The Fashion programme at BNU is instituted for the education of a new generation of highly skilled and innovative fashion designers and entrepreneurs. Realizing the cultural power of fashion designers, this programme not only responds to the demands of local and international fashion clientele, but also plays a role in setting trends. The curriculum ensures that the designer’s cultural power is utilized with a sense of civic responsibility.
Rooted in the indigenous cultural connotations of art and design, informed by worldwide fashion trends and nurtured by active research, fashion design education
is now expected to respond to the fashion needs of the citizens of the world. This programme aims at providing a strong professional education in the diverse cultural and technical aspects of the fashion industry. Focusing on new trends, fashion forecasting and investigating social changes, the programme incorporates research
on garments and styling to bring forth a democratic fashion design revolution.
Depending on traditional sources and sectors of materials, applied textiles, style and pattern-making, planning of collections and accessories, the Fashion & Fibre
Studies programme responds to a non-traditional wider visual culture and the demands of domestic and international clientele. Future directions for the programme are
expected to extend its training to other areas of the emerging fashion sectors e.g. shoes, handbags, accessories and interiors.
Program Overview
Areas/Specialization: Print | Weave | Fibre Arts | Fashion Studies
Duration: 4 Years | 8 Semesters
Credits: 132
Concerned Department: Department of Textile, Fashion and Accessory Design
Career Paths: Fashion Designer, Fashion Visual Merchandiser, Digital Apparel Designer, Accessory Designer, Colour & Trend Forecast,
Fashion Choreography, Fashion Illustration, Fashion Journalist, Knitwear Designer, Fabrication Developer, Stylist. etc.
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Admission Requirement & Eligibility Criteria
You are eligible to apply for admission if you have successfully completed your FA/FSc. with 45% marks or have an A level pass in three subjects (IBCC equivalence certificate is required), or an equivalent national or international qualification. All applicants can find guidelines for admission process, online application form and dates for Entrance Test and interviews on the BNU webpage: www.bnu.edu.pk
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Application Process
Choose a degree programme
After confirming your eligibility, you must choose a department from within SVAD. Regardless of your choice of department, all successful applicants are admitted to the Foundation Studies programme. The Foundation Studies programme provides each student the opportunity to investigate the possibilities offered by all degree programmes at SVAD. You must indicate the programme of your preference on the application form, which will be your major for the duration of your degree. In special cases, you may be able to apply for another programme at the end of the Foundation Year. The faculty, who are not obligated to entertain a change of department application, on rare occasions may approve requests at their discretion.
Application Form
You can find the online application form at BNU's online portal: https://admission.bnu.edu.pk/
You must complete the application form online, following all the instructions. Once you submit it, you will receive a confirmation. You must then submit all required documents (mentioned in the application form) to the Admissions Office on campus. When the Office
receives your documents, they will hand over instructions for the Entrance Test to you.
Entrance Test
You are required to take an Entrance Test on campus in order to be considered for admission. The exact timings and instructions for the test will be displayed on the website as well as on the hand-out issued to you by the Registrar’s Office.
Interview
After the Test, you will be interviewed by a panel of SVAD faculty members at the BNU Tarogil Campus. We look for motivated, observant, curious individuals, with visual intelligence and an interest in reading. The Entrance Test and interview act as a catalyst for us to assess your strengths and aptitude. We will evaluate your potential for development in the programmes that SVAD offers, as well as your research into your desired area of study. The interview is also your chance to ask us questions about SVAD. A portfolio is encouraged, and will help us recognize your passion and commitment, but it is not mandatory.
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Courses
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Semester I - Year 1 (Foundation Year)
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Semester II - Year 1 (Foundation Year)
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Semester III - Year 2
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Semester IV - Year 2
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Semester V - Year 3
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Semester VI - Year 3
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Semester VII - Year 4
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Semester VIII - Year 4
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Fashion Mandatory Courses
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History of Ideas | Semester 3
Course Code: IDE-201 | Contact Time: 3 Hours Per Week | Credits: 3 | Theory
This course is an introduction to progression of change in human thought and modes of being. It focuses on developments beginning in the late 1700s till present, although the content often cuts across linearity. The course foregrounds intellectual development mentioned above but in conversation with social, political, economic and technological shifts which influence the creation of new world orders. It is proposed that such intellectual threads may be grasped from the territories of many disciplines thus providing a deep but flexible grounding of theory to practice.
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Integrated Studio | Semester 3
Course Code: IDE-202 | Contact Time: 6 Hours per week | Credits: 3 | Studio
From the shifting coordinates of art, design and other creative fields, what does it mean to be “practicing” today? What are some actions and indications of it? This course tackles these questions from an interdisciplinary context, borrowing from poetics, functionality, and research. Students begin to define the idea of practice for themselves through rigorous coursework in which they are asked to consider this question from varying lenses. As a result, they are expected to understand production as having relevance in more than one arena including aesthetic, cultural, social, utilitarian and political.
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Integrated Textile, Fashion & Accessory Design Studio | Semester 4
Course Code: TFA-230 | Contact Time: 6 Hours per week | Credits: 3 | Studio
In this course, students from Textile, Fashion and Accessory work on open-ended projects. Tasks are designed through identifying meaningful ideas which help students to respond to complex notions such as identity, communication and others. The multidisciplinary nature of this course actively engages students, allowing all textile, accessory and fashion students to interact with each other. This leads to a unique dialogue that encourages sharing of ideas and culminates in diverse design trends. Idea and concept development are the focus of this course to develop an individualized signature style.
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Current Discourse in Textile, Fashion & Accessory Design | Semester 7
Course Code: TFA-407 | Contact Time: 6 Hours per week | Credits: 3 | Studio
Current local as well as international trends and pioneers in fields of contemporary design will be introduced in this course in response to changing global trends with a focus on ‘green’ design solutions. The course aims to formulate critical design questions reflecting on work done by artists and designers with a view to consider possible research questions, theoretical frameworks and approaches. The course will help develop an ability to critique and evaluate contemporary design beyond textile, fashion or accessory.
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Professional Practices in Textile, Fashion & Accessory Design | Semester 8
Course Code: TFA-408 | Contact Time: 6 Hours per week | Credits: 3 | Studio
This course aims to equip students to enter the professional world beyond the shelters of academia while training them in academic report writing, CVs and resumes, cover letters, teamwork, leadership and networking. The course responds to the changing dynamics of the design world thus facilitating students to build original and effective communication strategies through insights of the industry. Students would be able to construct their professional identity through visual essays, websites, blogs, and portfolios in digital and hardbound formats shared through relevant art and design platforms.
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Fashion Major Studios
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Fashion Major Studio I | Semester 5
Course Code: TFA-303 | Contact Time: 12 Hours per week | Credits: 6 | Studio
This fashion course will immerse students in the world of fashion and will help them understand the design process and develop their ideas from extensive research. It introduces students to the methods of developing their skills in the use of fabrications, style boards and color palettes according to contemporary trends. Projects are designed so that students understand the fundamentals of fashion vocabulary and silhouette. The aim is to give students ideas and guidelines in a
step-by-step approach to develop a fashion collection.
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Fashion Major Studio II | Semester 6
Course Code: TFA-304 | Contact Time: 12 Hours per week | Credits: 6 | Studio
This course emphasizes on building the language, vocabulary and terminology of fashion in students. It focuses on visual recognition of fashion styles, looks and trend research journals. The course will enable students to develop collections using their prior knowledge of research, styling and apparel construction. Students discover how to build fashion collections that are well balanced, logical and innovative through advanced visual design processes in various projects.
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Fashion Major Studio III | Semester 7 (Summer internship included)
Course Code: TFA-403 | Contact Time: 18 Hours per week | Credits: 9 | Studio
This course encourages students to conceptualize research and materialize their ideas through a selected theme for their thesis project. Fashion knowledge and garment construction are applied to make a collection. Working with a set of themes students are guided through a series of exercises designed to spark imagination, encourage wide-ranging and thorough investigation, inspire ambition and presentation skills. Students develop a collection according to the criteria specified and corresponding to the norms of the industry and demands of the target market.
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Fashion Major Studio IV | Semester 8
Course Code: TFA-404 | Contact Time: 24 Hours per week | Credits: 12 | Studio
Students create a collection by integrating all they have learned in the major studio courses thus far. They harness their creative energy and cultural influences for their final collection. In this course, students explore areas of personal interest, and go on to research and develop an in-depth knowledge on the concept they finalize. This self-directed project requires rigorous discipline and innovative solutions, leading to a final fashion collection and exhibition.
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Fashion Studio Electives
The following applies to all advanced level courses: These advanced courses are independently constructed according to the individual need of students specializing in one of these chosen areas. Third level courses are designed in consultation with teaching faculty. Evaluation is through regular tutorials, critiques and presentations.
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Thinking through Draping
Course Code: TFA-206 | Contact Time: 6 Hours per week | Credits: 3 | Studio
In this course, couture is approached with a broader perspective exploring traditional techniques and new technologies. The objective of this course is to understand the dynamics between fabric and volume. Fashion design thrives on the friction between form and material when it is sculpted and manipulated in a three-dimensional form. In this intensive course students will have the opportunity to explore the art of draping and techniques of couture fashion. The course will focus on the rules and techniques of draping, from subcontinent bias cut to Madame Grès jupe ‘a godets.
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Couture Practicum
Course Code: TFA-207 | Contact Time: 6 Hours per week | Credits: 3 | Studio
This course is an introduction to the craft of haute couture. Students will learn garment construction and finishing techniques through couture specifics that demonstrate perfection and expertise in the creation of a garment. This course develops students’ skills to comprehend haute couture fashion in terms of context, exposes them to specialized finishes, trains them in hand sewing techniques, and helps them develop flat patterns from draping. The course also aims to give students exposure to the methodical process of stitching a couture garment so as to understand the behavior of materials through diversity of fabrics..
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Fashion Recollections
Course Code: TFA-215 | Contact Time: 6 Hours per week | Credits: 3 | Studio
The objective of this course is to develop critical tools to appreciate and contextualize fashion design from couture runway to street fashion through multiple dimensions using draping and pattern skills. The course will enable students to draw parallels from history in terms of silhouette, style, fabrication and cut lines over time, and discover how they have been recreated and revisited. Students will explore and investigate costume through significant developments in politics, economy and culture and evaluate how these events impacted and redefined fashion trends.
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Fashion Construction
Course Code: TFA-216 | Contact Time: 6 Hours per week | Credits: 3 | Studio
This course incorporates advanced level techniques of draping, pattern-making, couture stitching and pret finishes providing creative solutions for the construction of a garment. The course aims to give the expertise and skill to create garments using industrial equipment and make students understand the garment flow process comprising of cutting, stitching and finishing details. Students learn standard fabric cutting, hand stitching, seam and hem finishes of various fabrics,
bustier, pants and skirt construction, steaming, pressing and presentation skills of the fashion industry.
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Fashion Theory Electives
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Semiotics of Fashion
Course Code: TFA-223 | Contact Time: 3 Hours per week | Credits: 3 | Theory
This course provides a comprehensive study of costume history from prehistoric time, to the Industrial Revolution and finally leading up to the 21st century. Students will be made to closely investigate women’s fashion silhouettes and their fabric constructions, garment details, accessories and the cultural context of each costume. The course will strengthen the ability of students to investigate garments from historical to contemporary perspectives and learn how historical, economic, social and cultural connotations influence fashion trends and lifestyle.
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History of Costume
Course Code: TFA-228 | Contact Time: 3 Hours per week | Credits: 3 | Theory
This course explores the visual history of costume and fashion starting from Greek civilization to the Industrial Revolution leading up to the 21st Century discovering the key moments in fashion history. Students will be made to explore silhouettes, textile fabrics, costume details, embellishments and body ornamentation in context to geographical, cultural and spiritual aspects. The course will provide a detailed study of fashion trends over history and how fashion designers
have translated the language of style embedded in fashion history.
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Fashion Integrated Studio Electives
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Fibre Revisited
Course Code: TFA-210 | Contact Time: 6 Hours per week | Credits: 3 | Studio
Textile art, one of the oldest forms, at its inception was more focused on utilitarian purposes. Fibre has, over centuries, refined its usage, context and language. This course will explore the journey fibre has undertaken to become a material that becomes a narrative for stories. It will consider the fibre artist as a thinker designer who sensitive to the environment and the is context they inhabit. This course will delve into the conceptual journey that a fibre artist takes by revisiting the very notion of fibre as a material.
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Fashion Illustration
Course Code: TFA-211 | Contact Time: 6 Hours per week | Credits: 3 | Studio
In this course students develop an advanced application of fundamental skills in fashion drawing. It teaches fashion hand drawn techniques mainly from live fashion models. It will focus on body proportions, body details, and body proportions and then move on to concentrating on the stylised fashion figure, allowing students to synthesise and create their own ideas. It provides a platform to learn various skill sets, ranging from illustration to fashion drawing and encourages students to experiment and develop creative responses.
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Digital Textiles
Course Code: TFA-212 | Contact Time: 6 Hours per week | Credits: 3 | Studio
This course uses contemporary digital technologies to realise textile, fashion and accessory ideas into marketable accomplishments. The course will serve as a maker-space to visualise and apply digital solutions to create high-performance pieces. It introduces new approaches to create responsive and adaptive digital assemblies. Students will be encouraged to collaborate and make links with the appropriate audiences and industries.
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Style Assemblage
Course Code: TFA-219 | Contact Time: 6 Hours per week | Credits: 3 | Studio
In this course, students will learn the mechanics of style and fashion and its application in the industry. The course aims to form fashion stylists who can conceptualize creatively in terms of fashion trends and functional approaches in the fashion industry by analysing prior trends and predicting new ones. The main focus of the course is to develop students ability to identify, collect, assemble, communicate and present fashion and style trends as a forecaster and stylist within the dominion of the fashion industry.
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Accessory Illustration
Course Code: TFA-220 | Contact Time: 6 Hours per week | Credits: 3 | Studio
This course explores the fundamentals of Accessory and Object drafting with emphasis on anatomy, proportion and perspective. Students will explore advanced rendering techniques and technical drawings using a variety of mediums enabling them to translate their design ideas as detailed illustrations that effectively communicate elements like material, texture and scale. The course provides an essential guide to product development and fabrication.
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Digital Dimensions: 3D Applications in Design
Course Code: TFA-221 | Contact Time: 6 Hours per week | Credits: 3 | Studio
3D Digital Design is advanced learning for 3D Prototyping, CNC/RP processing and Animation. Maya
software will provide an integrated, powerful tool-set that allows creating simulated 3D environments and animations, motion graphics, and character formation. Additional mash nodes give an advanced tool set of nodes (curve, signal, world, placer, 3D Type, vector graphics and motion graphics). The course is engaged with the aesthetics of tech-savvy contemporary age. Emphasis is placed on the production of the first sample prototype through the application of advanced technological skill acquired through this course.
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Fashion Integrated Theory Electives
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Social Fabric
Course Code: TFA-225 | Contact Time: 3 Hours per week | Credits: 3 | Theory
This course aims to enlighten students on the changing dynamics of the world in regard to social justice movements and the impact of these developments on global shifts of values. The idea is to develop an understanding of equitable practices and an awareness of structural inequalities that are worsened by unconscious prejudices and bias. The course, thus, facilitates students in maintaining a balanced and empathetic perspective. In a rapidly changing world, it is important to take note of how we perceive societal norms and periodically reassess whether these could be fairer.
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Marketing Strategies & Leadership; Entrepreneurship and Branding
Course Code: TFA-226 | Contact Time: 3 Hours per week | Credits: 3 | Theory
In this course, students are exposed to strategy, branding and entrepreneurship amongst other concepts of marketing improving their ability to make effective decisions, including assessing opportunities and developing strategies and implementation plans. This course helps students understand the value of a brand, and how to build, manage, and protect it. It also explores how digital and social media have created new opportunities and risks for brands. Through essentials of entrepreneurship they are exposed to the dynamics of an entrepreneur’s route; from the birth of ‘the idea,’ to generating funds and getting a grip in the market.
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Degree Requirement
Foundation: 36 credits | 12 courses
6 Mandatory Courses: 3 Studio + 2 Theory + 1 Studio-Theory Hybrid + 1 Zero Credit course through advisement.
6 Elective Courses: 4 Studio + 2 Theory
Post-Foundation: 96 credits | 26 Courses
11 Mandatory Courses (51 credits): 6 Major Studio + 5 mandatory Theory Courses
15 Elective Courses (45 credits): 10 Studio Electives (min. 4 major specific) + 5 Theory Courses Electives (min. 2 major specific))
TOTAL: 132 | 38 Courses + Degree Show, along with an Extended Essay