Fashion
Fashion design is a creative and commercial discipline that sits at the intersection of artistic vision, cultural intelligence and the practical realities of making and selling clothing and accessories. It asks designers to be simultaneously creative and analytical, developing strong aesthetic sensibility alongside the technical knowledge of construction, materials, textiles and production that allows ideas to be realised and brought to market. Fashion is also a major global industry with significant economic, cultural and environmental dimensions, and serious study of the subject must engage with all of these aspects.
At Heriot-Watt University this four-year, full-time programme develops both the technical expertise and the business acumen needed to transform creative concepts into impactful realities in the contemporary and future fashion design industry. You will build skills in pattern cutting, garment construction, textiles knowledge, design development, digital fashion tools and the creative research processes that underpin original collection development. Alongside the creative and technical content you will engage with the business of fashion, including buying and merchandising, sustainability, supply chain management, brand development and the commercial structures of the industry.
The programme includes a sandwich year, a year abroad and work placements, giving you direct experience in fashion businesses and international fashion environments before graduation.
Graduates work as fashion designers, pattern cutters, buyers, merchandisers, brand managers, fashion stylists, creative directors, fashion educators and sustainability consultants across fashion houses, high street retailers, luxury brands, sportswear companies and independent labels. Some graduates establish their own design businesses, while others move into adjacent creative roles in costume design, textiles, visual merchandising or editorial fashion. Postgraduate study in fashion design, sustainable fashion or fashion management is another well-trodden route.