BA (Hons) Textile Practices — Overview
Designing & Making
Cutting across a range of textile disciplines, this programme gives you a great introduction to a wide range of technologies and techniques for designing and making textiles for fashion, interiors and installation.
You’ll be encouraged to experiment and generate your own ideas, exploring design to reveal your approach to tactile, structural, three-dimensional making.
What sets this programme apart from other textile programmes is its multidisciplinary perspective on materials and textile application.
Throughout the college, we value the fusion of traditional making with digital and new technologies – from laser cutting and 3D printing, through to print and dye applications, knitted textiles, tufted surfaces, embroidery and innovative fabric manipulation.
You will access the latest digital design and making technology, exploring textile works and the potential of the designer-maker.
We focus on the development of material ideas and their application to many different kinds of products and outcomes, refining your craft, making and textile manipulation skills.
Self-directed projects will encourage you to explore your vision and ideas, and the application of contemporary multimedia textiles – echoing our ethos of Live Make, while set projects will introduce you to live briefs and experiencing real designer-maker scenarios.
Through access to diverse technologies and our encouragement of sophisticated, playful and innovative ideas, you’ll gain the tools and knowledge needed to design and make for high-end, bespoke, and limited edition textiles.
What will I achieve?
You’ll gain experience of textiles, especially in the context of fashion and interiors – working across the college with product designers, photographers and fine artists in a truly multidisciplinary environment.
This programme has a national and international interest, encouraging students to visit current art spaces such as London Design Fair, Tate Modern, The Design Museum and Dutch Design Week – we’ll encourage you to visit fashion fabric shows in New York and interiors shows such as Maison & Objet in Paris.
Through exhibiting at London Design Fair, our textile graduates have secured job offers from established companies such as Heals, London and Desso, London and Luxembourg.
You’ll be introduced to the great potential of contemporary textiles, their applications, and places to sell your ideas and develop a career. You’ll be encouraged to take up work experience opportunities and internships suited to your area of interest, and to build networks of suppliers, agents, and specialist maker events.
The UK’s fashion and textiles industries contribute an estimated £37 billion per year.
Thinking & making
Study with us and you’ll expand your critical approach alongside developing skills in research and analysis. Our academically robust and intellectually stimulating degree programmes are delivered by our team of academics, technical demonstrators and invited experts who together deliver excellence in learning, teaching and assessment. Our programmes encourage diversity in thinking and making - from practical applications through to reflective, analytical writing.
We provide a dynamic, stimulating learning environment from which to test new models of practice, while investing in the rich relationship between practice and theory - based on the potential in material and visual exploration, collaborative working, cross-fertilisation of ideas, and the exploration of histories and contemporary contexts.
Opportunities for studying abroad are available at our partner institutions, click here for more.
BA (Hons) Textile Practices — Highlights:
- Evolve your visual language through expressive use of media, drawing and digital design.
- Gain an understanding of a wide range of techniques, technologies and media, and how they relate to textiles and products.
- Develop an understanding of consumer and art trends that will impact on your chosen practice.
- Explore, experiment and innovate.
- Choose to specialise, or to apply broad multimedia approaches.
- Benefit from our great links to business and enterprise.
- Work with design professionals who will nurture and develop you as a contemporary designer.
Have a question for our team? Email: TEXTILEPRACTICES@pca.ac.uk
FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM: @pca_textilepractices