43996 at University of Illinois At Urbana Champaign

Students in the BASA and BFASA who choose a concentration in Fashion will focus on developing their own unique apparel design process with an emphasis on sustainable practices while becoming familiar with the various aspects of the fashion industry from concept to consumer. Students will be introduced to various modes of research and ideation, gaining the tools to be able to effectively communicate and produce their two- and three-dimensional designs within the context of the history of fashion and the theoretical underpinnings that drive fashion and contemporary culture.

Introductory courses in Fashion give students an overview of the industry from customer development, design and production through manufacturing, promotion and sales. Students are introduced to the fundamentals of textiles and clothing design, and the basics of creating a fashion collection through the use of hand and digital illustration techniques. Further courses focus on the exploration of experimental design, patternmaking, and sewing skills while encouraging the development of the designer’s personal creative vision within the context of fashion history and the consumer market. Additional courses bring a greater understanding of how to enact knowledge gained in an educational setting within the fashion industry, through sustainable fashion collection development and branding. Students are given the unique opportunity to showcase their constructed ensembles and mini-collections on the runway in the Re-Fashioned fashion show presented each spring. We offer experiences in a variety of classrooms designed to support explorations in bringing two-dimensional materials to three-dimensional forms, access to computer labs, digital output technologies including 3D printers, sewing and embroidery machines, and dress forms.