Basic Fashion Design Course

Lesson 1 • History and Evolution of Fashion

Traces fashion from ancient dress codes to contemporary ready-to-wear. Provides historical context that informs modern aesthetic and commercial choices.

Lesson 2 • Fashion Industry Overview

Maps the supply chain from fiber production to retail and identifies key roles within it. Students locate their future career paths within the broader industry.

Lesson 3 • Core Design Principles

Introduces balance, proportion, rhythm, emphasis, and unity as applied to garments. Students use these principles to evaluate and improve their own designs.

Lesson 1 • Color Schemes and Combinations

Teaches complementary, analogous, triadic, and split-complementary schemes for apparel. Students build cohesive palettes for a mini collection.

Lesson 2 • Fabric Selection for Design

Guides students through sourcing decisions based on silhouette, season, and budget. Practical swatching exercises reinforce tactile and visual judgment.

Lesson 3 • Fabric Classification and Properties

Categorises natural, synthetic, and blended fibers by performance and aesthetic qualities. Students match fabric types to design intent and end use.

Lesson 1 • Building a Mini Collection

Applies cohesion principles to develop a five-piece collection with shared colour, fabric, and theme. Students balance variety and unity across all pieces in the lineup.

Lesson 2 • Ideation and Sketch Development

Guides rapid ideation through thumbnail sketching and iterative refinement toward final designs. Students generate a minimum of 20 concepts before selecting the strongest ideas.

Lesson 3 • Creating Mood Boards and Concept Statements

Teaches the selection and arrangement of images, textures, and colour swatches into a cohesive mood board. The concept statement translates visual ideas into a written design brief.

Lesson 1 • Drawing Garments on the Figure

Teaches how fabric folds, seam lines, and silhouettes are rendered over the croquis. Students translate flat design concepts into believable garment drawings.

Lesson 2 • Flat Technical Drawings

Covers the creation of accurate flat sketches used in production and specification sheets. Students draw front and back views with precise proportion and detail.

Lesson 3 • Rendering Techniques and Media

Introduces pencil, marker, watercolour, and digital tools for fashion illustration. Students select and combine media to achieve professional presentation quality.

Lesson 1 • Body Measurements and Sizing

Establishes accurate measurement-taking techniques and their relationship to standard size charts. Correct measurements are the prerequisite for all pattern work.

Lesson 2 • Drafting the Basic Bodice Block

Guides students through constructing a fitted bodice sloper from measurements. The bodice block becomes the foundation for all upper-body pattern variations.

Lesson 3 • Drafting Skirt and Sleeve Blocks

Extends block drafting to straight skirts and basic set-in sleeves. Students complete a full basic block set ready for design manipulation.

Lesson 1 • Constructing a Sample Garment

Integrates all construction skills into a complete skirt or simple top project. Students follow a production sequence and self-evaluate the finished piece.

Lesson 2 • Cutting and Preparing Fabric

Teaches grain line alignment, pattern layout, and precise cutting for accurate garment pieces. Preparation quality directly determines fit and construction ease.

Lesson 3 • Essential Seams and Finishes

Introduces plain, French, flat-felled, and serged seams along with common edge finishes. Students select appropriate seam types based on fabric and garment end use.

Lesson 4 • Closures, Hems, and Finishing

Covers zipper insertion, button and buttonhole construction, and hem techniques. These finishing skills determine the professional quality of the completed garment.

Lesson 1 • Slash-and-Spread for Volume and Shape

Introduces slash-and-spread as the method for adding flare, pleats, and fullness to flat patterns. Students apply the technique to create flared skirts and gathered bodices.

Lesson 2 • Advanced Pattern Variations

Extends manipulation skills to princess seams, yokes, and style lines that reshape the basic block. Students draft two design variations from a single bodice block.

Lesson 3 • Fitting a Muslin Toile

Covers constructing and evaluating a muslin test garment to identify fit issues before cutting final fabric. Systematic fitting prevents costly errors in production.

Lesson 1 • Presenting Technical and Creative Work

Teaches layout standards for presenting flat sketches, illustrations, mood boards, and fabric swatches together. Consistent presentation signals professionalism to industry reviewers.

Lesson 2 • Portfolio Strategy and Curation

Defines the purpose of a fashion portfolio and criteria for selecting work that targets specific market segments. Strategic curation distinguishes a strong portfolio from a mere collection of work.

Lesson 3 • Portfolio Review and Self-Critique

Simulates a professional portfolio review through peer critique and instructor feedback sessions. Students apply feedback to produce a final polished portfolio submission.