Original post by Anonymous #1

Hi there!

Try not to let the idea of creating a portfolio intimidate you! When I was creating a portfolio for fashion design here at BCU, I collected all of my work together and started choosing my best work, sketchbooks I liked, etc., to see what best showed off my skills.

I wasn't the best at sewing before starting my degree, and although I had some sewing in portfolio, it was very very basic work. Some unis may want to see more physical construction work than others, so maybe an email to the admissions team might help you get some more info about the portfolio requirements. Most unis will either tell you what they'd like to see or if they don't, they quite often have information on their website about building a portfolio, so maybe have a look for that.

My best advice when creating your portfolio is to include work you can talk about. It's pretty likely you'll end up talking about your portfolio in an interview so you want to be able to discuss your work. It doesn't have to include all finished projects wither. Sometimes sketchbooks and process/development work can be just as valuable. It sounds like you already have some great work to include, so maybe start with that and build up your portfolio from there. I find it's always hard to start when you just have a blank page.

Best of luck!
Emily
Student Ambassador at BCU 🙂

Don't let a lack of one skill put you off applying! When I was creating