Fashion Design BA

Educational qualifications
As a rule, admission to the aptitude assessment for Bachelor’s degree programmes in Design (Industrial Design, Interior Architecture and Scenography, Fashion Design, Process Design at Hyperwerk, Visual Communication and Digital Spaces) requires one of the following educational qualifications:

• a certified vocational baccalaureate
• a certified specialized baccalaureate
• a certified upper secondary school (level II) baccalaureate
• proof of an equivalent educational degree at an upper secondary school (level II) obtained otherwise (e.g. Vocational College HF) 

Language of tuition
The language of tuition is German (B2 or equivalent) and partly English. Proof of language proficiency is required at the start of the degree programme.

Workplace experience or preparatory course in Design
In addition, candidates need to provide proof of one year of workplace experience or completion of a two-semester preparatory course in Design. The workplace experience must include practical as well as theoretical knowledge in a professional field related to the subject of study.
Note: Proof of workplace experience or completion of a preparatory course in Design is not required of candidates who are able to provide proof of a vocational baccalaureate in a professional field related to the subject of study, a Swiss certified baccalaureate with a focus on Visual Design, or a specialized, design-based baccalaureate. The attained degree need not specifically be in a profession related to the branch of study.

approved professional fields (german)
Is a list of approved vocational trainings and professional fields, respectively.

Catching up on the vocational baccalaureate
Applicants who have not completed at least three years of upper secondary schooling (level II) are not legally entitled to admission to a Bachelor's degree programme. Information concerning full-time or part-time on-the-job training courses focusing on a vocational, design-based or specialized baccalaureate is provided by the local vocational colleges.

Admission on the basis of exceptional talent (1)
In exceptional cases, applicants can be admitted to the Bachelor’s degree programmes in Design and in Fine Arts without being in possession of an upper secondary school (level II) certificate (Swiss education system), link, namely if they can provide proof of exceptional talent, either in a design-related or an arts-related field.
Note: We recommend that you make enquiries by means of an email to the office of the respective degree programme at admission.BALW1vZGVkZXNpZ24uaGdrQGZobncuY2g= at least two weeks prior to the application deadline (15 February), or arrange an appointment with the Head of the degree programme.

Documents to be submitted (online registration)

• Motivation letter
• Portfolio (documentation of creative work to date)
• CV in tabular format
  
  The Head of the degree programme decides whether sufficient proof has been provided on the basis of the application documents
  

____________
(1) If you are in possession of one of the following educational degrees, you are eligible for this mode of admission:
Federal Certificate of Vocational Proficiency EFZ (apprenticeship), Professional Certificate EBA, Specialized Secondary School (FMS), Compulsory Schooling, no educational qualification

The detailed information on the aptitude assessment will be published on 1 November 2023.
To apply for a place at the HGK, the required documents must be submitted by 15.02.2024.

Please send enquiries regarding specific degree programmes to the appropriate email address.

Info aptitude assessment is online on 01.11.2023

Dates 2024

• 01.11.2023
  Publication of the detailed information on the aptitude assessment
  
• 15.02.2024
  Registration deadline and deadline for submitting the required documents for the aptitude assessment.
• 02.09. - 13.09.2024
  Introductory weeks at the HGK Basel (mandatory)
• 16.09.2024
  Fall Semester begin 2024/25

Study Regulation, Fashion Design, Bachelor (PDF Download in German)

The Fashion Design study programme is directed at people who are very interested in fashion and fashion design. You deal with social issues and want to learn about how design helps shape the world we live in. You are enthusiastic about creative craftsmanship methods and techniques, as well as about participatory and collaborative work processes that you will develop in the fields of professional, social and self-competence. During your studies, you will learn to deal mindfully with people, materials and the environment and assume a position of responsibility.

In the course of their BA studies at the Institute of Fashion Design, students develop an understanding of the trajectories of contemporary culture and learn to voice their own opinion in the discourse on design, art, and culture. They are consciously engaged in the holistic shaping of an inspiring, relevant portfolio with the ability to change the current fashion practice through new creations. In contrast to working alone on a single dress form, they incorporate the living human body – their own and that of others – in the design process, right from the start.

Study programme

The study programme spans seven semesters, including the internship semester (5th semester).

Fashion design and its future are integrated into a debate of key topics and structures of the global fashion history – because each piece of fashion history was always the present and the future as well.
Students learn to develop their own methods that allow them to work in a confident and self-organised manner and develop their own independent design vocabulary.
The programme is divided into open elective, elective and compulsory modules: workshops, projects, courses, seminars and lectures form the basic structure. In addition, there is peer learning, mentoring, study trips and visits to fashion-specific exhibitions.

Structure of degree programme

Doing Fashion Knowledges’ (1st to 6th semester)
Courses focus on design, manual and technical skills, as well as research and design practices: students will learn about tools, techniques, theories and methods, and practise skills that are the foundation for fashion design processes. Course content is tailored specifically to each semester. Third-semester students also take a study trip for several days.

Doing Fashion Studio & Doing Fashion Purpose  (1st to 4th semester)
This elective programme, made up of several different specialisations and open to students of all semesters, promotes interaction and cooperation among students from all academic years as they tackle current issues and design problems.
Graduate Studios 1+2 (1st and 3rd semester) also give students the opportunity to get involved in the thesis projects and public graduation ceremony. An important part of sharing knowledge and experiences lies in mutual learning and understanding.

Out of Classroom – Internship (5th semester)
During the internship semester, you will continue to hone acquired knowledge, and test and improve your abilities and skills in a professional context. The internship period fosters the critical questioning of current social and economic systems, thus providing you the opportunity to expand your international professional network.

Bachelor’s thesis (6th and 7th semester)
In Studio PreThesis Research, the main focus is on exploring critical fashion design, thus opening up spaces for independent experimentation and research. Research is seen as an exploratory process in which students can investigate, analyse and build on their own manual skills and design interests. The goal is students’ specific positioning of their own design in relation to current environmental, ethical and economic challenges of the fashion system.

The thesis exam is a performative learning situation for the students’ own fashion vision. What they have specifically designed is made tangible in space, in movement and in relation to the physical. The exam focuses on students’ clarification of their own approach; their consideration of problems of the fashion world relevant to their work – such as materials, textile techniques, social and political implications – is also discussed. Together, the two part clarify the students’ position in the fashion landscape .

During your studies, you will be comprehensively prepared for all aspects of the Swiss and international job market. In addition to study trips, the internship semester and various collaboration opportunities, the study programme also hosts an annual final thesis event to support graduates with professional networking.

As a graduate of the Fashion Design study programme, you will be qualified to enter the broad professional field of fashion and fashion design.

The study programme, with its diverse structure and foundation, imparts a sophisticated range of design strategies and practical professional skills to the graduates.
This degree qualifies students for entry-level careers in the fields of fashion design and accessory and jewellery design. Graduates often go into related fields such as fashion photography, fashion film and journalism, costume design, art and performance, and curating. The internship semester has proven to be an indispensable experience for introducing students to the professional world. Many graduates receive grants from renowned institutions and work as a freelance fashion designers.

The master’s degree offered at the HGK Basel (Studio Fashion, ICDP) gives students the chance to gain more knowledge on the subject.

With its studios, labs and centrally located on-campus workshops, the HGK Basel provides ideal conditions for combining a curiosity for craftsmanship, the acquisition of new techniques and digital know-how. What’s more, all students have their own work station in the spacious studios, which are open 24/7. The Fashion Design study programme has a sewing, leather, knitting and cutting studio with professional-grade equipment, as well as its own digital workshop with a digital cutting system for textiles, paper and solid materials. Students have access to the facilities 365 days a year.

For further information on the infrastructure.

Concerning the specialization "Studio Fashion Design" in the context of the Master of Art FHNW in Design at the Masterstudio Fashion Design.

Here you will find everything you need to know about the enrolment process at the Basel Academy of Art and Design FHNW.

If you are interested in studying here, please apply by sending us your dossier.

Your studies at the Institute of Fashion Design can last from one semester to a full year. You may also join the course in the third, fourth or even sixth semester.

Basel Academy of Art and Design FHNW
Institute Contemporary Design Practices (ICDP)
Freilager-Platz 1
Postfach

CH-4002 Basel

Basel Academy of Art and Design FHNW
Institute Contemporary Design Practices (ICDP)
Fashion Design BA degree course

Oslo-Strasse 3, Ateliergebäude: A 3.14
4142 Münchenstein b. Basel

T +41 61 228 40 99
F +41 61 228 43 02
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