Fashion & Textiles
Higher National Diploma
QCF Level 5

Passionate about the world of fashion?

Want to develop your creative skills with industry experts?

Small class sizes
18 contact hours a week
Excellent facilities

Study Fashion in the heart of London with Williams College.

General Information
Course Structure
Career Prospects
Entry Requirements
Student Showcase
Video

Students graduate from this course with not only an HND in Fashion & Textiles but as creative designers and confident makers, ready to join the fashion industry or go on to higher study.

Our lecturers are all fashion professionals, many work in the industry as well as teaching. This means that their understanding is completely up to date – the skills you learn are relevant to the fashion industry today. Our lecturers have worked with many of the UK's leading fashion designers including Betty Jackson, Nicole Farhi, Ally Capellino, Jasper Conran, Jimmy Choo and John Rocha. They have worked for well-known UK companies such as Selfridges, Marks and Spencer, Hobbs, River Island and Topshop.

The benefit of studying for an HND in Fashion & Textiles at Williams College is that small class sizes means you receive 18 hours of face-to-face contact hours with your lecturers each week. This individual attention is what distinguishes Williams College from the other major fashion colleges in London.

The course is divided into four semesters, building to the production of a Final Collection. Each semester consists of different units which introduce you to the skills of research, illustration, design and development. You will learn how to produce a collection of garments. You will examine the properties of different textiles, the techniques of pattern making and skills of garment manufacture. You will also look at the business of fashion and the role of the designer.

Trips to fashion and trade shows, art galleries and museums are an integral part of the course.

Key Information

Awarding Body	: Edexcel
Hours per week	: 18-22.5
Start	: Jan / Feb, April, May / June, Aug, Sept / Oct
Study Options	: Full-time
Duration	: 2 years
Location:	: Holborn Study Centre
Fees	: Click here
Email	: info@williamscollege.co.uk

The course is divided into 4 semesters, building to the production of your Final Collection. Each runs for 13 weeks. After completing semesters 1 and 2 students have a semesters break before continuing on to 3 and 4.

Semester 1

- Visual Communication in Art and Design
- Ideas Generation & Development in Art & Design
- Fashion and Textiles Material Understanding
- Cultural Understanding in Fashion
- Techniques and Processes in Fashion

At the end of this introductory semester you will be able to produce visual research- mood and colour boards and basic fashion illustrations. You will be taught about trend and idea development. We will look at the evolution of fashion from the first couture houses to present day influential designers. You will learn about fabrics and how to cut and use sewing machinery and you will make a simple pattern and garment.

Semester 2

- Contextual & Cultural Referencing in Art & Design
- Professional Practice in Art & Design
- Project Design Implementation & Evaluation
- Pattern Drafting in Fashion
+ practical Workshops

In this second semester we produce research from "field trips" to the famous art galleries and museums in London- looking at the history of costume and finding design inspiration. We delve deeper into the world of fashion looking at the business structure of production and how fashion is sold. You will be set a design project based upon this work and you will produce a professional range of clothing- and make one garment- using the skills gained in the "Pattern Drafting"

Semester 3

- Design Exploration in Fashion
- Production Techniques in Fashion
- Pattern Construction in Fashion
+ Workshops

The third semester further develops the skills that you have learnt, with more practical based projects in order to prepare you to design and make your final collection

Semester 4

- Research and Development for Fashion Design
- Fashion Collection Realisation
- Garment Manufacture
- Final Collection

The forth semester is entirely devoted to the production of your Final Collection. Students also contribute towards an Our Williams Fashion Blog to share their experiences. You can see the current Semester 4's blog at: http://ourwilliams.wordpress.com/

At the end of the semester there will be a static show of your design work and a video presentation of all student collections.

The business of fashion is not just about design and garment manufacture. There are many career options such as buying, product management, merchandising, PR and journalism.

This course will enable you to better understand the fashion industry and give you the skills to enter it at a junior level. An HND in Fashion & Textiles is respected and recognised throughout the industry.

It will also enable you to produce a Fashion Portfolio for interview if you wish to go on to Degree level studies.

First of all you need an interest in fashion. It's a creative and exciting world – but it's also hard work and you need to love the subject.

A qualification in a related subject such as art or technical design would be useful. Drawing skills and a creative nature will help – but the course will cover all the basic skills – you just need to be enthusiastic and prepared to practise.

Formal Requirements:

- Must be at least 18 years of age.

- 18 and over: either BTEC National Level 3 in a relevant area
Or A Level pass in a relevant subject with at least 3 passes at GCSE
Or Two A Level passes

- 21 and over: GCSE with at least 5 passes including English and Maths and minimum 2 years relevant work experience. However academic requirements can be offset by longer periods of relevant work experience.

*for prospective students with other qualifications including overseas, equivalence will be checked.

- Minimum English Language Proficiency B1 (IELTS or equivalent 4.0 in all parts of the exam)

HND Semester 1 February 2013