The BA Cordwainers Accessories: Product Design and Development course is situated in the School of Design and Technology, and is concerned with the design, development and realisation of fashion accessory products for the fashion accessories industry. You will learn the skills of research, how to produce initial design ideas, and how to develop designs through to a finished 3D prototype. You will gain a comprehensive understanding of the fashion accessories industry, its markets, and the particular role of the fashion accessory product designer and developer within the industry. The Cordwainers and Leathersellers livery companies support the Cordwainers courses through prizes, scholarships and industrial visits. Cordwainers Accessories is one of a group of fashion product courses, all of which are designed and delivered with employment in the relevant industry in mind. To this end you will study a range of units that will equip you with the relevant professional, communication and business skills, and undertake live projects set by industry where there will be presentations to and from the companies involved. You will have the option of doing a placement year between the second and final year of the course. Successful completion of this year will give you an additional qualification, and you will have the opportunity to make contacts and build relationships within the industry before the end of your studies. This course focuses on producing graduates who are encouraged to make an innovative and visionary contribution to accessory product development within the fashion industry.

BA Cordwainers Accessories is based at Golden Lane, on the edge of the City of London and very near to the Barbican Arts Centre, with its exhibition gallery, concert hall, theatre, cinema and cafes and restaurants. Clerkenwell, Hoxton and Smithfield, with their interesting mixes of shops, creative businesses, galleries, cafes, bars and clubs, are within walking distance, as is the Museum of London. The Barbican Estate is an excellent example of post-war urban architecture, and the nearby Whitecross Street has a very good lunchtime food market during the week, where you can select hot or cold food from a wide range of different cuisines.

UAL statement on learning and teaching

Courses in UAL span a broad range of art, design, communication, business, media, science and communication subjects. So the ways in which you learn and how your time is used will vary according to the specific course you are studying; this may be in studios, labs, classes, involve working alone, learning from peers in pairs or groups, or with external partners. Most importantly, no matter which course you enrol on, you will learn not only about your subject but also about how you learn and how to increase your knowledge base.

Our courses will guide you to take increasing responsibility and ownership of your work and your learning. We do this so that you will be ready and able to take full advantage of the full range of opportunities offered by the creative industries in the global economy.

UAL statement on assessment methods

Assessment always sounds austere and foreboding, but it is not. We see assessment as a very real part of learning, rather than just a means of looking back at past work and measuring achievement; we believe that assessment helps you plan future work and develop new ideas.

Your work will be assessed through projects or portfolios, with written papers or research journals, and, on some courses, examinations. You will be graded according to a set of marking criteria that relate to such things as research, subject knowledge, methodology, and your capacity to analyse and reflect on your achievements. So don’t be afraid of assessment - it is the way to progress.

Course Structure

Year One     Stage One     Level 4     120 credits 

Term One: Introduction to Study in Higher Education (20 credits); Product Technologies (20 credits);

Term Two: Introduction to Cultural and Historical Studies (20 credits); Product Creativity and Communication (20 credits);

Term Three: Product Design and Development (40 credits);

Year Two     Stage Two     Level 5     120 credits

Term One: Cultural and Historical Studies (20 credits); Developing Your Professional Practice (20 credits);

Term Two: Research Methods for Product Development (20 credits); Industry Opportunity (20 credits);

Term Three: Industry Project (40 credits);

Professional Placement Year (optional)

Diploma in Professional Studies

Final Year     Stage Three     Level 6     120 credits

Term One: Concept Development (40 credits);

Terms One Two and Three: Product Development Reflective Discourse (20 credits);

Terms Two and Three: Product Design and Realisation (60 credits);

Course Outline

Year One

In the first term you will study two units.

Introduction to Study in Higher Education gives you an understanding of your personal and professional development at university, with three core purposes: to introduce you to the necessary learning skills for undergraduate study; to show you where you are situated within the College and the University; and to help you understand what you will learn on your course and how you will develop your skills.

Product Technologies will introduce you to the essential skills of material selection, pattern cutting, construction methods, production techniques and prototyping skills required for the development and realisation of fashion accessories. This will be through both workshop demonstrations and your own practice.

In the second term you will study two units.

Introduction to Cultural and Historical Studies introduces you to key concepts and ways of thinking about fashion and its context in society and culture. You will attend lectures, seminars and workshops, and do a significant amount of reading of academic texts in order to complete a formal academic essay for assessment. Completion of this unit will allow you to make an informed choice of subject for study in the second year Cultural and Historical Studies unit.

Product Creativity and Communication explores the creative design process and introduces a series of practical skills including research, finding inspiration, initial ideas for fashion accessories, design development, design finalisation, drawing skills and presentation skills. You will learn the essential skills of communicating your work to others.  

In the third term you will bring all your learning and developed skills so far to answering a complete research, design, development and realisation brief for fashion accessories product. Through the Product Design and Development unit you will begin to develop your understanding of the industry, fashion trends, materials for fashion accessories, market level, consumer behaviour, competitors, and ethical and sustainable fashion issues. Some of your research will be undertaken in small groups, as successful team working skills are essential for working in industry. You will individually develop your research and design ideas, culminating in a final range plan and presentation sheets. From within your range you will pattern cut and develop a 2D design into a 3D final product prototype.

Year Two           

In the first term you will be able to study a Cultural and Historical Studies unit of your choice that will broaden or deepen your learning of areas relating to your interests in your chosen field. You will have the opportunity to participate in lectures, seminars and workshops with students from other courses within your School, and will read relevant academic texts and complete a formal academic essay for assessment.

The Developing Your Professional Practice unit introduces you to the global context of the fashion industry and the study of design and development for a specified market. You will explore areas that will affect the development of a product, such as sustainable and ethical sourcing, costing and the environments in which the product will be consumed. This will develop your critical thinking around design and technology and allows you to undertake industry-relevant briefs.

In the second term the Research Methods for Product Development unit develops your existing skills by examining the philosophy and practice of modes of research. You will learn about relevant marketing tools, customer markets and business analysis, and this will enable you to choose the most appropriate research method for a particular project. This prepares you for later projects where research skills are needed by helping you explore what research you need to do, how you will be doing it and how you will manage and evaluate the process.

The Industry Opportunity unit develops your creative, strategic and practical skills through traditional and IT based development with visual and written work. Your critical judgement will be used to develop appropriate solutions and you will be expected to evaluate and justify your decisions as you design and develop appropriate outcomes for a specified company.

In the third term the Industry Project unit gives you the opportunity to consolidate the primary and secondary research skills you have learnt by responding to live industry-set challenges. Your creative, practical and strategic skills will be developed through the industry-led brief, and you will identify your personal strengths and interests.

The work throughout the second year is focussed on live projects with national and international companies and brands. Recent industry projects and collaborations have included the exciting project across courses at the College with English National Ballet and the V&A, and various specific projects with companies including Bill Amberg, Vivienne Westwood and Anya Hindmarch. Often the companies take student designs through to further development for their ranges. In 2011-2012 there was a project with the British Council and Tashkent Institute of Textiles and Light Industry in Uzbekistan, where the best student is visiting Uzbekistan in October. Projects with Topshop and Tommy Hilfiger led to cash prizes and offers of internship with Topshop, and a one year paid placement with Tommy Hilfiger. A student was awarded first prize in the student category of the Desgn-A-Bag annual competition and as part of her prize was flown to Hong Kong for the exhibition and prize giving.   

Professional Placement Year

This year is optional. If you take up this opportunity you will undertake a 30-week industrial placement, where you get to experience the atmosphere, pace and discipline of working within the fashion industry by total involvement in the day to day activities of a company. You will be required to write a report on your placement, which will develop your study skills and allow you to demonstrate your research, analytical and evaluative skills. Successful completion of the year will give you the additional qualification of a Diploma in Professional Studies.

Final Year

In the first term you will undertake the Concept Development unit which provides the foundation from which you will be able to formulate your own innovative and enterprising project and strategy for the major piece of fashion accessories product design and development work that you will do in the final two terms. This work will be industrially relevant and informed by appropriate research. This unit allows you to explore and justify the means by which this work can be realised, and will demonstrate to the industry your direction and potential career path.

The Product Design and Realisation unit is the culmination of your study through an extended negotiated project. You will be able to demonstrate your ability to utilise concept development outcomes through using research and experimentation to achieve the design development and realisation of your own collection of fashion accessories. This major piece of work gives you the opportunity to show your understanding of the key role of the designer/product developer within the fashion accessories industries.

In all three terms you will work on the Product Development Reflective Discourse unit, which develops your reflective capabilities through regular postings in a log, journal or online space and a final reflective report submitted at the end of the unit. The unit gives you the opportunity to increase your skills of critical analysis and evaluation, and allows you to think reflectively about your learning on the course, your strengths and aspirations, and the future direction of your career.

Learning and Teaching at UAL

Courses at UAL span a broad range of art, design, communication, business, media and science subjects. The ways in which you learn and how your time is used will vary according to the specific course you are studying; this may be in studios, labs or classes; involve working alone, learning from peers in pairs or groups, or with external partners. Most importantly, no matter which course you enrol on, you will learn not only about your subject but also about how you learn and how to increase your knowledge base. Our courses will guide you to take increasing responsibility and ownership of your work and your learning. We do this so that you will be ready and able to take full advantage of the range of opportunities offered by the creative industries in the global economy.

Assessment Methods at UAL

Assessment always sounds austere and foreboding, but it is not. We see assessment as a very real part of learning, rather than just a means of looking back at past work and measuring achievement; we believe that assessment helps you to plan future work and develop new ideas. Your work will be assessed through projects or portfolios, with written papers or research journals, and, on some courses, examinations. You will be graded according to a set of marking criteria that relate to such things as research, subject knowledge, methodology, and your capacity to analyse and reflect on your achievements. So don’t be afraid of assessment - it is the way to progress.

Developing your skills

All our undergraduate courses are concerned with the development of your personal and professional skills. On your course you will evolve from learning basic skills in your discipline through to a position where you are an independent creative thinker capable of making an effective contribution to the relevant sector of the fashion industry. PPD (Personal and Professional Development) skills are embedded in all units on every course. Speaker programmes with contributions from alumni, members of industry and others are a part of many courses, as are work placement opportunities in industry. Where relevant, students have the chance to attend trade fairs, enter industry competitions, visit exhibitions and go on field trips and visits. The central position of our John Prince’s Street site in the West End affords students easy access to all sectors of the fashion retail market. In addition, our position as a constituent College in the University of the Arts London means that our students have access to the wide range of activities and events that occur in all the Colleges and at the University’s centre. Last but not least, being in London gives every student opportunities to explore and be inspired by the cultural, intellectual and social life of one of the great capital cities of the world.

Resources

Our excellent resources for educating our students are two-fold: people and premises. People includes everyone at the College who contributes directly in some way to your education, whether as a subject tutor, a technician, an Open Access Officer, a librarian or a study support tutor. Premises include the buildings and the facilities contained in them, such as specialist machinery, design studios and workshops, lecture and seminar rooms, and the library.

The Cordwainers accessories courses have excellent facilities that allow students to understand the accessories business and the technical aspects of making accessories. The first class workshops and skilled technicians provide students with the opportunity to realise their designs to a professional level, and understand what is required to be a product designer and developer for accessories.

Jane Francis is the Course Leader and has a BA and MA in Fine Art. She has over twenty-five years of experience in the fashion industry, and in the 1980s she launched her own label for womenswear and accessories, selling to Liberty, Hyper-Hyper and Harrods. She then worked for ten years with Vivienne Westwood on the creation, production and catwalk presentations of her collections. Now she combines teaching with working as a freelance consultant, stylist and photographer to many international fashion brands and designers, including Ghost, Tank Magazine and Topshop.

Darla Gilroy is the Programme Director for the Design and Craft group of courses, including this one, within the School of Design and Technology. She has worked in design education at undergraduate and postgraduate levels for over twenty years at Cordwainers College, at Winchester School of Art, where she developed a number of research projects, and at the Royal College of Art, where, in addition to being Specialist Tutor in Footwear and Accessories, she undertook a funded research project on the ‘Ethnicity of Cool’. 

Rob Phillips is the Creative Director for the School of Design and Technology and his career started in fashion womenswear, menswear and illustration. He worked at publishers Benjamin Dent as Fashion Editor for International Textiles magazine, and as Creative Director of Fashion Forecast magazine, where his progressive work promoting young fashion talent garnered him much acclaim from industry. Rob continues to nurture talent at LCF across all courses within the School, preparing students to develop their full potential and make their unique contribution to the fashion industry. He furthers the work of the College through many routes, including the recent collaboration between LCF, English National Ballet and the V&A. He also curates the School’s fashion shows and exhibitions, and is fully engaged with all external events and competitions.

Future Careers and Graduate Prospects

Graduates who wish to continue their education at postgraduate level are encouraged to progress to suitable courses within the College, the University or elsewhere.

Many graduates prefer to seek employment as soon as they have completed their undergraduate studies. Recent Fashion Accessories graduates have obtained positions with a number of companies, including Mulberry, Reiss Ltd, Ally Capellino, Cyclodelic, Devi Kroell, H by Harris, Dunhill and Steven Harkin Design.

Enterprise and Employability at UAL

We know what it takes to be successful in your chosen field. Your tutors are professionals in their own right and understand what you need to help you establish your career. Staff in our dedicated Centre for Student Enterprise and Employability Service (SEE) are specialists at supporting you onto the right career path and at helping you to build up work‐relevant skills, knowledge and experience throughout your time here. You will also benefit from our many relationships with industry, which give our students exclusive opportunities and access to networks and funding.

Artists and designers tell us they value UAL’s informed engagement with their career development concerns across a whole spectrum of activities and practice interests and our ability to offer them practical advice, guidance and opportunities across the possible pathways open to them - as entrepreneurs and employees. Staff value the resources and skills UAL makes available to help them deliver effective professional and career development through the curriculum.

Showing your work

All final year students are given the opportunity to profile their work online via Showtime. London College of Fashion can make no guarantee that your work (either in sum or in part) will be shown, exhibited or profiled in any way as part of your course. All student work appearing in College organised events, catwalk shows, exhibitions and other forms of showcase, is selected by a panel of senior staff and, in some instances, external industry judges.

For details of the wide range of careers support provided for students, please visit our Careers Support page.

Opportunities for All

We are committed to making university education an achievable option for a wider range of people and seek to recruit students from diverse socio-economic, cultural and educational backgrounds. We are committed to supporting all our students in achieving their potential both during and after their courses.                      

Course Entry Requirements

Entry to this course is highly competitive: applicants are expected to achieve, or already have, the course entry requirements detailed below.

Two ‘A’ level passes at grade C or above PLUS passes in three GCSE subjects at grade C or above

OR equivalent awards

Preferred subjects include English, Maths, Art, Design, Textiles and Science.

This course requires a minimum 160 UCAS tariff points.

Exceptionally, applicants who do not meet these course entry requirements may still be considered if the course team judges the application demonstrates additional strengths and alternative evidence. This might, for example, be demonstrated by: related academic or work experience; the quality of the personal statement; a strong academic or other professional reference; or a combination of these factors.

This course requires portfolio evidence.

English Language Requirements

All classes are conducted in English. If English is not your first language you will be asked to provide evidence of your English language ability when you enrol.

The level required by the University for this course is IELTS 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in any one skill.

Please go to: http://www.arts.ac.uk/international/apply/englishlanguagerequirements/

read carefully and look at the relevant documents.

Student Selection Criteria

What We Look For

The course team seeks to recruit students who can demonstrate:

• A current awareness of fashion for accessories in terms of material developments, new designers and fashion trends
• A potential to achieve a high standard of technical manufacture
• An ability to record and develop design ideas through the vehicle of drawing
• The ability to work as a member of a team
• The ability to work independently to develop your own knowledge and skills acquired on the course

This might, for example, be demonstrated by: related academic or work experience; the quality of the personal statement, a strong academic or other professional reference; or a combination of these factors.

Portfolio and Interview Advice

For this course your portfolio should show evidence of: ability to present ideas visually; a level of research, experimentation and development; technical and practical ability; effective presentation techniques; and contemporary fashion and cultural awareness.

Applicants will be expected to demonstrate the following at interview: a current awareness of fashion and fashion accessories in terms of material developments, new designers and fashion trends; a potential to achieve a high standard of technical manufacture; an ability to record and develop design ideas through the medium of drawing; the ability to work as a member of a team; and the ability to work independently to develop your own knowledge and skills acquired on the course.

Home/EU Applicants

You apply online through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) at   http://www.ucas.com 

Go to ‘Apply’ from the UCAS home page, where you will be able to register and create a password that gives you unique access as you complete your application form.

The University code is U65.

The UCAS code for this course is W245.

The deadline for equal consideration of your application is 15 January 2013.                         

Contact us on:

• Telephone: +44 (0)20 7514 7563 / 7582 / 7344
• Course enquiry form

International Applicants

For specific details on how to apply as an international applicant please click on the following link:

http://www.fashion.arts.ac.uk/lcf-international.htm

The International Recruitment Office at the London College of Fashion will help to guide you through the application process and answer any specific questions that you may have regarding our courses. This may include portfolio advice, the application process and fee advice. We offer a ‘drop-in’ facility for applicants who may be in London and wish to obtain further course and admissions information. Please contact us for further information on this facility. We can also arrange a tour of our facilities if we are given prior notice.

Our contact details are: International Recruitment Office London College of Fashion 20 John Prince’s Street London W1G 0BJ.

• Telephone: +44 (0)20 7514 7656/7678/7629
• Course enquiry form

Deferred Entry

Deferred Entry is normally only allowed in exceptional circumstances. Please contact us before you submit your application if you are considering applying for deferred entry.

What Happens Next?

All application forms, personal statements and references are read and considered by the course team against the selection criteria listed under What We Look For. Depending on the quality of your application, you may be asked to submit copies of a small number of pieces of your existing work (not more than ten pieces). If the course team wish to consider your application further, you will be invited to a full portfolio review where the course team will look at your work. If you are successful at the portfolio review stage you will be interviewed by the course team. If you are successful at the interview stage you will be offered a place. Applicants are not guaranteed a portfolio review or an interview.

Please note that if you are unable to attend the College may not be able to re-schedule.

If you applied through UCAS the result of your application will be communicated to you via UCAS through ucastrack. You will only receive further communication directly from the College if your application has been successful. This will be in the form of a full offer pack including details of accommodation, fees, and other important information.   

Applicants have the right to ask for feedback if their application is unsuccessful. Requests must be made in writing to the Student Administrator, and we will respond within 20 working days. 

Additional Information

Additional Costs

Some courses charge a fee for the bulk purchase of materials and/or equipment used on the course. Further details will be supplied at a later date.