FA6008 - Fashion Collection: Concept Development

Learning and teaching strategies on Fashion encourage you to acquire a flexible and imaginative approach to creative problem solving: to think divergently and to develop your ability to articulate Fashion concepts and ideas through research-rich enquiry-based learning. Students become active participants through project-based coursework, integrating design practice, academic and intellectual skills. The School of Design operates an extended studio approach (X-Studio) that embraces our physical studios and making workshops as well as our virtual spaces to create a flexible and rich environment that is responsive to our learners’ needs. This dedicated approach has been developed over many years of continuous teaching innovation, research and industry collaboration. It has created a supportive extended studio culture that encourages our students to learn flexibly, dynamically blending their learning and University experience between physical and digital interactions both in real-time and online at their own pace. We believe that this extended studio culture not only helps our students to become more confident autonomous learners but also prepares them for a dynamic design industry in which an extended studio philosophy is current practice. The studio and workshop environment and creative collaborative design community are integral to this process encouraging individual intellectual freedom, and collegial exchange. This approach emphasises creativity and experiential enquiry, enabling the generation of ideas, through active participation in observation, recording and making through design practice. Project-based learning engenders an enquiring, analytical and creative approach to the progressively interrelated nature of practical and intellectual skills. Analytical and adductive thinking, experimentation, trial and error, are characteristics of the creative process and are embedded and supported throughout programme design and delivery.

Hands on participation enables students to display evidence of creative thinking through the exploration and communication of a design concept/artefact that has a purposeful outcome. This type of experiential activity engages the learner in self0initiated research, encouraging independent judgement and critical self-awareness through practice.

There is focus on the acquisition of technical skills and the use of materials and processes in identifying and solving problems. Traditional, new and emerging technologies are used both in the delivery, observation and realisation of outcomes. The interactive Personal Development Plan (PDP) is a reflective learning tool managed by the student to align their learning process to their career path and demonstrate autonomy.

• The project is introduced at a briefing session, where it is fully explained and explored by both staff and students.
• A named lead Module Tutor manages the module including arranging potential collaboration with industry partners and organising any visiting professionals
• The lead Module Tutor and the academic teaching team direct the studio-based and extended studio practice through presentations and tutorials and are available to answer queries in relation to the module during timetabled studio sessions.
• Tutorials provide feedback on your project work and your progression on the module and offer direction on how to develop your work further, including guidance for student-led independent learning. Students are aligned to specialist tutors to support their learning style and concept.
• A mid-point formal formative feedback stage is included in the module, when you will receive academic feedback on your progress.
• In addition to academic support this module also has specialist Fashion technical support including practical demonstrations and exercises.
• Learning materials for this module are available on the university eLearning Portal, including the module documentation, announcements, presentations, reading list and timetable.
• Additional study skills materials and workshops, that are available through Skills Plus at http://nuweb2.northumbria.ac.uk/library/skillsplus/topics.html?l3-0.
• Academic Language Skills (ALS) support is available for international students.
• Students requiring additional support are advised to contact their Guidance Tutor for advice, who will be able to refer them to the relevant university services for specialist support regarding their personal circumstances.

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. The reading list for this module can be found at: http://readinglists.northumbria.ac.uk
(Reading List service online guide for academic staff this containing contact details for the Reading List team – http://library.northumbria.ac.uk/readinglists)

On successful completion of this module, you should be able to:

Knowledge & Understanding:
2. Demonstrate your ability to appropriately deploy techniques of enquiry, analysis and synthesis to a comprehensive fashion research project.

6. Analyse your findings from your research material and apply critical analysis to your design development for a variety of fashion genres.

Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:
1. Intellectually engage with a range of appropriate research materials, techniques and analytical tools to enable the undertaking of Fashion garment development.

8. Demonstrate expertise and judgement in the use of specialist skills and technologies in the production of Fashion specific outcomes.

11. Effectively present creative and complex design solutions to professional standards as evidenced through the fashion portfolio.

13. Form independent judgement and/or articulate reasoned arguments through your research and design development in both 2D and 3D forms.

Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):

7. Demonstrate highly effective and professional organisational skills as evidenced through a coherent body of developmental project work.

Assessment will be conducted through;

Formative feedback received from tutors and peers will occur regularly during studio, workshop and seminar engagement. There will be several of these formative assessment points with feedback during the module to support production of portfolio elements.

Formal formative feedback

Formal formative feedback
Tutorials will be scheduled at key points of the learning programme, to provide feedback and informally record academic progress.

Formal formative tutorials (reviews) will provide verbal feedback and a letter grade to indicate the level at which you are currently achieving This provides you with the opportunity to apply the feedback to your existing work and improve your competencies before your final summative assessment. Module tutors will informally record this academic progress. This will take place in weeks 7 and week 12 of semester 1.

Student self-assessment
Students are encouraged to be reflective learners through scheduled self-assessment opportunities.

Verbal feedback will be provided from peers
and academic staff.

Summative assessment
At the end of the module, Module tutors will assess your overall performance holistically with a
single grade by reviewing the learners research, the level of their design thinking and design conclusions. MLO’s will be used to assess the work. Verbal feedback will be provided on the work submitted for assessment:

Fashion research journal that displays clear investigative design enquiry and design development and is capable of directing an imaginative and creative garment-based/knit or print sample-based ‘Fashion Collection’ of either: men’s/women’s, unisex or children’s wear, that includes a body of sampling showing an investigation and testing of ideas

Portfolio sheets that evidence a personal design philosophy, personal project brief, and extensive body of comparative/inspirational garment research relevant to your investigation, specialism and market level.

Process book that demonstrates knowledge and understanding of a specialist fashion discipline(s) or technology(ies).

Sourcing folder/file that shows colour, fabric, yarn and hard-wear sources

Resolved toiles and/or organised sampling in appropriate fabrics.

KU02, KU06, IPSA01, IPSA08, IPSA11, IPSA13 and PVA07

Other
Additional forms of assessment practice may take place within projects in the form of peer assessment/ self-assessment, which may contribute to the overall module outcome.

N/A

N/A

'Final Fashion Collection: Concept Development’ will enable you to effectively conduct and present fashion research for your own Fashion collection. Through fashion design, development, sourcing and sampling, you will challenge existing Fashion concepts whilst developing your technical skills in line with Fashion professional practice. The module contributes to the course-wide objective of developing your creative design ability, autonomy and employability as a Fashion designer.

‘Fashion Collection: Concept Development’ is conducted in a studio-based design community and atelier-style workshops with access to technology and machinery that emulates the experience of working in the Fashion industry. It is designed to enable you to hone and develop your chosen area of fashion specialism encompassing complementary Fashion disciplines, such as pattern cutting, printing or knitting within your collection.

During this module you will be encouraged to critically evaluate and justify your design thinking in order to develop you as a Fashion innovator.