This course provides an in-depth exploration of the fashion industry’s structure, from concept development to final production. Students will examine the business side of fashion, gaining insight into how consumer demand, purchasing power, and market segmentation—shaped by factors such as demographics, psychographics, and income—impact design decisions. The course also introduces various career paths within the industry and encourages students to begin identifying their unique design strengths and target markets. Additionally, students will study iconic fashion leaders of the 19th and 20th centuries, analyzing their contributions and lasting influence on the industry.

Within the framework of the design process you will learn essential ideation, design, and workplace skills. The complex problems you’ll face in the workforce will require you to think critically and creatively, communicate your ideas effectively, and apply your specialized skills in a collaborative environment. Whether you’re working on a largescale building development, making a documentary, contributing to an online magazine, or taking a new fashion line to market, the success of the project will rely on your ability to understand the design process and use essential workplace skills.

In this course, students will explore the fundamental elements and principles of design, including balance, line, shape, and color theory. Through hands-on learning, they will apply these concepts to develop original fashion designs and begin creating their final collections. Emphasis will be placed on the full garment development process—from concept and inspiration to draping, patternmaking, cutting, and sewing. Students will also advance their technical skills by working with increasingly complex silhouettes, ultimately producing a final, well-executed garment that reflects their personal design vision.

In this course, students will learn about the environmental impact of the fashion industry. They will learn about the history of industrialization in the fashion industry, the development of manmade textiles, the advent of fast fashion, and collective efforts to reduce the environmental impact of the fashion industry. They will also learn about global standards of fair trade and ethical garment production.

This course provides an overview of the textile industry and will cover the identification, properties and use of fibres and fabrics for apparel products. Weaving, dyeing, and printing processes will be explored through course assignments. Performance, care and labelling laws will also be covered.

Garment Construction I
This course introduces the various fashion industry techniques used in professional garment sewing. Students will learn to use an industrial sewing machine and serger while gaining experience with a variety of common seams and construction techniques.

Garment Construction II
Building upon the skills acquired in the previous Garment Construction course, students will be introduced to fashion industry techniques used in professional garment sewing and better develop their skills with more complex methods.

Garment Construction III
This course builds upon the foundational skills acquired in previous Garment Construction courses. In Garment Construction III, students will learn the specialized skills associated with knitwear and stretch garments. Students will learn about knitting machines, negative ease, and the unique challenges of working with knits and stretch fabrics.

Garment Construction IV
This course builds upon the foundational skills acquired in previous Garment Construction courses. In Garment Construction IV, students will learn the specialized skills associated with menswear and tailoring.

Garment Construction V
This course builds upon the foundational skills acquired in the previous Garment Construction courses. In Garment Construction V, students will apply their skill sets toward creating a final collection of their work for the graduation fashion show.

Pattern Drafting I
Students will learn the basic principles of pattern development through pattern drafting exercises and assignments. Students will learn draping patterns using standard measurements and how to manipulate those patterns to achieve a desired design.

Pattern Drafting II
In Pattern Drafting II students will continue to explore pattern drafting skills as a continuation of Pattern Drafting I. Expanding on a repertoire of the basic block set (skirt front/back, bodice front/back, and sleeve), the shaping and lengthening of pre-existing patterns into pants, shirts, and dresses will be approached. Emphasis will be placed on the manipulation of pre-drafted patterns.

Pattern Drafting III
This course builds upon the foundational skills acquired in previous Pattern Drafting courses. In Pattern Drafting III, students will learn the specialized skills associated with knitwear and stretch garments. Students will learn how to create patterns for knitting machines, as well as how to draft sewing patterns for knit fabrics.

Pattern Drafting IV
This course builds upon the foundational skills acquired in previous Pattern Drafting courses. In Pattern Drafting IV, students will learn the specialized skills associated with menswear and tailoring.

Pattern Drafting V
This course builds upon the foundational skills acquired in the previous Pattern Drafting courses. In Pattern Drafting V, students will apply their skill sets toward creating a final collection of their work for the graduation fashion show.

Draping I
Students will learn the principles of draping through exercises and assignments and establish solid foundations of draping skills with a focus on body contouring and fitting. In addition to creating final garments. Students will draft patterns and adjust patterns to achieve desired design and fit.

Draping II
Students will continue to develop the principles of draping through exercises and assignments and broaden their foundation draping skills with a focus on body contouring and fitting. Students will design, drape, cut and sew at least two garments for their final collection.

In this course, students will explore the fundamental elements and principles of design, including balance, line, shape, and color theory. Through hands-on learning, they will apply these concepts to develop original fashion designs and begin creating their final collections. Emphasis will be placed on the full garment development process—from concept and inspiration to draping, patternmaking, cutting, and sewing. Students will also advance their technical skills by working with increasingly complex silhouettes, ultimately producing a final, well-executed garment that reflects their personal design vision.

Students will expand their understanding of fashion through fashion history and business practices of the fashion industry. They will immerse themselves in pop culture of the 20th century decade by decade, analyzing and becoming inspired by artistic movements and fashion icons, as well as social and economic developments to better help them identify their own unique aesthetics as designers.

Business of Design I
This course introduces students to business practices within the fashion industry. In Business of Design I, students will become familiar with the production cycle from design concept to final sale. Students will learn about the global fashion economy, study consumer behaviour, and analyze market trends to understand the contemporary fashion industry. They will also be introduced to a range of business models in the fashion industry.

Business of Design II
This course builds upon the foundational skills acquired in Business of Design I. In Business of Design II, students will learn how to establish and run a successful fashion business. Through lectures as well as hands-on learning, students will be introduced to the financial, legal, and regulatory aspects of running a fashion business, including funding, business incorporation, the protection of intellectual property, and hiring employees. They will also be introduced to up-to-date local resources for new businesses.

Fashion Illustration I
Students will explore the fundamentals of fashion illustration: basic drawing skills, the Fashion Croquis and manipulating its proportions, demonstrating how garments move on the figure, fabric sketching techniques, and maintaining a sketchbook.

Fashion Illustration II
In a mix of both traditional and digital media using Adobe Illustrator, Fashion Illustration II students will expand and refine their repertoire of rendering the textures needed to communicate different types of fabric and accessories. They will continue to explore different media and sources of inspiration and develop their own unique visual communication styles.

This course will introduce students to the industry-standard computer-aided drafting program. They will learn to draft digital patterns based on their own original designs.

Fashion Photography I
This course is an introduction to basic photography where students will learn about different camera features as well as concepts of exposure, composition and perspective. Focus will be placed on camera functions and operation as well as understanding how they can use photography to enhance other aspects of their fashion design work.

Fashion Photography II
This course builds on the foundational skills acquired in Fashion Photography I. In Fashion Photography II students will apply their knowledge of exposure, lighting, composition, and perspective to fashion photography. Students will learn how to design, style, plan, and direct a fashion photoshoot from start to finish.

In this course, students will be introduced to the field of costume design for theatre, film, television and performance art. Students will learn to tell stories through clothing and to communicate a character’s background, goals, and desires to the audience to enhance the cohesiveness and visual impact of a production. This course includes both theoretical study and practical application of skills through the creation of polished costume designs for the full cast of a given production.

This course builds upon the foundational skills acquired in the Fashion Flats course. In the Tech Packs course, students will gain experience creating complete tech packs that include technical drawings, fabric specifications, component lists, construction details, and cost sheets.

In this course, students will design and create a professional portfolio website to display their fashion designs and advance their careers. The website will include a homepage, an about/bio page, portfolio/showcase page(s), and a contact page.

In this course, students will learn essential fashion styling skills, including dressing different body types, utilizing design principles to create cohesive looks, and styling for different occasions. Through hands-on practice, students will develop their unique styling vision and apply professional techniques to various styling assignments.

This course will explore the steps required to design and develop a fully realized fashion line. Over the course of the term students will take their ideas from initial concept(s), through sketching, sample-making, fitting, and construction phases, to the final presentation of a complete collection. Students will also develop a full media package and promotional materials to support their collection.