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BFA, Textiles/Fashion

The Bachelor of Fine Arts, Major in Textiles/Fashion program offers students a balanced education of the conceptual concerns and the technical and design skills required to make their mark in the industry.

In this program, students develop skills and knowledge related to imaginative design and technical proficiency and explore the issues and meaning of fashion and body covering. The program provides intensive study of the conceptualization, production and embellishment of cloth and other materials. The resulting knowledge and skill base will enable students to develop individual garments, wearable art, haute couture and costuming for film, theatre and dance.

Division: Craft/Foundation
Degree: Bachelor of Fine Arts
Program: Major in Textiles/Fashion

Program Length: 4 years (see Degree Requirements)

Campus: Fountain Campus

Admission Deadline: March 1 for September; October 1 for January

Textiles encompasses art, science and technology. It integrates conceptual concerns as students study the techniques and design skills involved in the traditions of weaving, dyeing and printing. In this program, you will examine the relationship between materials, methods and the maker, as well as the critical role that textiles have played in world cultures. With a focus on sustainable and organic materials and techniques, the program maintains handcraft values and incorporates digital methodologies.

NSCAD Textiles/Fashion graduates are successful studio artists, clothing designers, business owners, interior designers, community educators, critics, curators, professors at colleges/universities and arts administrators in galleries and museums.

What Our Textiles/Fashion Students Can Expect

– Facilities including a fully equipped dye studio, a surface design studio, a fashion studio with cutting tables, industrial sewing machines, gravity-free irons and much more.

– A faculty of accomplished artists, scholars, educators and leaders in their craft.

– Experience in a wide range of projects—from runway-ready collections to traditional weaving.

Featured Courses

Fundamentals of
Textiles

Fundamentals of Textiles: This foundation-level course will introduce students to the broad scope of textiles as a medium. Students will explore materials and the various ways of manipulating them to create experimental structures and surfaces. Through collecting, documenting and a hands-on approach to making, students will think through the fundamental components of textiles.

Repeating Patterns

Repeating Patterns: Repeating pattern systems have been used in every period in art, craft and design. Design sources from nature, contemporary culture as well as historical practices are explored. Colour, pattern development and presentation strategies are utilized while designing original repeat patterns.

Intermediate Fashion
Studies

Intermediate Fashion Studies: In this course, students integrate concepts and skills acquired in introductory-level fashion courses. Students propose a design thesis for a line of original garments, supported by research, renderings, mood boards, fabric and colour swatches. The use of original textiles is encouraged, as well as a continued exploration of non-traditional and conceptual design directions. In addition to the ‘sampling’ research of the line, a portfolio of the term work is required.

Prototyping for Fashion

In this course, students will explore and create a range of prototypes for fashion that build towards a collection through fabric, construction, market analysis and presentation techniques. The approach will be a blend of research and making. A mixture of intensive design charrettes, group and independent learning will be employed in this course.

Student Experience

Please visit the Academic Calendar for a description of all courses available during your undergraduate studies.

Student Work