Fashion Knitwear Design and Knitted Textiles
Fashion knitwear design and knitted textiles is one of the most technically specialised and creatively distinctive degrees in the UK, dedicated to an area of textile production that has a long history in British industry and a vibrant contemporary presence in fashion, interiors and sustainable design. Knitted textiles have a unique structural logic that distinguishes them from woven fabrics, offering designers a distinctive range of aesthetic and technical possibilities, from fine jersey to complex three-dimensional structures, that require specialist knowledge to exploit fully.
At Nottingham Trent University this four-year full-time programme includes a year abroad, giving you the opportunity to experience knitwear and textile design in another country and to engage with international fashion and textile industries. Nottingham has a strong historical connection to the British textile and hosiery industry, and NTU has built on that heritage to develop one of the most respected textile design programmes in the UK. As the course description notes, the degree offers full creative control over the design and creation of fabrics, garments and products for fashion or interiors, and you will develop both technical and design skills including innovative digital knit processes that are in high demand.
The integration of digital technology, including computer-aided knitwear design and fully fashioned knitting machinery, reflects the contemporary reality of textile production.
You will develop your drawing and design skills, your technical understanding of yarn, stitch and construction, your ability to work with colour and pattern, and your knowledge of the fashion and interiors markets in which knitwear is sold.
Graduates pursue careers as knitwear designers, textile designers, fabric technologists, product developers and creative directors in fashion brands, textile mills, interiors businesses and manufacturing companies. Others develop freelance practices or go on to postgraduate study in fashion design, textile design or sustainable fashion, a field in which knitwear's inherent efficiency in material use makes it particularly relevant.