BA (Hons) Textile Design

Overview

Our academic team are all practising professionals in the field of design and you’ll benefit from their long-established network of visiting artists and designers. Throughout your studies, you’ll be introduced to potential employers through live briefs and sponsored projects, where you will meet leading industry names and pitch designs for commercial production.

The university’s range of undergraduate courses are designed in close consultation with an Industry Liaison Group – including luxury interior furnishings group <a href="https://www.harlequin.uk.com/our-brands/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Harlequin</a>, recognised for their outstanding design, manufacturing, marketing and distribution of wall coverings, furnishing fabrics and whose sub-brands include Zoffany, Sanderson, Morris & Co., Harlequin and Scion. Real-world experiences through guest lecturers, design competitions and work placements also play a vital role in keeping you connected to cutting-edge trends and techniques and you will make invaluable contacts – preparing you for success beyond graduation. In recent times, students specialising in printed textiles and surface pattern at the university have worked with Mercedes-Benz smart cars to design and launch new body panel decals, with the winning design team’s work officially manufactured. We also enjoy close links with <a href="http://www.wragwrap.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Wrag Wrap</a>, <a href="http://www.zandrarhodes.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Zandra Rhodes</a>, <a href="http://www.brume.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Brume</a>, <a href="http://www.clarks.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Clarks</a>, and more. Between Year 1 and 2 of your studies, you’ll gain the opportunity to take a work placement with a well-known brand or design studio, and later in your second year you’ll visit some of the most important design events in Europe, such as Heimtextil in Frankfurt, Première Vision and Maison & Objet in Paris. We encourage students to combine international trips with a study tour event as well as the possibility of exhibiting your work at a major international design shows, such as the prestigious London Design Fair. Our strong international connections also allow our students to undertake a semester of study with one of our partner institutions within Europe and North America, and in turn, we welcome overseas students from those institutions to join us in our design studios, creating an exciting cultural exchange. Recent alumni:<ul><li>Faye Bentley Studio Assistant, Anna Gravelle Textile Studio</li><li>Mirella Dry, Head Print Technicia at Juice Studios</li><li>Emma Corner, Business Owner at Elk Print & Pattern Studio, Founder of Martha & Bee</li><li>Lily Cumming Visual Merchandiser IKEA</li><li>Hannah Seward Junior Designer, Fermoie Interior Textiles</li><li>Hannah Peacock Buyer, Next </li><li>Emma Corner Designer, Mary Jones Design Studio</li><li>Ayesha King Designer, Etch Studios, London</li><li>Sophie Minshall Stylist, Princess Yachts</li><li>Lucy Ellis Designer, Bonny Print studio.</li><li>Libby Dawson Woodbrook Bespoke</li></ul> Graduates can become:<ul><li>textile designers</li><li>design stylists</li><li>design researchers</li><li>trend forecasters</li><li>surface pattern designers</li><li>textile buyers </li></ul>

Our Graduates

Becky May

Rebecca graduated from Arts University Plymouth in 2017, winning the college’s Board of Governors Award for her work ethic and professional attitude during her time at the university. She now works as a Senior Product Developer at UK home, games, gifts and party accessories company, Talking Tables. Talking Tables have featured in Love Island, Good Housekeeping, Time Out London and The Sunday Times, with offices in London, New York and Shanghai.

Belinda Bayley

Belinda studied BA (Hons) Textile Design at Arts University Plymouth, graduating in 2020. She is a freelance print designer and illustrator, who uses a variety of drawing styles, often drawing flora and fauna. Since graduating, Belinda has been an Artist in Residence at Lick Home, where her designs were chosen to expand their wallpaper range. Belinda currently sells print products on her Etsy online shop.

Katherine Toms

Katherine Toms is a Cornish based print designer and illustrator who primarily focuses on colour, experimentation and the environment. A wide range of digital and traditional mediums form her work as she explores various techniques from collaging to detailed pencil drawings.Katherine graduated from BA (Hons) Printed Textile & Surface Pattern in 2020, and during her studies interned with Zandra Rhodes and Frugi. Katherine now works as a freelance designer and illustrator while also working as a design administration assistant for the print team at fashion retailer Seasalt.

Lily Cumming

Lily Cumming graduated from Arts University Plymouth with a First Class Honours degree in BA (Hons) Printed Textile and Surface Pattern. Within six months of graduating the course, Lily began working at IKEA Exeter as an interior designer, part of a larger team including interior designers, visual merchandisers, graphic designers and a carpenter. Lily’s role involves working closely with sales, logistics and marketing teams to create all the showrooms and vignettes, refreshing sets and adapting to seasonal and product changes throughout the year.

Emma Corner

Emma Corner is a print designer based in Cornwall. She graduated from Arts University Plymouth as a mature student in 2019 with a First Class Honours degree. Prior to this, Emma spent twenty years running her own business and retail shop as an Interior Designer in the East Midlands. In 2020, Emma founded Martha & Bee, selling homeware, gifts and tabletop products.As well as a passion for interiors, paints and fabrics, Emma also uses drawing and painting, as well as print techniques to create her playful designs. Emma also works a freelance designer, designing bedding and wallpaper patterns for a UK print design studio who collaborate with many companies and manufacturers worldwide.

Faye Bentley

Faye Bentley is a textile designer-maker based in the South West, taking inspiration from the natural world and specialising in the technique of tufting. Passionate about all things colour and texture, she creates one-of-a-kind pieces that range from soft furnishings, such as her tufted scrap cushions, to tactile artwork and wall hangings. Faye graduated from BA (Hons) Textile Practices with a First Class Honours in 2022. Featured by Creative Boom in their Class of 2022 guide to the UK’s graduate shows, Faye is committed to creating by hand and having a zero-waste policy by finding innovative ways to make use of all textile by-products. Faye also saw her design ‘Have a Holly Jolly Christmas’ selected by the Tate in their annual Christmas card competition.

Mirella Dry

Mirella Dry is a print designer from Yorkshire, who creates versatile print designs for fashion, interior and stationery markets. She uses a variety of techniques, including screen printing and digital software, to produce vibrant and playful designs based around flora and fauna and the natural world. Mirella’s final graduate collection at Arts University Plymouth, ‘Succulent Terraria’, explored succulents as the natural world's unique curiosities, taking inspiration from their unusual forms and fascinating adaptations. The prints are a selection of hand screen-printed designs and digitally printed fabrics intended for the fashion market. Inspired by the growing trend in houseplants and funky print trends, ‘Succulent Terraria’ feeds off the need to bring nature in and surround ourselves with stress-relieving plants.