Fashion Undergraduate Courses

The School of Arts is a place where talent thrives and ambitions are realised. Our impressive facilities range from our producing and learning theatre, photography lab and purpose-built studios.

You’ll join a creative community that is supportive in helping students shape their individual identities and styles. Our courses focus on graduate employability, helping you to establish yourself as an artist; this may be through work placements, real world projects and the chance to showcase your work at events, including the end of year Degree Show.

Courses are led by experienced practitioners, many are artists and designers with key industry contacts. Their fresh and dynamic approach to teaching will encourage you to learn through risk-taking and experimentation to develop your portfolio. You’ll learn skills that can be applied to a range of fields from design to writing, performance to education and curating to publishing. These links mean that you’ll have the opportunity to work with external clients on real briefs, so you’ll graduate with a comprehensive portfolio of work to help launch your career.

_Top20for career prospectsFashion & Textiles, Guardian University Guide 2025

100^%of students agreed that they could explore ideas and concepts in depthBA (Hons) Fashion Design - National Student Survey 2024

A female with auburn wavy hair tied back wears an apron and blue disposable gloves to screenprint some fabric in a studio setting

I decided to do a year in industry as part of my degree, because the support given to me by lecturers and technicians gave me the boost I needed to apply for placements and progress further in an industry setting.

Ruth Allamby

Fashion and Textiles student

Fashion courses

You will discover how to design original and inspiring collections which will give you the edge in the fast-paced global fashion industry. Thanks to our influential fashion and textiles industry partnerships, we offer excellent opportunities for you to gain experience through work placements and real-world projects. This practical, work-focused teaching means our graduates have a great track record in producing award-winning designs. Two years in a row, a Derby student has won the St Andrews Young Designer Awards – the perfect springboard to a successful career in fashion.

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Undergraduate Fashion courses

Recent successes

You'll have the opportunity to exhibit your final collection and your portfolios at the graduate fashion show at Chandos Pole Street and participate in competitions. Recent successes from our BA (Hons) Fashion Design course include:

Marina Mendes was awarded the winning collection from the University of Derby and Hertfordshire University Joint Catwalk Show at Graduate Fashion Week 2022 along with Lydia Strickler being awarded highly commended from the same show. Both collections joined the 'Best of GFW22 Collections' and Marina Mendes was also named as one of the new innovative designers to watch by The Guardian in a review of Graduate Fashion Week 2022
Anika Vo winning the Menswear Design category and Parasto Qalandari winning the Womenswear Design category at the FASHANNE Fashion Designers of the Future Awards 2021
Georgia Alligan winning the John Smedley category at the Campaign for Wool Student Design Competition 2020
Lucy Taylor winning Midlands Young Designer of the Year, Midlands Fashion Awards 2019
Olivia Noble winning the David Nieper Scholarship Award 2019
Freya Whittaker, winner of the Fashanne Design Award 2018
Sarah Woodward was Midlands Emerging Designer winner 2015
Nicole Wells won St Andrews Young Designer in 2015.

Recent successes from our BA (Hons) Fashion Design and Marketing course include:

Dominica Buonasorte winning the Sustainability category and Sofie Nikl winning the Commercial Design category at the FASHANNE Fashion Designers of the Future Awards 2021.

We also successfully collaborate with industry to enhance the curriculum with cutting edge learning environments.

A female puts the finishing touches to a white garment embellished with pink and red floral embroidery and 3d flowers

Male and female models showcase clothing designs on a catwalk

A collection of black, orange and white floral patterned textile samples and yarn on a table

Fashion and Textiles - hear from a student

We asked Fashion and Textiles student, Saffron, how she has found her experience so far studying at the University of Derby.

The University supported me with industry-standard equipment, help and support from the fabulous technicians, and excellent tutors who pushed me to reach my potential.

Lucy Taylor

Winner, Midlands Fashion Awards ‘Midlands Young Designer of the Year 2019'*

*Lucy Taylor with her collection ‘Convergence’ Photo by Beth Winsor from Cameo Lab Fine Art Photography

"Everything I learned at University is now the foundation of my working life!"

"My degree gave me the important skills to get where I am today and helped me develop as a person through some fantastic opportunities. Everything I learned, including hand-drawn design work, digital design, garment manufacture and production, is now the foundation of my working life.”

Winner of the top prize at the 2014 St Andrews Young Designer Awards and now a junior designer with Manchester-based Chilli Apparel.

Jos Swinnerton, BA (Hons) Fashion

Take a look at highlights from the Fashion Show...

Highlights from the Fashion Show at Derby Theatre

Join our creative community where students and staff from all disciplines collaborate on a wide range of fashion and textiles projects.

Study in our brand new £3 million dedicated fashion and textiles facility at Chandos Pole Street. We are the only university in the UK to own two Jacquard looms
Build your experience and contacts through work placements and live projects
Showcase your work at major events and exhibitions including our Degree Show
Our optional work placement year can lead to an extra qualification, the Diploma in Professional Practice