FA4015 - Fashion Practice

This module introduces you to key professional skills and techniques for the fashion industry and builds intellectual and practical competencies in preparation for Industrial Placement, Study Abroad or Creative Studio options at Level 5. You will learn through practical workshops and demonstrations alongside guided independent learning.



You will be required to complete health and safety inductions in the relevant specialist workshops to progress in this module successfully. You will learn in practical studio environments and specialist industry-standard workshops. This practice-based module requires engaging in technical skills development and creative project work.



Small group and individual tutorials will encourage active participation and dialogue around your work and provide an opportunity to discuss and clarify learning and assessment.



You will use your process journal to record and demonstrate your practical and creative skills and as a vehicle to build and reflect on your personal and educational development. You will self-assess your work through reflective annotation to acknowledge current learning and identify achievements and opportunities for future development.

Your module tutors will be your main source of support for your academic development. Through a mix of lectures, seminar discussions, practical workshops, and tutorials, they will provide you with the support you need to pass and succeed in each module.



At the outset of your module, you will receive a module briefing that will explain all learning outcomes and requirements. Crucially, it will also include a detailed timetable explaining the planned delivery of the module, workshops, and opportunities for support, including tutorials. You will meet your module tutors on a weekly basis.



During your modules, you will be expected to present work for feedback through group discussion with your peers, tutors, external collaborators, or stakeholders. You will also receive more individualised tutorial feedback prior to your submission to help improve your work.

In addition to your module tutors, you will be supported by various others and university services:



The Faculty provides a wide range of technical expertise to support your study. Technicians aligned with your modules will be able to provide technical instruction and demonstration of equipment and software required to complete your project work.

Library staff will provide induction sessions to introduce you to essential study skills, IT skills and information retrieval skills.

On live projects with external collaborators (or stakeholders), you may receive specific project feedback and professional career advice.

Visiting lecturers and professionals will give you greater contextual awareness and inspire you.

Academic Language Skills modules are available to help students at the Northumbria Campuses whose first language is not English or who have no experience studying in English in the UK.

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)

Knowledge & Understanding:

1. Demonstrate knowledge through the safe operation of machinery, hand tools, production processes or software applications.



2. Evidence elementary knowledge of materials, processes, and standards through demonstrating pattern cutting and construction skills in the realisation of 3D samples/toiles.



Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:



3. Record and annotate design research and development through sketchbooks or other prescribed documentation formats.



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



4. Actively engage in technical inductions, practical workshops, tutorials, and self-directed study.

Formative Assessment

You will have the opportunity of continuous formative assessment through verbal feedback in studio sessions, self-assessment, and peer reviews.

Formative assessment will indicate the level at which you are currently achieving the relevant MLOs and offer an opportunity to discuss progress and ensure the right support is in place to achieve your goals. Formative assessment allows you to apply the feedback to your existing work and improve your competencies before your final summative assessment.

Summative Assessment

During the assessment period in weeks 9 and 10 of this module, you will present and submit work for summative assessment. This module has two components. 



Component 1: 50% Pass/Fail

Technical Inductions

MLOs 1,2,4

Assessment of this component will be evidenced by active engagement and completion of induction activities and practical outputs.



Component 2: 50% Pass/Fail

Process Journal

MLOs 3, 4

Assessment of this component will be evidenced by a creative process journal recording all research and skills development. This journal should include reflective annotation and self-assessment.

N/A

N/A

Fashion Practice introduces you to the professional standards of contemporary fashion design and making. It is the start of your practical skills journey. Creative design research workshops and activities will contextualise the development of your technical skills. Our technical specialists will guide you through pattern cutting and sewing inductions and the fundamental methodologies and processes of pattern cutting and garment construction. You will be inducted onto all the machinery, learning sewing techniques to create a basic garment and sampling. Creative studio workshops will complement the development of your technical making skills, observational drawing skills, and confidence through peer reviews and presentations to inspire and contextualise your learning. You will creatively record all skills development in a process journal. This module is a foundation that will prepare you for a creative make project later in the academic year and beyond.