Fashion Design with Integrated Foundation Year

Study at one of the top, student-rated fashion design courses in the UK. This course is designed to equip you with a tailored, industry-ready skillset from day one, this immersive course fuses craft, technology, culture and commerce, delivered by a team of industry professionals who will guide your exploration with industry expertise.

Why study this fashion degree?
1. Get expert mentoring from industry experienced staff and active practitioners throughout your studies
2. Combine traditional craftsmanship with digital fashion and textile design innovation
3. Work on live briefs, competitions and collaborations with world-renowned names in fashion and the wider creative industries
4. Undertake work-based learning projects and accredited placements in the world’s fashion capitals
5. Hone your research, concept and creative skills to define your personal aesthetic and career ambitions

You’ll study a blend of traditional and innovative practices, exploring fashion and textile design, pattern cutting, sampling and digital design, discovering how emerging technologies are reshaping the creative process from concept through to production.

Under the mentorship of industry expert staff and active practitioners, this fashion design degree develops professional skills from year one. Live briefs and competitions with major international brands have produced winners and finalists with Louis Vuitton, Givenchy, Pierre Cardin, Harris Tweed, Zandra Rhodes, YKK, Calvin Klein and Golden Shears Tailoring.

Our association with the British Fashion Council has provided access to materials through sustainability initiatives including donations from Burberry and JW Anderson. Final year students secured prestigious places in the finals of the BFC Sustainable Fabric Initiative for four years running.

Graduates from this apparel design course have recently gone on to use their expertise to build careers with high-end companies, as freelancers, or by launching their own independent brands.

Integrated Foundation Year
Your foundation year gives you the time, space and support to explore your strengths, build confidence and prepare for the demands of project-based, industry-focused learning. Modules are as follows:

Module 1: Diagnostic exploration - making informed choices
Module 2: Technical - Technical knowledge in practice
Module 3: Specialist - Innovating specialist practice
Module 4: Integration - Integrated practice for progression to Higher Education

After completing your Integrated Foundation Year, you will study the following:

Year 1
You'll build fundamental skills in research, development, and design for fashion and textiles. Emerging digital software opens up conversations around ethics and sustainability, while contextual studies ground your growing awareness of the fashion industry.

Modules may include:
• Fashion Design & Realisation



• Fashion Fundamentals



• Fashion Inquiry



• Fashion Design & Materialisation



• Fashion Contexts 1



• Fashion Identity



Year 2
Work-based learning takes your practice into the real world. Opportunities span interdisciplinary projects, entrepreneurship, and local or international placements and internships - connecting your studies to genuine industry experience.

Modules may include:
• Industry & Collaboration



• Fashion Contexts 2



• Career Catalyst



• Industry Practice Innovation



• Industry Identity



• Fashion Enterprise



Year 3
Your final year culminates in a self-directed project ready for exhibition or showcase, supported by a personalised portfolio built for industry. You'll be encouraged to enter prestigious national and international awards to raise your profile - with contextual studies continuing to underpin your research and creative thinking throughout.

Modules may include:
• Capsule Collection



• Fashion Contexts 3



• Fashion Enterprise



• Major Project



All modules are subject to revalidation.

Do you want to study in a top 3 student city in the world?* Unleash your creativity at Ravensbourne University London.

Located in London's Design District, Ravensbourne sits opposite the O2, next to Greenwich, and at the heart of the city's cutting-edge creative community. With London's impressive skyline and iconic river just opposite, you're bound to find inspiration all around.

Ravensbourne courses cover Architecture, Business, Computing and Games, Design, Fashion and Film, TV and Media. You'll experience live industry briefs and learn from those who are already excelling in their chosen industries, giving you connections and career confidence from the very start. You'll also have the opportunity to work alongside other specialisms as you will when you enter the workplace.

With spaces available through Clearing, you can join a unique community of makers and innovators this September.

* (QS Best Student Cities 2026)