Bachelor Fashion Design & Technology

The fashion industry has gone through tremendous structural changes. Fashion houses are progressively realizing that sustainability is not a trend on which to build an attractive marketing message. It is an imperious necessity! Travel restrictions caused by COVID-19 have affected all the steps of the supply chain, from sourcing all the way to distribution. We are living through challenging times that require a workforce well versed in operating remotely and in a digital environment.

The online Bachelor of Fashion Design & Technology is a one-of-a-kind, uncompromising program, that will provide you with a creative and technological edge. Based on data gathered through the launch of its Fashion tech lab and incubator Foundry, IFA Paris has curated a unique curriculum that achieves a blending between the French traditional “savoir-faire” with the latest technologies in digital fashion.

The online Bachelor in Fashion Design & Technology is structured around 3 Levels denominated as “Studios” (years) to reflect our industry focused teaching strategy. In each level you will be asked to produce various items of clothing that will be used to build-up your professional portfolio.

Since prior education or experience in fashion design is not necessary to integrate the program, Studio (year) 1 will teach you core skills and competencies.

In Studio (year) 2 you will move on to specialisms with a particular focus on Menswear and Sustainable Fashion.

Studio (year) 3 will be the climax of your IFA Paris experience as it is entirely dedicated to the creation of your own collection. All students qualifying for this level will get the opportunity to show their work in front of a jury. Should your collection be selected, you will get the opportunity to show your designs during the graduate shows of our schools in Paris, Shanghai and Istanbul

Each Studio Level (year) is composed with 4 module groupings:

Creation

Creation is constructed to teach you how to design purposefully to ignite creativity. It mixes anthropological and ethnographic research as well as the apprenticeship of traditional and cutting-edge design techniques. All modules are interconnected through practical project frameworks to promote the acquisition of transferable skills.

Digitization

Translating a designer’s creative ethos through a digital environment is essential. We have designed Digitization around skill acquisition of 2 specific software:

Browzwear – Through its partnership with Browzwear IFA Paris will introduce you to this ground-breaking 3D fashion software. The suite is connected with Foundry’s body scanner and fabric scanner accessible remotely, allowing you to use digital avatars to complete your prototypes with life like accuracy
LECTRA – Thanks to a remote access to Modaris 3D and Diamino, you will learn essential skills related with digital pattern making.

All digitization modules require a mandatory presence to the live sessions. The planning of all classes will be done according to your time-zone and the regional centre you are enrolled In.

Production

A bridge between modernity and tradition, Production is a core component of the Bachelor of Fashion Design & Technology. We have crafted custom modules for online delivery to introduce you to traditional pattern making and sewing techniques. In order to benefit from live critiques and feedbacks, you will have access to a technology allowing them to digitize your patterns and work on it collaboratively with your fellow classmates, and with your professors.

Contextualization

The acquisition of cutting-edge design and production techniques need to relate to the realities of the fashion industry. Contextualization is built around Marketing and Fashion Culture modules. We have also included professionalization opportunities through credited internships. Mindfulness is also an integral component of this module grouping: you will be enrolled in personal coaching sessions to support your personal and professional development.

To support a remote learning context, we have developed a teaching strategy specific to the Bachelor in Fashion Design & Technology. A dedicated academic team will be allocated to the management of the program. All modules will be divided into two components:

A lecture component, managed by the main professor in charge, to provide theoretical knowledge. Lectures will be handled as a full class with all your fellow classmates present
A workshop component, managed by coaches, to support you in your design development. Each coach will be assigned a maximum of 8 students to ensure personalized feedbacks that will help you feel you are working within a real-life studio

Drawing from IFA Paris’ pedagogical strategy, IFA Paris – Learn Online also implements a holistic approach to education. The fashion industry is a high-paced, ever-changing environment. Within the course structure we have included Personal Coaching and Mindfulness modules (a first in fashion education) to ensure that you are going through an introspective phase from your first year, allowing you to set a clear path for your personal and professional development.

While the program is structured around unique modules and learning experiences, the highlight is our faculty of skilled and motivated lecturers who come from more than 20 different countries. This veritable educational melting pot allows you to benefit from different cultural perspectives which, in turns, stimulates your propensity to analyse and solve issues in creative and unconventional ways. Students following the program online also benefit from this unique multi-cultural dynamic thanks to an adapted online to off-line pedagogical strategy.

The online program takes place live and in real-time (Paris or Istanbul local time) and you will interact with the lecturer and other students through our online platform. However, if you cannot attend or miss a live class, every session is also recorded and saved, so you can go back and watch it at a later suitable time for you.

First Atelier: Discovery

The first atelier is conducted as the first year of the Bachelor Course. Under the framework of Higher Education Programs, the first Atelier is equivalent to a HE Level 4. Students are following core modules in order to discover the universe of fashion. They will acquire basic skills in design, construction, digital fashion and fashion history in order to lay the pedagogical foundation of their learning curve.

Fashion Design 1 :
In the first installment of this module grouping, students will discover the fundamental skills of fashion design :

How to sketch women and men figurines and technical drawings of each type of garments
How to use colors and create color ranges adapted to fashion
How to design prints and integrate them into a garments collection
How to develop a creative research methodology and exacerbate their curiosity and creativity
How to express their inspirations and ideas through mood boards, illustrations, stylization and complete professional portfolios
How to build and structure a collection plan.

Fashion Workshop 1 :
Fashion design is not only abstract conceptions, and creativity must be supported by practical experimentation and technical researches. In this first installment of Fashion Workshop, students will experiment different dying methods and printing techniques, work on silhouette construction through styling, discover and analyze various Artists and Designers through attending International exhibitions or work on the implementation of concept and developed in the Fashion Design Module.

Digital Fashion Design 1 :
Mastering the right software is absolutely essential in today’s fashion industry : it’s necessary to design precise technical sketches and to present ideas and designs in a professional way. In the first installment of this module, students will learn the fundamentals of Photoshop, Illustrator and In-Design.

Pattern Making and Draping 1 :
The knowledge of fashion is incomplete without a good understanding of construction. In the first installment of this module students will discover the two main methods to develop clothes : pattern making and draping. They will learn how to create patterns directly from body measurements or by draping on a dummy according to IFA Paris own construction techniques, developed by our own lecturers over 2 decades. At the end of the first level students will be able to design the patterns of usual skirts, shirts and dresses.

Production 1 :
Fashion designers have to imagine every details and finishing of the garments they create, that’s why mastering the garment production process is so important. At the first level students will learn gradually different sewing and finishing methods to produce complete garments such as skirts and shirts.

Fashion History and Culture :
Know the past and understand the present to create the future. Like every creative field, fashion is a culture and it’s essential to know its history and development before being able to visualize the directions it will take. Through lectures, researches and presentation of archives, students will discover the evolution of fashion through time and analyze the works, style and inspiration of the most important fashion designers with a special focus on the masters of the international fashion from the last forty years.

Second Atelier: Experimentation

The second atelier is conducted as the second year of the Bachelor Course. Under the Higher Education Programs framework, the second atelier is equivalent to a HE Level 5. In this stage of their learning experience students are invited to develop their creativity through experimentation. Specific themes such as men’s wear, children’s wear or knitting workshop will be covered through interlinked modules. The pedagogical objective is to improve participants’ critical thinking.

Fashion Design 2 :
In the second installment of this module students will apply the skills acquired during the first year and experiment new inspirations and concepts in various fashion projects including menswear collection, accessories collection, children’s wear collection and fabric transformation. They will have to adapt their personal ideas to different kind of products and market segments and understand how to adapt their own creativity to main fashion trends.

Fashion Workshop 2 :
In connection to Fashion Design 2, students will continue to explore various techniques and practical methods that can enhance their creative expression. They will experiment embroideries, pleating or knitting methods that will allow them to imagine more elaborate fashion products. They will also have the opportunity to collaborate with professional suppliers and external workshops to experiment the management of the supply chain which is an important part of the job of a fashion designer.

Digital Fashion Design 2 :
The second part of this module is designed as a workshop supporting the development of students’ creations in Fashion Design as well as in Fashion Workshop. By this stage students will be guided by their instructors in order to assess which software is better suited to their creative and personal requirements. The objective is to experiment and find the best tool to generate fashion design portfolios and presentation reflecting the students’ own identities.

Pattern Making and Draping 2 :

Building up on Pattern Making and Draping 1, the module will allow students to learn how to combine two-dimensional and three-dimensional approaches to find the best methodology so as to create the patterns for any kind of garments. They will experiment how to adapt the classical construction of pants, tailored jackets, kimono and raglan sleeves to create the pattern of their most creative designs.

Production 2 :

Like in the PMD module, the main goal of the second level production module is to lead students to be able to choose and practice the best production strategy and finishing method to maximize the quality of the finished garments they have to produce.

Digital Fashion Product :

It’s very important to keep students up to date with the latest changes within the fashion industry. While the software developed by Lectra is a usual support in fashion production, 3D printing is a brand-new technology that is bound to become inevitable in the future. In this module students will learn the basic use of Lectra and one 3D graphic software they will later experiment with in the completion of fashion projects.

Textile Technology :

Fabric is still the main raw material of fashion, that’s why it’s essential to fashion students to have a deep knowledge of textile products. Through lectures, researches and workshops, students will learn how fabrics are produced from fibers to weaving and knitting, understand their various characteristics, textures and qualities and experiment their best uses for garment production according to their specificities.

Fashion Marketing 1 :

Although a creative one, fashion is an industry and fashion design is also affected by a brand strategy, market segmentation or price positioning. In this module student will learn the basic marketing tools and explore the key success factors that lead fashion brand to success.

Third Atelier: Imprint

The third atelier is conducted as the third year of the Bachelor Course. Under the Higher Education Programs framework, the third atelier is equivalent to a HE Level 6. In the final process of their learning experience, students will focus on expressing their own voice as a designer. Through the development of a Mini-Collection they will be asked to think in terms of personal creativity, appropriate construction techniques, contemporaneity and unique selling proposition and positioning. The final objective here is to prepare a unique portfolio of garments to be used as stepping stone for job search within the industry or access to our postgraduate course at “Master of Arts in Contemporary Fashion Design”.

Fashion Design 3 :

The main focus of the 3rd installment of the fashion design module is to create a complete and professional collection of womenswear or menswear according to a given theme. Each student will have to develop their own concepts and interpretations, design silhouettes including accessories, build a collection plan and create complete technical files of 4 to 6 garments that will be produced by the students. At the end of the process, students will have to present their collection portfolio to a professional jury.

Digital Fashion Design 3 :

In the last installment of this module the main purpose will be to support the fashion design process and to create a personal and creative layout for the final collection portfolio.

Pattern Making and Draping 3 :

In this final module students will have to develop 3 to 6 prototypes from the collection they have created. They will conduct research on volumes, find the right methodology to develop pattern in the most efficient way and finalize the pattern of the garments they have to produce after a fitting session on models.

Production 3 :

In the production module, students will have to find and choose the most adapted fabrics, identify the best sewing methods and finishing solutions in order to produce their prototypes in the most professional way. At the end of this process the best collection and prototypes will be selected by the jury to be showcased in the IFA Paris annual Bachelor Fashion Design fashion show.

Fashion Marketing 2 :

While continuing to explore the main marketing theories and practice, students will have to define a marketing strategy for their final collection with target market, price positioning, distribution and communication strategy.

Studio (Year) 1: 60 ECTS

Creation 1 (incl. Adobe Suite) (17 ECTS)
Fashion Figure
Color
Product – Technical Drawing
Fashion Illustration
Trend Research
Mini Collection 1
Weaving
Natural Dying
Sample Book

Digitization 1 (14 ECTS)
Browzwear – Obligatory Attendance in Live
Digital Pattern Making – Obligatory Attendance in Live

Contextualization 1 (6 ECTS)
Contemporary Fashion History
Intro to Marketing – Basics (T2)
Personal Coaching 1

Production 1 (PMD + SEWING) (29 ECTS)
Skirt block – skirt construction PM
Bodice block/Shirt construction PM/Collar study/Shirt project
Pants
Projects in relation with fashion design

Studio (Year) 2: 60 ECTS

Creation 2 (15 ECTS)
Menswear
Mini Collection 2
Sustainable Development Project
Accessory Design

Digitization 2 (10 ECTS)
Browzwear – Obligatory Attendance in Live
Digital Pattern Making – Obligatory Attendance in Live

Production 2 (26 ECTS)
Jacket with kimono sleeve or raglan
Menswear
Sustainable Project

Contextualization 2 (9 ECTS)
Digital Marketing/Social Media
Professionalization 2 (at least 1 month interning for a company)
Personal Coaching 2

Studio (Year) 3: 60 ECTS

Creation 3 (16 ECTS)
Personal Collection: Theme Research, Research book/Mood board
Personal Collection: 30 Silhouettes
Personal Collection: Technical Drawing

Digitization 3 (8 ECTS)
Browzwear – Obligatory Attendance in Live
Digital Pattern Making – Obligatory Attendance in Live

Production 3 (25 ECTS)
Personal Collection: 4 digital fittings
Collection Sewing (4 silhouettes min.)

Contextualization 3 (11 ECTS)
Brand Development (incl. Adobe)
Professionalization 2 (3 Month Internship)
Personal Coaching 3 (incl. Portfolio)

Bachelor Fashion Design & Technology

Key Information

Introduction (Paris, Istanbul)

Introduction (Online)

Program Structure (Paris, Istanbul)

First Atelier: Discovery

Second Atelier: Experimentation

Third Atelier: Imprint

Program Structure (Online)

Studio (Year) 1: 60 ECTS

Studio (Year) 2: 60 ECTS

Studio (Year) 3: 60 ECTS

Admission Requirements

Fee Structure

Material Requirements

Video Testimonials