The primary objective of the programme is to understand the language of textiles, by expanding the parameters of its traditional identity beyond cloth, craft and fashion. The programme emphasizes the broad-based conceptual and technical aspects of textiles in the neo-contemporary era. It actively engages students from Textile, Fashion and Accessory Majors, allowing them to share electives from other departments and schools at BNU and interact in major studios to create a unique dialogue, culminating in diverse design trends. This mélange encourages an exchange of ideas, providing the students with an edge over the understanding of various materials, techniques and processes.
Hence, the programme nurtures personal interests and provides career pathways for a wide array of specializations in textile-related areas. These include Interior Design, Home Accessories, Apparel Design, Styling, Craft Revival, Intervention and Documentation, Fibre Art, Design History, Design Education, Textile Marketing and Merchandising, Textile Technology, Industrial Design, Fashion Design, Textile Conservation, Accessory Design, etc.
The textile design faculty consists of reflective practitioners and researchers who continuously evolve classroom pedagogy by staying abreast of local and international trends in design education and Innovations. The department realizes the responsibility of community engagement, thereby facilitating collaborations in interdisciplinary sustainability projects that provide empowerment strategies and design solutions to underserved areas.
The programme culminates in a degree project whereby graduating students are expected to demonstrate proficiency in the creative, technical, and professional skills attained during the four-year Textile and Fibre Studies programme.
Program Overview
Area of Specialization: Textile and Fibre
Duration: 4 Years | 8 Semesters
Credits: 132
Concerned Department: Department of Textile, Fashion and Accessory Design
Career Paths: Textile Designer (Apparel & Home), Weaver, Fibre Artist, Academic Researcher, Conservator, Fabric Development, Costume Design, Product Design, Interior Design, Textile Marketing and Merchandising, Textile Design Management, Art Education, Home Accessories, Styling, Craft Revival, Intervention and Documentation, Fibre Art, Design History, Design Education, Textile Technology, Industrial Design, Fashion Design, Textile Conservation, Accessory Design, etc.
-
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 BNU's webpage: www.bnu.edu.pk
-
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.
-
Courses
-
Semester I - Year 1 (Foundation Year)
-
Semester II - Year 1 (Foundation Year)
-
Semester III - Year 2
-
Semester IV - Year 2
-
Semester V - Year 3
-
Semester VI - Year 3
-
Semester VII - Year 4
-
Semester VIII - Year 4
-
Textile & Fibre Studies Mandatory Courses
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Textile & Fibre Studies Major Studios
-
Textile & Fibre Major Studio | Semester 5
Course Code: TFA-301 | Contact Time: 12 Hours per week | Credits: 6 | Studio
In this course, thematic exercises are designed to make students visualise how ‘idea designs’ are developed into full-scale professional textile designs incorporating printing, weaving and other surface techniques. A series of designs are developed on paper, using computer-aided design software. This course provides an opportunity to understand and develop concepts by exploring various art and design methods. Students modify and construct methods through their own research within class projects, a process which aids their conceptual growth.
-
Textile & Fibre Major Studio II | Semester 6
Course Code: TFA-302 | Contact Time: 12 Hours per week | Credits: 6 | Studio
This course provides an opportunity to understand and develop concepts by exploring various art and design methods. Students modify and construct methods through their own research within introduced projects that enhance conceptual growth as well as the reflective process. Students are exposed to the term ‘fibre art’ and its practices around the globe. The course also addresses the industrial parameters of techniques for creating students’ design on textiles. The design work follows international and local trends and color forecasts. Mandatory internships in the textile industry are a highlight of this course.
-
Textile & Fibre Major Studio III | Semester 7 (Summer internship included)
Course Code: TFA-401 | Contact Time: 18 Hours per week | Credits: 9 | Studio
In this course students work on exploring and investigating areas of interest using qualitative methods to identify their research gap. The industrial placement (as part of the summer programme preceding this semester) helps them mature their design ideas into pragmatic solutions. This course will help develop students’ analytical thinking through observation, and augment their experience and the research conducted. It will allow them to streamline their entire creative process and ultimately equip them to select and discard ideas; the most important aspect of critical thinking.
-
Textile & Fibre Major Studio IV | Semester 8
Course Code: TFA-402 | Contact Time: 24 Hours per week | Credits: 12 | Studio
In this course, students work on an independent yet supervised Thesis Project. Building upon research conducted in the previous semester, students refine their final thesis question. The most important aspect is for students to be aware of the role they have to play in society as ‘Socially Conscious Thinker Designers’ and how through their design contributions they can contribute to society. Students are encouraged to work on themes that deal with sustainable trends and social issues to make contributions as designers. The idea is to empower the students to develop their design philosophy.
-
Textile & Fibre Studies 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.
-
Symbolism in Surfaces
Course Code: TFA-201 | Contact Time: 6 Hours per week | Credits: 3 | Studio
This thematically approached course is an introduction to surface and enhancement techniques along with building on prior foundations of design. The emphasis is on how distinct materiality can be used to develop innovative solutions. Students are introduced to knitting, exploration of embellishment on fabric along with other surface enhancement techniques. At this stage students go through a journey of setting up and understanding the table loom to create textures.
-
Language of Weave
Course Code: TFA-205 | Contact Time: 6 Hours per week | Credits: 3 | Studio
In this course students will analyse the language a textile woven fabric communicates creating a dialogue through its creation process on the loom and the context it takes birth in. This course will explore specialized weaving techniques like warp and weft ikkat along with double ikkat, sussi, and duree etc. Students will understand how interlacing of yarns narrate woven stories of indigenous craft, explore hidden contexts and discover the invisible aspects of the woven language.
-
Fibre Narratives
Course Code: TFA-213 | Contact Time: 6 Hours per week | Credits: 3 | Studio
In this course students will learn through thematic projects to develop a textural catalogue expressing and exploring fibre as a narrative. Students will learn surface development techniques such as upcycled sustainable textures, hand and machine embroidery, embellishment, tie & dye, silk painting, knotting, knitting, felting, and open screenprinting. By means of a series of projects derived from visual research, students will learn how to create novel surfaces in plain weave and
imagery through off-loom tapestry.
-
Craft Practices
Course Code: TFA-214 | Contact Time: 6 Hours per week | Credits: 3 | Studio
In this course, students will learn how craft traditions reflect the very essence of socio-cultural profiles of this region. By interacting with craftspeople through workshops, this course will facilitate in understanding the context of the craftspeople and play a role in developing sustainable linkages with the community. Students will understand the role they have to play in giving back to the community by providing design support and developing sustainable and ethical relationships with craft practices.
-
Textile & Fibre Studies Theory Electives
-
Material Technology
Course Code: TFA-222 | Contact Time: 3 Hours per week | Credits: 3 | Theory
This course focuses on how the future of textiles lies in the development of new materials, fibres and fabrics. Recent advances have been truly innovative where nature and science are being fused in a very positive way. Whether it’s the use of phosphorescent yarns that glow in the dark, LEDs woven into textiles changing patterns through sensors, or nanotechnology that makes it difficult for dirt to stick to fabrics, “materials technology” is making profound changes in textiles, fashion, accessories, architecture as well as the arts.
-
Textile Archives
Course Code: TFA-227 | Contact Time: 3 Hours per week | Credits: 3 | Theory
This course investigates a visual narrative of textiles through the lens of archives. The textile archive ranging from Watson’s Catalogue, textile gowns of Lucknow to the Mughal Shahmianah, becomes the lens to examine socio-cultural contexts of subcontinental heritage. The objective is to read the archival textiles as a primary construct of knowledge in order to understand and investigate the social, geographical, historical and contextual perspective in which these masterpieces existed.
-
Textile & Fibre Studies Integrated Studio Electives
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Textile & Fibre Studies Integrated Theory Electives
-
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.
-
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.
-
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