Fashion Buying with Design BA (Hons)

This specialist degree programme covers the roles and responsibilities of a fashion buyer and designer, while developing a strong business sense within this fast-paced, competitive industry.

Entry Criteria
Structure and assessment
Facilities and features
Opportunities and careers
Take your next steps
Contact us

Overview

Fiona Bailey discusses the different pathways students can study with Fashion Buying at DMU.

Fashion buying requires both strong commercial understanding as well as theoretical knowledge. This course will prepare you for a diverse range of roles within the global fashion industry by developing in-depth design and buying expertise, and by gaining knowledge of the product lifecycle and critical path, current trends, selection, costing and promotion.

Learn about garment design, pattern cutting, prototyping, construction, and computer-aided design (CAD), while investigating materials, embellishments and technical approaches. We will nurture your professional practice through personal development planning, as well as guided research and critical reasoning.

The shift in fashion retailing from high street to online is driving exciting innovations, and you will develop the resilience and skills to respond to new directions in consumer demand. Our experienced academic team work alongside industry professionals to put your learning into context, ensuring that you are ready to take on the challenges of our rapidly changing industry.

The Green Gown Award puts DMU at the forefront of sustainable fashion and textiles education in the UK. Our comprehensive approach to sustainability is empowering our students to be agents of change within the industry.

Professor Carolyn Hardaker, Head of School of Fashion and Textiles

Key features

We have been recognised as one of the most sustainable fashion and textiles schools in the country as winners of the Next Generation Learning and Skills Award in the Green Gown Awards 2021.
DMU was named best in learning experience in 2019 by The Business of Fashion, the internationally renowned website which assesses the world’s top programmes.
Meet and learn from successful practitioners in the fashion industry. Produce innovative designs for them and discuss your ideas.
Gain industry-specific knowledge of the design process, from market analysis and trend prediction to pattern cutting, manufacture, assessing fit, and garment success.
Take part in our one-year UK or global placement schemes. Fashion Buying with Design students have gained experience at Tommy Hilfiger, O'Neill, Marks & Spencer, Next, George, Joules, G-Star, River Island, The Global Brands Group, and at supply bases. Many of our graduates have gone on to work for these international brands and suppliers.
Learn how to innovate in the design process and work towards a more sustainable future for the industry. Recent graduate Abi Harris designed a kidswear collection to educate children about plastic pollution in the ocean.
Take advantage of international opportunities through our DMU Global programme. Students have visited Hong Kong, New York, Antwerp, Amsterdam and Porto.
Study in the award-winning Vijay Patel Building, where our well-equipped design workshops and photography studios enable you to explore your design potential while making and testing products.
We provide core workshop materials at no cost, and give cash awards – £150, £200 and £300 in years one, two and three respectively – to support personal materials/printing costs*.

Student work brochure Graduate showcase

More courses like this

Fashion Buying with Marketing BA (Hons)

Fashion Buying with Merchandising BA (Hons)

Fashion Communication and Styling BA (Hons)

UK
EU/International

Institution code: D26

UCAS course code:

Fashion Buying with Design W224

Duration: Three years full-time, four years full-time with a placement. Six years part-time.

Fees and funding:

2024/25 tuition fees for UK students: £9,250

Find out more about tuition fees and available funding.

Additional costs: Here at DMU we provide excellent learning resources, including the Kimberlin Library and specialist workshops and studios. However, you should be aware that sometimes you may incur additional costs for this programme.

Contact us: For more information, call us on +44 (0)116 2 50 60 70.

green-gown

How to apply

Order a prospectus

Book an Open Day

Submit a study-related enquiry

Duration: Three years full-time, four years with placement.

Fees and funding:

2024/25 tuition fees for international students: £15,750

Contact us: For more information, call us on +44 (0)116 2 50 60 70.

How to apply

Application guidance document

Order a prospectus

Submit a study-related enquiry

Entry criteria

Typical entry requirements

We welcome applicants from a range of backgrounds.

Art and Design Foundation or

112 points from at least 2 A ‘levels
BTEC Extended Diploma DMM

International Baccalaureate: 26+ Points

Plus five GCSEs grades 9-4 including English Language or Literature at grade 4 or above.

Pass Access with 30 Level 3 credits at Merit and GCSE English (Language or Literature) at grade 4 or above

We will normally require students to have had a break from full time education before undertaking the Access course.

We also accept the BTEC First Diploma plus two GCSEs including English Language or Literature at grade 4 or above

English language requirements

If English is not your first language an IELTS score of 6.0 overall with 5.5 in each band (or equivalent) when you start the course is essential.

English language tuition, delivered by our British Council-accredited Centre for English Language Learning, is available both before and throughout the course if you need it.

Interview and Portfolio

Applicants with relevant qualifications will be invited to submit a portfolio of work. Please see our portfolio advice page for full details.

Non-standard applicants may be invited to attend an interview via MS Teams with a portfolio.

Structure and assessment

First year

Core Buying 1
Textile Materials 1
Fashion Communication (CAD)
Introduction to Fashion Design Technology
Design Cultures

Second year

Core Buying 2
Textile Materials 2
Style and Colour
Design Cultures 2
Fashion Realisation

Third year

Sourcing and Supply
Major Project
Collaboration with Industry

Click here for more detailed module information

Note: All modules are indicative and based on the current academic session. Course information is correct at the time of publication and is subject to review. Exact modules may, therefore, vary for your intake in order to keep content current. If there are changes to your course we will, where reasonable, take steps to inform you as appropriate.

The course will be divided into 75% Fashion Buying and 25% Design

Structure

This includes design studio practice, formal lectures, group seminars, tutorials, lab work and practical workshops. There are regular tutorials and reviews which allow you to reflect and develop your work ready for your final presentation at the end of the year.

Contact hours

You will be taught through a combination of lectures, tutorials, seminars, group work and self-directed study. Assessment is through coursework (presentations, phase-tests, essays and reports) Your precise timetable will depend on the optional modules you choose to take, however, in your first year you will normally attend around 15 hours of timetabled taught sessions (lectures and tutorials) each week, and we expect you to undertake at least 25 further hours of independent study to complete project work and research.

Facilities and features

Art and design facilities

Our award-winning Vijay Patel building has been designed to provide the space and facilities where all of our art and design students can develop their ideas and flourish.

The creative industries require imaginative graduates who can develop new ideas and products. Students use our sophisticated and contemporary workshops, labs and studios to experiment and test in the same way they will in industry, while the open and transparent spaces in the building encourage collaboration between disciplines. In doing so, the building prepares students for industry and helps develop them as future leaders in their respective fields.

Take a look at our stunning showcase of the building at dmu.ac.uk/aad.

More flexible ways to learn

We offer an equitable and inclusive approach to learning and teaching for all our students. Known as the Universal Design for Learning (UDL), our teaching approach has been recognised as sector leading. UDL means we offer a wide variety of support, facilities and technology to all students, including those with disabilities and specific learning differences.

Just one of the ways we do this is by using ‘DMU Replay’ – a technology providing all students with anytime access to audio and/or visual material of lectures. This means students can revise taught material in a way that suits them best, whether it's replaying a recording of a class or adapting written material shared in class using specialist software.

Campus Centre

The home of  De Montfort Students' Union, (DSU) our Campus Centre offers a welcoming and lively hub for student life. Conveniently located at the heart of campus, it includes a convenience store, a Subway and a Starbucks. Here you can find the DSU-owned charitable accommodation service Sulets and DSU’s shop, SUpplies, selling art supplies, stationery and clothing, and printing and binding services. The building is also home to the DSU officer team.

Opportunities and careers

Placements

This course gives you the option to enhance and build your professional skills to progress within your chosen career through a placement. Our dedicated team offers a range of careers resources and opportunities so you can start planning your future.

We have excellent links with the fashion industry, ensuring you work on industry relevant projects and client briefs to gain more experience and build your external reputation before you graduate. This invaluable experience can enrich student capabilities and their final-year projects. Students have gone to big brands including Boohoo, ASOS, Urban Outfitters, Hunkemöller, George at Asda, Ralph Lauren and Timberland.

DMU Global

Our innovative international experience programme DMU Global aims to enrich studies, broaden cultural horizons and develop key skills valued by employers.

Through DMU Global, we offer an exciting mix of overseas, on-campus and online international experiences, including the opportunity to study or work abroad for up to a year.

Students on this course have recently been on DMU Global trips to European cities as well as Hong Kong and New York, where they have visited company headquarters such as Burberry, Coach, Rituals, O'Neill and Calvin Klein.

Graduate careers

Our graduates go on to a variety of areas within fashion buying - recent employers include Pretty Little Thing, Next, Marks & Spencer, Piarossini, Boden, F&F at Tesco and O'Neill.

Charlotte Purnell graduated with a first-class honours degree and now works as a Junior Garment Technician in the snow department with leading lifestyle brand O’Neill, in Amsterdam.