Fashion and Textile Design

Fashion and textile design sits at the meeting point of creativity and industry, requiring you to develop both a distinct aesthetic vision and the technical and critical skills needed to realise it in a professional context. Fashion shapes how people present themselves to the world, and textiles underpin it all, from the properties of fibres and yarns to the surface qualities that make fabric distinctive. Understanding these disciplines at degree level means learning to think as a designer while also understanding the commercial, cultural, and sustainability pressures that shape contemporary practice.

At Robert Gordon University this four-year full-time programme allows you to define your own learning pathway, developing specialist skills in the area of fashion or textiles that reflects your interests and ambitions. You will build an extensive understanding of creative, critical, and technical practice, working with materials, processes, and ideas across the full span of the design process from initial research and concept development through to finished outcomes. The programme develops your ability to analyse visual and material culture, to communicate your ideas through a range of media, and to place your work in relation to the broader contexts of the industry.

You will graduate with a professional portfolio and the specialist knowledge to work effectively in a sector that values both originality and craft.

Graduates in fashion and textile design find careers across the creative industries. Roles in fashion design, textile design, surface pattern design, knitwear, print, and costume design are among the most direct paths, alongside positions in fashion buying, product development, and visual merchandising. The technical and creative skills developed through the programme are also valued in the wider design sector, including interiors, product design, and materials innovation.

Many graduates go on to postgraduate study in fashion, textiles, or related fields, or develop their practice independently as designers, makers, or entrepreneurs.