Study Fashion Design & Development in English at Marbella Design Academy in sunny Spain and be awarded a UK Bachelor of Arts with Honours degree in Fashion Design & Development by our UK partner, the University of Bedfordshire.
The Fashion Design & Development programme is underpinned by a global vision and understanding of fashion design and with a philosophy that embraces fundamental principles of sustainability, integrity, and contemporary relevance.
The programme philosophy considers fashion design from a global knowledge vision to prepare the upcoming fashion designers
It takes the students through the design process of design development, conceptual thinking, intellectual flexibility, and garment creation, whilst applying digital resources, innovation and sustainable strategies and methods, and ensuring an organic learning process.
Fashion students at Marbella Design Academy will learn how to anticipate aesthetic and social change, to style and shape the future of fashion, leading to new aesthetics and responses about the practice and industry in fashion.
We train individuals to be intuitive designers with the ability to visualize, contextualize and translate inspirations into a contemporary fashion context.
The programme offers continuous engagement with professional practice through internship opportunities in cities such as London, Barcelona, Copenhagen, New Delhi, Paris, Málaga, Auckland, Helsinki, and Stockholm, working directly with major brands.
Our students achieve high professional standards and our Fashion Design department produces graduates who are well-versed in all aspects of the design process and ready to work in the international industry.
Why should you study Fashion Design & Development at Marbella Design Academy?
The Fashion Design & Development Validated Programme at Marbella Design Academy is aimed at all creative minds, passionate in the field of fashion design, creativity, visual arts and aesthetics to clothing.
At Marbella Design Academy, we are continuously developing our educational and training programmes and constantly updating the course content to ensure that it reflects the market and that our students are fully prepared with the essential design and management skills to compete in all areas of the fashion industry.
Validations and state recognitions
After graduation from Marbella Design Academy, you are awarded your official BA (Hons) degree in Fashion Design & Development, validated and awarded by the University of Bedfordshire (UK).
When awarded your official BA (Hons) degree in Fashion Design & Development, you can apply for a Master’s Degree at University of Bedfordshire or any other University of your choice.
We have two intakes per year.
Next coming intakes are:
2024 Starting on:
08th January 2024
23rd September 2024
2025 Starting on:
07th January 2025
Tuition Language: English
Duration: 3 Years
Schedule: 6 Hours daily (Monday to Friday) From 09:00 to 16:00
When awarded your undergraduate Bachelor of Arts degree by University of Bedfordshire, you can apply for a Master validated programme at any university of your choice.
Study Plan & Material list
General Information
The BA Validated programme in Fashion Design & Development
starts twice per year: In September and in January.
Fees
11.500 € tuition Fee per academic year + 500€ administration fee to be paid 1st year only
From September 2024:
14.000€ tuition fee per academic year, for both September and January intake.
No administration fee required.
September intakes (3 years of study): Three academic years beginning in September ending in June.
January intakes (2,5 years of study): Three academic years: 1st academic year begin in January and ends in the beginning of August. 2nd and 3rd academic year begin in September ending in June.
Upon successful completion you will be awarded a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Degree, in Fashion Design & Development by our UK partner, University of Bedfordshire.
This three-year Bachelor of Arts validated Fashion Design & Development programme offered to our students is developed, delivered and assessed by Marbella Design Academy and Validated by University of Bedfordshire.
Bachelor of Arts validated programme in Fashion Design & Development
Total – days – hours and CORE credits during the 3 years of study (Holidays are not included in this calculation).
1st Year, 1200 hours incl: lectures, direct, independent study – 120 CORE CREDITS
2nd Year, 1200 hours incl: lectures, direct, independent study – 120 CORE CREDITS
3rd Year, 1200 hours incl: lectures, direct, independent study – 120 CORE CREDITS
In total for all 3 years of study: Approx. 3.600 hours incl. lectures, direct and independent study:
360 CORE CREDITS (UK) = 180 ECTS Points (60 ECTS points per academic year)
STUDY PLAN – 1ST YEAR
120 Credits = 60 ECTS points. In total for all 3 years of study: 360 CORE CREDITS (UK) = 180 ECTS Points (60 ECTS points per academic year)
Level 4
Fundamentals of Design and Fashion Design:
Fundamentals of Creative Process & Design: Introduces and explores the main issues involved in the professional design field and introduces research, learning and communication skills.
History of Art: A basic overview and timeline of different art movements (pictorial art, sculpture, architecture) from prehistoric to present times. It includes an introduction to research methodologies and writing skills.
The fashion specific components are:
History of Fashion Design: Offers an overview of the key periods. This component explores changes in the mode of production and the prevalence of historical influences in modern day fashion design practice.
Fundamentals of Design and Fashion Design: Introduces you to the implications of worldwide fashion industry, as well as the context of fashion in relation to: cultural, social and environmental issues. Fashion industry research and fashion trend evaluation techniques will be introduced and practised. This component will allow you to understand the design practices that are fundamental to fashion design and will form the basis for future design projects.
Fashion Communication & Development
Fashion Production 1: The fundamentals of basic Production and Technology will cover elements of basic Block Development, Size Specification criteria and Pattern Drafting will also be introduced, allowing you to progress towards strategies for future more complex garment development and production processes. The pattern drafting & cutting processes and techniques will take place in group practice, workshops and also on an individual study basis as necessary. It allows the students to identify characteristics through materials, fabrics and fibres knowledge, enabling them to develop a sensitivity to the many different qualities. The module completes the textile studies with a focus on the use of colour in fashion design. The induction on (including Health & Safety/” Best Practice” awareness) and use of industrial machinery and equipment in atelier/ workshops will be applied.
Materials and colour usage will be studied.
Fashion Illustration 1: Mainly hand and CAD drawing techniques together with fashion drawing/illustration level I and industry related digital software. Introduce and engage a spectrum of explorative design skills that will form a balanced basis for future progression and communication development. Various principles and techniques of communicating fashion design ideas will be explored. Conceptual development processes like hand and CAD drawing techniques complimented with relative introduction to industry related digital software will be taught in order to provide students with the necessary skills to express their initial ideas in a professional manner and style. You will be encouraged to engage these skills to translate and communicate design ideas into a themed “Mood Board” process and format as practised in the industry. In the free-hand drawing component you will look at the basic skills of drawing including perspective, proportion and scale, shading and various colouring techniques, which will, then progress in developing a more specific and individual fashion illustration style. In industry related digital software components you will learn how to use the applications and how to best interpret the most suitable graphic format and technique.
Design Projects in Fashion Design
Project 1: The students have to establish the contextual and critical basis of design and apply the knowledge acquired during the programme to date, not only to address the creative and problem-solving aspects of the Project but also to organise a compelling presentation of the work to market standards.
Collaborative Multidisciplinary Practice 1: Working in a team environment and interlacing skills from their specialities will give the students the capability of managing a team and delegating tasks and roles within a group. Knowledge, subject skills and understanding are progressively and cumulatively acquired, refined and consolidated, demonstrated by application within projects. The combined uses of these skills are meant to produce a creative solution to a specific design challenge and equip the student with resources to accomplish a professionally presented project.
Final Project & Portfolio 1
Students will be encouraged to make good use of the creative and technical skills gained so far and they will be able to incorporate them into working assignment brief and project design work according to the specified brief and time constraints given.
Creative skills will be approached combined with technical and practical knowledge in the quest for the expression of an individual look and branded style. Manual graphic style as well as CAD will be employed to develop and complete the design work and implement presentation boards. Creativity, imagination and originality will be engaged via recent drawing and illustration skills gained.
The Design and Mood boards will be developed and stylized to a professional presentation level reflecting the personal style and individual “brand style” signature leading to the inspiration and creation to undertake the complete design process for a fashion collection and merging the different techniques, skills and production methods culminating in timely delivery of a physical outcome and also all suitable corresponding work for display within the formation of a working Portfolio
STUDY PLAN – 2nd YEAR
SECOND YEAR: 120 Credits = 60 ECTS points
In total for all 3 years of study: 360 CORE CREDITS (UK) = 180 ECTS Points (60 ECTS points per academic year)
Level 5
Fashion Theory
The History of Fashion Design 2: It will offer lectures in the history of fashion from the 1900s to the present day. The unit will examine how socio-economic, cultural, political, historical factors and major designers have influenced fashion trends and styles throughout recent history.
Fashion Marketing and Brand Identity: This module will be explored and the importance and impact of developing and promoting a strong brand to help create a strong image, ethos and even heritage background. Marketing techniques will be introduced with latest social media aspects; E- commerce and on-line trends will also be examined. Students will learn the importance of marketing from two different points of view, strategic and operational tools.
Sustainability and Ethical Education within the fashion industry: Will be examined and the consequences and likely impact on the present and future of this sector. This will be discussed in conjunction with an overview and history of the apparel and textile manufacturing Industry.
Fashion Production
Fashion Production 2: Students will pursue the skills and processes of designing and creating garment first as learnt in the 1st year and will develop them further. Best practice strategies with use of both colour and fabric knowledge will be studied and evaluated in a further way in order to allow the student to design creatively and with confidence using key fundamental skills of fashion in conjunction those 2-D ideas translated into real 3-D garments via the Production and Practice II element
Fashion Illustration 2: The Students will continue to develop hand-drawing skills in the Fashion Illustration II unit, and further develop their skills in using digital/ CAD in a further way with the Editable Vector Software II, Layout Design and Publishing Software II and Image Creation and Photo Editing Software II elements.
Creative Design Projects
Project 2: The students have to establish the contextual and critical basis of design and apply the knowledge acquired during the programme to date and develop further the experimentation and research towards the design and construction of garments via the experimentation of design processes, creative design development, and a compelling presentation of the work to market standards.
Collaborative Multidisciplinary Practice 2: Team working will be actively encouraged through the inter-disciplinary nature of the Collaborative Multidisciplinary Practice and you will experiment with modes of group participation. This module will encourage students to communicate with their fellow peers and across other creative design areas where ideas can be shared and exploited to their full potential to deliver the best results.
Final project & Portfolio 2
Students will be encouraged to make good use of the creative and technical skills gained so far and they will be able to incorporate them into working assignment brief and project design work according to the specified brief and time constraints given. Creative skills will be approached combined with technical and practical knowledge in the quest for the expression of an individual look and branded style. Manual graphic style as well as CAD will be employed to develop and complete the design work. Creativity, imagination and originality will be engaged via recent drawing and illustration skills gained from accurate research, the module generates a more complete approach to the design process to the production of the prototypes and realization of the designed looks merging the different techniques, skills and production methods. Those will be developed and stylized to a professional presentation level reflecting the personal style and individual “brand style” signature leading to the inspiration and creation and all suitable corresponding work for display within the formation of a working Portfolio.
STUDY PLAN – 3RD YEAR
120 Credits = 60 ECTS points. In total for all 3 years of study: 360 CORE CREDITS (UK) = 180 ECTS Points (60 ECTS points per academic year)
LEVEL 6
Advanced Fashion Design and Enterprise
Fashion Marketing and Enterprise: Marketing, Branding and Enterprise will highlight how these disciplines can help promote and develop a strong brand identity. Deep understanding of the spectrum of brand management, design and promotion from a corporate and consumer perspective. It aims to provide students with the skills to interpret and critically reflect upon strategic brand management and promotion research and apply this acquired knowledge to true-to-life scenarios. Research and evaluation of the effectiveness of good PR, advertising, promotions and marketing strategies in fashion and retail brands will be appraised. Range Planning will be evaluated.
Fashion Styling:
This module aims to further creative thinking and develop a working understanding of fashion styling by taking the student on a journey of exploration, challenging ideas and thinking creatively. It aims to provide an understanding of the methods used to transmit Fashion communication messages through visual imagery and promotional destination and gain a great understanding of the role of the fashion stylist in contemporary media. Students will develop solutions from research to the final concept to develop their voice and different genres of styling and markets and know how to fit their message into the different fashion markets. Knowledge of the different roles a stylist can work, such as editorials and publications, entertainment industry, online stylist, brand stylist or personal stylist and how to work as a team. Runway presentations and Staging focuses on development and presentation of a professional catwalk fashion show.
Collection Development
Advanced Fashion Production 3: Students will engage in more advanced levels of fashion pattern drafting and garment make-up construction methodologies leading to final year collection. Garment costing and a break-down of production assembly procedures will be evaluated with construction techniques, cloth cutting and utilisation and production efficiencies will be studied. Creation and development of tech packs (garment and costing sheets) as one of the most necessary and important tools for a fashion designer.
Investigation and Pre-Collection: This module, in conjunction with pattern cutting techniques III, enables the student to create the fundamentals for the final major project. Working on a series of elements based on in-depth relevant, exhaustive investigation of their chosen concept. This research will help create a previous proposal form, sketchbook development, illustrations, pattern-cutting techniques and Development, creativity, construction, material selection, prototyping and a final presentation. All of this makes this exhaustive preliminary work to elevate the next step, which will be the final major project.
Final Major Project and Portfolio
Final Major Project, Collection & Portfolio: Students are required to undertake an in-depth, relevant and exhaustive investigation of their chosen concept into a coherent collection. The student will define the target market and concept and design a complete fashion collection, taking the pre-collection part as a basis and developing a Proposal Form. It requires the student to combine elements from all aspects of fashion design, including illustration, CAD resources, pattern making, 3D prototyping, trend research, colour, materials, creativity, fashion history, tech packs, and stylism. The project will culminate in developing a presentation and showcasing the final collection creatively and visually. In the Final Academic Portfolio component students will refine and finalize all their best and most credible fashion design work in a professional industry standard format. This will include critical selection of works to best represent one´s own individual and branded style.
Professional Practices: This module is designed to build on the presentation skills and reflective techniques developed in earlier academic years. You will consider your immediate career aims and develop your personal ‘pitch’ through the design of a tailored application, evidencing your skills and ready to move into the professional world. Students will have the opportunity to carry out their internships in the place that best suits their future professional career.
Laptop (portable computer), PC or MAC book Pro
We recommend you to buy a Lap Top with sufficient RAM memory and a powerful graphic card. We recommend a 15” screen. When you have purchased your computer, please practice working on it prior to start.
Computer Programmes
Please make sure you get the programmes in the same format as your laptop (for example a Mac formatted program will not work on a PC).
- Adobe Master Collection CC2018 with manual from Adobe
- Microsoft Office – student version
Remember to buy the original student version as they are much cheaper. Also ask for the latest version.
Basic material list (specified once classes start)
- Basic sewing machine
- Pattern cutting ruler (pattern master or other versions)
- Masking tape
- Fabric scissors
- Paper scissors
- Thread snips
- Basting thread
- Pins
- Sewing needles
- Thimble
- Unpicker
- Bobin
- Soup/ Wax marker
- Tracing wheel
- Awl
- A4 plastic sleeves for patterns
- Mechanical pencil (HB)
- Pencils (2B, 6B, 2HB)
- Eraser
- Pencil sharpener
- Colouring supplies (specified once classes start)
- Black, blue and red biros
- 3-5 colours of felt pens
- Sketch pad (A3 size)
- Charcoals
Testimonials
Thank you to all Teachers , friends and every single person from the teams which helped me to grow until today. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
My experience was so rounded, as was my growth. The academy and all staff helped me in so many ways, not just academically. Without this I don’t think I would have made it through the 3 years (plus foundation) especially during the pandemic and subsequent lockdown. To receive a degree, let alone a First Class honours degree, is something I never thought I was capable of, but with the support, direction, and encouragement of my tutors I have managed to change my career after 10 years in a different industry. I am so happy to finally work in the fashion industry and have the confidence to pursue my passion and enjoy what I do on a day-to-day basis rather than working to live. For this I could not be more grateful!
Marbella Design Academy is a special place that feels like home, it feels like we’re all a big family.
I’ve made memories that I will take with me forever.
After studying Fashion Design & Development for three years I have grown into the path of fashion design that I want to pursue because of my own willpower.
I am extremely proud of my classmates and I for getting to the finish line although this pandemic has made things challenging in many ways.
My fashion teachers and best friend supported me throughout this year both academically and emotionally and I now leave Spain as a young professional and with friends for life.
It’s amazing what you can achieve and do if you put your mind to it!
It took time and patience combined, but for me it was most important to be inspired and feel motivated- at Marbella Design Academy teachers and staff are always there to help and inspire you. Special thanks to our great tutors, our Department was like a big fashion family and that is so unusual compared to other Universities. I appreciated it so much!
I chose Marbella Design Academy because I wanted a new experience abroad and studying seemed like a good idea. The best thing about MDA is that it is an international collage, so you meet people around the world here.
My options are to stay here and accept the job that is given to me or what I would love to do it study further in South Africa.
The best thing is that you have easy access to the teachers. That would be that almost everyone from school is living in Monda, so it’s easy to get to know people.
The options are many. I don’t really have a plan yet. Might start my own brand, after I’ve gotten some work experience.
I chose Marbella Design Academy after coming to see the school, which I’d found listed on the internet as one of Spain’s highly recommended design schools. On visiting the Academy I immediately felt a welcoming feeling which was only enhanced after meeting the extremely kind staff. I was given a tour around the academy by the head of fashion who was extremely passionate about the subject and the academy itself ,which made a large impact on me.
I was delighted to hear that at the academy the classes were rarely larger than 10, which gives each student a lot of personal time and help from the teachers, unlike many other universities. In my opinion the personal time where you can learn from the teachers knowledge & experiences in the industry are two of the most important things for ones education.
I also love that all the students and teachers are always willing to help one another and that everyone gets to know each other on a personal basis.
I currently live in Monda, which is useful for getting to school as its only a 10-15 minutes walk away no matter where you live and only a car or bus ride away from Marbella or Malaga.
After completing my course at the academy I hope to go on to doing a Masters before launching my own career.
It’s nice and close in the morning, and Monda itself is pretty cheap to live in. I probably have to work a year to pay everything off and save up for my next step. Then I would like to take a Masters degree in Business-Fashion either in
New-York, Paris, London or Copenhagen.