Masters Degrees (Millinery)

This exciting programme of study for students wishing to develop the craft and philosophy of costume design for live performance, screen or site-specific installation is unique in its approach.

Our students develop their concepts and creativity by interpreting a text or exploring a theme, thinking about character, movement and the performance environment. Instruction in the skills of pattern cutting, textile manipulation, millinery, puppetry, set design, computer aided design, welding, knitting, illustration and life drawing help students expand their skills base.

Students work on developing a comprehensive understanding of fabric, costume design and cutting, while exploring the historical and dramatic perspectives of the discipline and the process of performance.

This creative freedom and the combination of the practical developing alongside the conceptual, provides our students with a wide range of skills and a flexibility valued and highly respected by the industry.

Postgraduate students are ideally placed to study the interaction between costume and the other arts such as fashion, textiles, jewellery, film and TV, animation, illustration, installation, music and dance, and to take part in collaborations inside and outside of the University.

Thanks to our extensive national and international links with theatre, dance, film, television and opera companies, plus our network of freelance designers, you’ll be supported in sourcing work experience and other hands-on opportunities that will give you real-world skills and experience.

Programme structure

This programme is assessed by the production of a body of practical and written work on an agreed, self-initiated topic which can take advantage of the many local and international performance-based opportunities.

This programme is project-led. Your project could be led by narrative, theme, performance medium. It should offer scope for sustained research and design development for costume design. Study will combine practical studio work with theoretical and written studies, including professional practice elements to prepare you for employment in the industry, and a lecture/seminar series which will examine the wider context of your studies.

Career opportunities

Postgraduate studies in performance costume open up access to a wide range of work for the stage and screen. You will benefit from the superb reputation of this programme and may find employment within the spheres of drama, opera, film and television.

Our graduates have an outstanding record of success within the industry, most recently including a costume designer for British television series Downton Abbey, and costume workers on TV series Game of Thrones, Outlander, Poldark, Endeavour and The Halcyon, and on films Star Wars and Doctor Strange.

Read less

Do you have a talent for turning textiles into works of art? Then why not make the most of your skills by working towards an MA in Fashion Textiles? We can help you explore your technique through applied print design (both traditional silk screen and digital) and surface decoration through applied machine embroidery, needle felting and garment construction. You can also develop your millinery skills thanks to our wide range of fabrics, materials and haberdashery.

With the outstanding facilities we have available, as well as our expert teaching staff, you'll quickly develop the knowledge and skills to produce truly beautiful patterns. We believe strongly in cross-discipline approaches, which is why we allow students from all art subjects to work together in inspiring designs and opening up to new methods. Make sure you have the skills to make a profession out of your passion by taking your love of fashion textiles to the next level.

Course outline

We actively encourage mixing different approaches, materials and techniques to create innovative fabric, such as print combined with embroidery, with opportunities to utilise laser cutting to create new fabrics and potential applique techniques. Our strong links with traditional Fine Art print techniques allow students to research and explore the graphic and textural potential of these alongside contemporary fashion and textile design.

There will be three studio modules throughout the first two terms. The first will look at researching aspects of fashion textile, experiencing the range of processes and materials available. This will lead to creation of a range of studio project proposals, equipped with a comprehensive understanding of the creative potential within the department. Finally, there will be practical MA Project Module which will culminate in an exhibition of work in an appropriate media.

The course allows great flexibility within the project proposals. These may range from full garment collections to fabric creation for clothing, printed fashion fabrics or accessories.

Graduate destinations

You'll be prepared for a range of careers in fashion and textile design, including working with pattern cutting and pattern design in all garment trades as well as film and theatre costume production. You might wish to enter garment manufacturing or textile fabric design, working in samples for mass manufacture. No matter what you decide to do, from interior surface designs to textile and fashion prints, your qualification will ensure you are ready for it.

Read less