MA in Digital Fashion

Program Overview

UCA's MA Digital Fashion program empowers creative thinkers to shape the future of fashion through technology. Led by industry pioneers, it equips students with the skills to create digital fashion garments, explore XR catwalk shows, and prepare for careers in the high-demand digital fashion industry. Graduates emerge with a unique combination of fashion knowledge, technical expertise, and critical understanding, enabling them to succeed in this rapidly evolving field.

Program Outline

It equips students with the skills, understanding, and confidence to shape the future of fashion through technology.

Objectives:

• Provide students with a deep understanding of the intersection between fashion and technology.
• Equip students with the technical skills necessary to create digital fashion garments in advanced contexts.
• Foster a creative and innovative environment where students can explore the future of fashion.
• Prepare students for a successful career in the digital fashion industry.

Program Description:

UCA's MA Digital Fashion program is a unique and cutting-edge course that stands at the forefront of digital fashion education.

• Led by industry pioneers and researchers, it was the first of its kind when launched by UCA.
• Students will learn to leverage generative AI alongside traditional methods to create 3D garments, preparing them for a competitive market.
• They will have the opportunity to create XR catwalk shows, user-customised sustainable fashion brands, genre-bending game skin launches, new responsive costume experiences in virtual concerts and cinema, or virtual influencers ready to go viral.
• Equipped with a strong core knowledge of fashion garment construction, the software behind emergent technologies such as Clo3D, Substance, and Unreal Engine, and an advanced critical understanding of the complex field, graduates will emerge with the rare combination of skills to succeed in this high-demand market sector.

Other:

• Award-winning students benefit from industry connections and unique opportunities like working on live projects with brands like Farfetch, Epic Games, and The Fabricant.
• Students have showcased their work at digital fashion week events across London, New York, Dubai, and the Metaverse.
• The small course cohort ensures that each student's unique strengths and interests are heard and fostered.
• The program is open to a range of backgrounds including fashion, textiles, fashion business, games, animation, film, and graphic design.

Outline:

Term One:

• Launch week brings together postgraduate students across all disciplines within the School of Fashion and Textiles to form a dynamic postgraduate community.
• Digital Practice: Students develop a self-negotiated individual project proposal, analyzing and reflecting on research ideas and pre-existing analogue and digital skills.
• Critical Thinking for Creative Practice: Introduces historical and contemporary debates underpinning creative practice, expanding historical and contextual knowledge, ethical frameworks, and social and cultural approaches to fashion and textiles.

Term Two:

• Opportunity Week: Students formally present their work in progress and major project proposal to the postgraduate community.
• Project Development: Students design and modify their digital fashion concept and project proposal, building a body of work appropriate for their target market and consumer.
• Collaborative Professional Practice: Students are introduced to markets, industry connections, contexts, and future facing professional development within their discipline, completing a two-stage collaborative professional project within their course remit or with students from the Business School for the Creative Industries.

Term Three:

• Project Realisation: Students showcase their skills, understanding, and creative approach, creating a final body of work presented as an industry-ready portfolio.

Teaching:

The program is taught by a team of industry pioneers and researchers who are at the forefront of digital fashion. The teaching methods used are innovative and engaging, and they create a vibrant and supportive learning environment.

• Teaching is delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars, workshops, guest lectures, and industry visits.
• Students are encouraged to experiment and take risks in their work, and they are provided with regular feedback to help them develop their skills and understanding.
• The program also has a strong focus on group work and collaboration, which helps students to develop their communication and teamwork skills.

Careers:

Graduates of this program are well-prepared for a successful career in the digital fashion industry. They have the skills and knowledge to work in a variety of roles, including:

• Digital fashion designer
• Digital textile designer
• Digital fashion stylist
• Fashion innovation entrepreneur or consultant
• Character artist for film or games
• 3D or VFX artist for film or games
• Digital garment sampler
• AR/VR designer
• Virtual influencer manager
• Fashion content creator
• Digital conservator
• 3D printed accessories designer
• Insights analyst
• AI fashion researcher
• Social media executive
• Digital marketing and e-commerce manager

Assessment:

The program is assessed through a variety of methods, including:

• Coursework
• Projects
• Presentations
• Exams
• Portfolios
The assessment methods are designed to be fair and to assess students' understanding of the subject matter and their ability to apply their knowledge to real-world situations.

Other:

• The program is open to students from all over the world.
• The program is taught in English.
• The program is located at UCA Epsom, which is a vibrant and creative campus located in the heart of Surrey.
• The program has a strong focus on employability, and graduates are well-prepared for a successful career in the digital fashion industry.

UK: £10,500 EU: £10,500 (see fee discount information) Integrated International Pre-Masters course - 30 weeks: £17,500 Integrated International Pre-Masters course - 15 weeks: £8,750