From Fashion Communication: Histories and Theories to Fashion Sportswear, Textiles, Jewellery Design or Design for Industry 5.0, Central St. Martins offers specialised courses that integrate academia with industry-relevant practice. Alumnus includes Stella McCartney, John Galliano and the late Alexander McQueen so if you’re inspired to shape the future of fashion, read our pick of the top undergraduate and graduate fashion courses at Central St. Martins.
Central St. Martins: Top Fashion Courses
The United Kingdom is a crucible of creativity. Beyond the glamour of London Fashion Week, which showcases the most cutting-edge designs, lies a powerful engine driving the fashion industry: top fashion courses at leading universities. Central Saint Martins specialised programs equip fashion students with critical insight, technical skill, and ethical awareness. With access to expert faculty, industry partnerships, and world-class facilities, students are prepared to meet the demands of the fashion industry—and transform it. Let’s take a closer look at the top undergraduate and graduate fashion courses.
Central St. Martins: Top Fashion Courses
BA Fashion Communication: Histories and Theories nurtures students to become researchers, writers, thinkers and communicators, central to the fashion industry’s future. The programme investigates the multiple histories of fashion. The focus is on the research, writing and curation of fashion histories. Students will be asked to consider the design, manufacture, promotion and consumption of fashion in relation to social, historical and cultural contexts. While this pathway analyses the history of fashion, it is also concerned with contemporary fashion. An excellent faculty of experienced practitioners and researchers come from diverse backgrounds and are at the forefront of fashion.
BA Fashion Communication: Journalism is multi-platform, incorporating writing, broadcast, editorial and commercial content creation. The emphasis is on investigation and communication, with the opportunity to explore the possibilities of written journalism and diverse media, such as podcast, documentary film and other forms of digital dissemination. Students will be taught by practicing journalists, undertake live projects with fashion brands and community partners. There will be the opportunity to gain invaluable work experience through internships and freelance opportunities. Students go on to become freelance journalists, fashion and features editors, content creators, producers and presenters.
BA Fashion Sportswear teaches students how to design and produce activewear and sportswear; students consider how sport, science, technologies, fashion trends and cultural context influences fashion retail. The course has a specialised focus on activewear: students develop advanced technical skills, including fabric innovation, garment engineering, and performance-focused design, tailored to the sportswear market. Students also develop design work by engaging with themes of sustainability, diversity and social equality and have access to world-class studios, workshops, and digital design tools. Recent graduates now work as designers for technical and lifestyle sports brands including Nike, Adidas, and Puma.
BA Textiles introduces students to Knit, Print and Weave, dye and digital processes. Alongside development of skills in these pathways students undertake projects focusing on Research, Drawing, Colour, Composition and 2D and 3D experimentation. Students will also enhance their understanding of sustainable materials and practices, informing the evolution of their projects. Second year encourages students to develop a personal design identity. An emphasis on professional practice and skills prepares students for their final year and potential placement. The third year encourages design direction; with emphasis on pushing boundaries, expanding research narratives, amplifying personal expression and specialist skills. Design professionalism, communication and presentation are key considerations.
BA Jewellery Design explores different approaches to the jewellery discipline and questions the position, the role and the materiality of jewellery in a contemporary context. Graduates are equipped with skills across hand making and traditional techniques, material exploration, design and problem solving, computer aided design, critical thinking and communication skills. Through projects, technical workshops and specialised research areas, they are introduced to different textile design contexts and the skills they demand. Industry partnerships, collaborations and employability skills are an integral part of the course. Live projects provide students with industry feedback and exposure.
MA Fashion has a reputation for preparing students with the experience and confidence needed to practice professionally at the forefront of fashion. The students gain knowledge within a project-based environment that focuses on transformative experience and expanding learning, aims, and development within Fashion Design practice. The faculty see authenticity and accountability at the core of student engagement. The programme actively encourages them to be responsible and resourceful with the processes and materials they choose for project work and to support UAL’s climate emergency work through upcycling.
MA Design for Industry 5.0 is a unique industrial design course exploring purpose-driven entrepreneurship by fourth industrial revolution technologies. The course centres on diversity, sustainability, and human-centred design in the contexts of artificial intelligence, blockchain, robotics and distributed manufacture. The academic content is organised under Design and Creative, Technical, Planetary, Ethical and Contextual, and Professional and Entrepreneurial. The course builds through internal group-forming, external collaboration, self-positioning, manifesto and project infra-structuring, and culminates in the execution of a self-directed industry 5.0 project. The course requires high levels of self-direction of students in the final two units; they will be supported through academic, pastoral and technical tutorials, and access to supervised facilities.
Vintage Millinery Workshop Short Course steps into the world of vintage craftsmanship. Whether you are a beginner eager to learn the art of hat-making or an experienced milliner, this hands-on course will guide you through the techniques that have shaped fashion for over a century. During this course, students learn to make three different styles of lady’s headwear from a selection of 20th century styles: 1920s cloche, 1940s turban and a 1950s headpiece. The course covers historical fashion and specialist millinery techniques such as blocking, stitching, trimmings and using linings. And students will be working with a variety of materials from wool felt, foundation materials and silk and can bring their own fabrics to work too.
Jasmeen Dugal is Associate Editor at FashionABC, contributing her insights on fashion, technology, and sustainability. She brings with herself more than two decades of editorial experience, working for national newspapers and luxury magazines in India.
Jasmeen Dugal has worked with exchange4media as a senior writer contributing articles on the country’s advertising and marketing movements, and then with Condenast India as Net Editor where she helmed Vogue India’s official website in terms of design, layout and daily content. Besides this, she is also an entrepreneur running her own luxury portal, Explosivefashion, which highlights the latest in luxury fashion and hospitality.
