Textile Design

UCAS code: WYC2

Here's what Arts University Plymouth says about its Textile Design course.

Our BA (Hons) Textile Design course is an exciting, industry-focused and experimental environment where you will develop essential skills needed to design for different markets and audiences. Our course covers all aspects of the textile design sector, including trend forecasting, product development, branding, and marketing.

Why Choose this Course? As a student on this course, you’ll collaborate with experienced tutors to nurture your unique design personality through project-based units. These units delve into an exciting mix of surface experimentations and constructed processes. Our curriculum emphasises hands-on learning, encouraging students to engage with creative industry live briefs and project opportunities.

Our course structure revolves around experimentation, innovation, and the exploration of sustainability in textile strategies. Through a blend of production methods, textile printing, dyeing processes, and business modelling, students delve into new avenues of creativity and longevity in the textile industry. Our curriculum addresses global challenges and sustainability from various perspectives, fostering a holistic understanding of this critical aspect.

Throughout your journey, you’ll be urged to push boundaries and broaden your understanding of fabrics, techniques, and processes. Drawing, design research, CAD skills, technical knowledge, and professional practice are seamlessly integrated into the curriculum, empowering you to excel in your craft. We actively encourage participation in national and international design competitions, providing opportunities for showcasing your talents on a global stage.

Throughout the course, you’ll have the freedom to explore new materials, techniques, and technologies, ranging from traditional print processes and knit and dyeing methods to contemporary digital printing and creative surface pattern design. Access to our natural dye garden and a wide range of industry-standard resources complements your learning experience, while acquiring current digital design skills enables you to bring your creative visions to life.

Our textiles studios boast an array of our facilities, including a screen printing space, a dye laboratory, a sublimation printer, and a transfer press. Additionally, we offer access to knitting machines, digital embroidery, tufting guns, and a suite of digital printers and scanners, enabling immediate turnaround for your fabric designs. Benefit from our industry-standard textile print room and a dedicated knit, dye, stitch, and tufting studio, providing you with the ideal environment to unleash your creativity. To support your creative journey, we provide access to leading software such as AVA, WGSN, and The Future Laboratory.

The programme is supported by a brilliant team of technical staff and visiting lecturers, which in recent years has included prestigious designers such as Timorous Beasties, Zandra Rhodes, Joules, Finisterre, Katie Jones, Dr. Manrutt Wongkaew, Dulux, Anna Gravelle, Bay and Brown textile design agents, and Mirjam Rouden textile design studio. You’ll have the opportunity to engage with potential employers through captivating live industry projects with top companies such as Mercedes, Sainsburys Home, Joules clothing, Finisterre, Princess Yachts, Make Southwest, and The Eden Project. Previous study trips have included visits to events like Heimtextil in Frankfurt, Premiere Vision, and Maison&Objet in Paris, further enrich your learning journey.

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. We also enjoy close links with key industry figures, including Wrag Wrap, Zandra Rhodes, Brume, Clarks, and more.

Our graduates emerge as dynamic textile designers, ready to make their mark in fashion, interiors, product design, and the arts, as well as in roles like textile buying, styling, and merchandising.

You’ll learn a lot about the use of textiles, especially in the context of fashion and interiors, and have the opportunity to exhibit and sell at events such as Tent, London, and Première Vision, Paris. You’ll also gain an international perspective, through study trips abroad – we’ll encourage you to visit fashion fabric shows in New York, Maison & Objet in Paris and interiors shows in Germany. You’ll be introduced to the great potential of contemporary textiles, their applications, and places to sell your ideas and develop a career.