Fashion Knitwear Design and Knitted Textiles BA (Hons)

This module will introduce you to the fundamentals of design practice, including concept development, drawing techniques, colour theory, and material investigation. Additionally, you will use future thinking strategies to imagine new worlds and possibilities for design. The aim is to encourage further exploration of these fundamentals so you can personalise them in your work and lay the foundation for your growth as a responsible designer. This will help you see that the future is something you can shape, rather than something that just happens to you. Working in multidisciplinary teams with other students from across the Fashion, Textiles, and Knitwear (FTK) courses, you will build on this knowledge and test your essential employability skills. Regular reflection in seminars, tutorials, and workshops is also a key part of this module and will enable you to track your professional development.

This module will develop your understanding and appreciation of the core principles and processes essential to the creative study of fashion knitwear and knitted textile design. Working with design fundamentals including concept, drawing, materials, colour, and future thinking (initiated in a parallel module Design Fundamentals and Reflection) you will enhance your curiosity, develop research tools, and apply them to cultivate your design practice in innovative and experimental ways. Through a series of workshops, you will be introduced to a range of technical and experimental approaches to garment design and knitted textiles manufacture.

Through visual research, you will be encouraged to explore conventional and unconventional studio materials, develop a multi-media approach to inspire potential ideas for fabric, garments and product applications. Throughout the module there is an on-going emphasis on research and reflective practice, which will be enhanced through sustained critical evaluation of your own work and the work of others. You will be encouraged to expand your design perspective by thinking about the future of fashion and textile knit design.

This module introduces you to the global fashion knitwear and knitted textiles industry, with a focus on market awareness, trend research and professional communication. Working on an industry design brief, you will develop your practice through visual research, design development, and technical investigation, while exploring the relationship between commerce, culture and design. Collaborative projects with students from different disciplines will help you understand how to design for specific market levels and respond to external factors shaping the fashion and textiles industry.

You will build industry-standard skills, including CAD/CAM, and strengthen your 2D and 3D design abilities to create fashion knitwear or knitted textiles for fashion or product outcomes. Teamwork and employability are central, with opportunities to reflect on your strengths through a personal skills audit and prepare for future work placements. The module encourages both individual and group contributions to negotiated briefs, culminating in professional presentations that enhance your confidence in communicating creative concepts to industry and academic audiences.

This module builds on your previous learning in Fashion Knitwear Industry and Context, advancing your design, technical and research skills through the exploration of individual research topics and methodologies. You will be encouraged to write your own project brief, developing innovative and responsible design concepts informed by cultural contexts, consumer trends and global debates. The module combines visual research, design development, technical investigation and critical analysis to help you refine your personal design direction and strengthen your independent research skills in preparation for your final year.

The final stage focuses on transitioning towards your chosen degree pathway, whether that is final year study, placement or course transfer. You will complete a transitions project, using seminars, workshops and tutorials to develop a research proposal and action plan, while reflecting on your skills and professional position. Pathway projects will allow you to specialise further, either in fashion knitwear design with an emphasis on form, or knitted textiles with a focus on stitch, surface texture and performance. Through this, you will refine advanced technical skills, integrate sustainable and ethical considerations, and strengthen your ability to connect theory with practice.

Through active participation with team-based problem solving, you will work together in mixed teams on a project where you will use your creative ideas to generate solutions to the challenge or brief. Your project will allow you to explore how creativity can make an impact in society, as you choose a theme of sustainability, social justice, enterprise and innovation or community. This collaborative learning experience will expose you to a range of new processes and approaches that will develop your creative thinking.

This optional module offers the opportunity to personalise your learning and collaborate across disciplines while exploring slow making and craftsmanship in textile design. Through hands-on workshops, contextual research and storytelling, you'll examine ethical and material considerations in design. You'll finish by proposing a practice-based research project informed by your creative and critical exploration.

This optional module lets you personalise your course and work with students from across the School of Art & Design. You'll explore buying, merchandising, and product development in a global context, combining creative and analytical skills to build commercially aware fashion ranges, understand consumer behaviour, and respond to global trends through collaborative, industry-informed learning.

This optional module introduces you to trend forecasting and its influence on fashion communication and promotion. You'll develop research, analysis and storytelling skills to predict future trends across industries. By choosing this module, you can personalise your course and work alongside students from other disciplines, encouraging collaboration and a broader creative perspective.

This optional module aims to develop your entrepreneurial mindset through an appreciation of the creative industries. It provides an opportunity for experiential learning by combining entrepreneurial theory, innovation, and creative problem solving.

This module explores Web3 technologies, ideologies, and culture through individual and group projects. Students research NFT projects, develop and launch original NFT collections, and engage in a creative Web3 community. Topics include blockchain, smart contracts, NFTs, AI, and agile methods. Emphasis is on hands-on experience, community building, and preparing for emerging careers in the Web3 creative industries.

This optional module explores sustainable creative practices using natural materials for colour, image-making, and 3D construction. Through hands-on workshops, you'll learn techniques like natural dyeing, eco-printing, and biomaterials while considering environmental impact and well-being. The module builds a foundation in sustainable design and results in a portfolio of innovative, nature-inspired visual research and experimental work.

This optional module allows you to personalise your course and collaborate with students from across the Nottingham School of Art & Design. You'll gain hands-on experience in fashion styling, exploring personal and cultural identity while responding to global trends. Through creative image-making and critical reflection, you'll build a portfolio that demonstrates how styling can communicate powerful narratives and challenge social norms.

This Year 2 optional module introduces fantasy prop design for industries like film, TV, theatre, and games. You'll learn 3D CAD and traditional making techniques to create imaginative, functional props. The module covers concept development, digital modelling, prototyping, and final production, culminating in a tangible artefact and a portfolio developing both creative and technical skills for industry application.

We have an option for all of our students to undertake a placement year and allow you to decide whether this is right for you once you have completed years 1 and 2 of your course. This time spent working in industry provides our students with crucial work experience, which is highly prized and much sought after by employers upon graduation. If you are successful in securing a placement you will have the chance to gain an additional Certificate or Diploma in Professional Practice, dependent on duration.

The additional placement year incurs a fee. For international students considering the transfer to the 4-yr SW route it's important to seek advice from the International Student Support team and the Home Office regarding any potential visa implications and costs. For UK students, advice should also be sought regarding SLC eligibility, if applicable.

* If you choose to take the sandwich route option, you will need to apply for this course by using the full-time UCAS code.

If you're studying on our sandwich route you can also opt to study abroad for a full academic year, or for a semester, during Year Three. This is an optional and additional period of study that complements your degree at NTU as an alternative to taking a work placement.

This is an exciting opportunity to experience a different national culture, teaching and learning styles and subjects in an international environment. The destination university must be a year abroad / exchange partner of NTU or member of a formally recognised scheme such as the International Student Exchange Programme (ISEP).

Our NTU Global and student mobility team will support you in finding the right opportunity from one of the many international partners available around the world.

Successful completion of a period of international study will earn you a standalone award an International Study Certificate (minimum six weeks) or the International Study Diploma (minimum 36 weeks).

This module supports you in completing an individual research project that builds on your critical and contextual understanding of contemporary world issues from Levels 4 and 5. Your project will be presented as an illustrated dissertation or in an alternative format, encompassing skills in research, analysis, and communication. The aim is to identify a relevant aspect of design and/or the wider cultural context and explore it in depth. You will develop viable research questions and conduct appropriate primary and secondary research to answer those questions. Analysis of academic texts, along with your own first-hand observations, will inform your critical thinking and contribute to your creative practice. The themes you explore might directly impact the outcome of your specialism or enhance your overall understanding of the broader context in which your career will develop.

This module will enable you to develop a deeper understanding of contemporary world issues. Building on your Level 5 proposal, you will refine your chosen topic and expand your research skills through seminars, tutorials, and independent study. A series of formative assessments will scaffold the development of your work, including presentations outlining the starting points of your research and planned structure, and a draft assignment, before the final submission. This blend of activities will enhance your knowledge of world issues, theories, and debates related to 20th and 21st-century design and/or culture relevant to your topic. You will also develop skills in primary and secondary research, analysis, organisation of information, written and visual communication, and peer and self-assessment.

This module supports you in developing an individual project proposal that defines your design journey and outcomes, linking theoretical themes from the Resolutions: Culture and Context module with practice-based work aligned to your career aspirations. You will experiment with new or specialist materials and processes, take creative risks, and refine your ideas through dialogue with peers and tutors. The focus is on strengthening your critical thinking, independence and professional skills, enabling you to connect conceptual research with practice while preparing for graduate careers or postgraduate study.

You will choose to specialise in Fashion Knitwear, Knitted Textiles or Knitted Product, developing a collection informed by contextual research, studio and workshop practice, and 2D/3D design exploration. Alongside your collection, you will create a portfolio that communicates your creative thinking through studio and digital media, supported by additional projects such as live briefs or competitions. This will include a lookbook and production synopsis to evidence your design journey, technical processes and final outcomes. The year culminates in presenting your collection and portfolio to varied audiences, offering professional exposure and consolidating your personal creative identity.