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Postgraduate

Graduate Diploma Fashion Design Technology

Colourful African-themed top design using paint.
Work by Graduate Diploma Fashion Design Technology student, Hong Zhao.
College
London College of Fashion
Start date
September 2024
Course length
1 year (30 weeks)
The graduate diploma fashion design technology is a one-year intensive course enabling students to develop skills required for postgraduate study or entering the industry. With experimentation at the heart of everything, students are introduced to diverse approaches to research, leading towards a greater sense of integrity and identity in their designed outcomes. We have open briefs that negotiate outcomes with each students based on their individual creative fashion practice.

Applying for more than 1 course

You can apply for more than 1 postgraduate course at UAL but we recommend that you apply for no more than 3. Find out more in the Apply Now section.

The negotiated approach to the briefs based on individual interests and practice facilitates a variety of postgraduate destinations including but not limited to fashion design, artefact, costume, critical thinking, and sustainability within fashion across various MA courses at UAL and beyond. Please note: This course will run at Level 6, which is equivalent to the final year of BA (Hons) degree, and is a preparatory course for students who want to study at postgraduate level.

Why choose this course at London College of Fashion

    • Critical thinking: course puts a great emphasis on the development of a perspective through an informed sense of agency within your fashion practice.
    • Orientation through diagnosis: We welcome students from diverse creative undergraduate educational backgrounds and support them in finding their direction through a diagnostic approach in fashion.
    • Educational opportunities: graduates have gone on to do a Master’s courses including fashion design in Menswear and Womenswear, Artefact, Costume, Future thinking (MA Fashion Futures), Creative Pattern and Garment Technology at institutions including LCF, CSM, Chelsea, and Wimbledon, in addition to the RCA, Westminster, Kingston, Goldsmiths, FIT New York and Aalto Helsinki.
    • The course offers an option of a guaranteed interview for an MA of your choice within the School of Design and Technology at LCF. For further details, please consult the Course Leader.
    • Industry Expertise: Course invites varied perspectives of visiting industry professionals who will inform creative discussions at different stages in the year. Previous visiting professionals include Richard Kilroy, Julie Verhoeven, Louise Gray, Claire Barrow, Emma Greenhill, James Buck, and Luke Brooks (Rottingdean Bazaar), Peter Jensen, Gabrielle Miller amongst others.
    • Industry Progression: Graduates are well-positioned to gain employment in varied industry roles in the area of design, technology, and future thinking.
    • Sustainability: This course helps students to develop a more conscious practice; to draw on their own values, backgrounds and vision for the future, in order to gain a clearer understanding of how they can create something of worth to themselves and the world.

Course overview

Graduate Diploma Fashion Design Technology provides you with an opportunity to explore and develop ways of working broadly within expanded fashion design practices. 

Experimentation will be at the heart of the work you do whilst on the course, allowing you to contribute to fashion discourse and bring a sense of integrity to each project.  Within the Diagnostic and Development Project, time will be spent examining various ways of approaching design briefs and the different ways to research, promoting diversity within your work.  Through unpacking the traditional design process and considering new ways of conceptualising the journey, applying sustainability, diversity and identity models you will be provided with the tools to uncover your own design aesthetic.   Combining studio practice with theory is a necessity and not seen as two separate areas. This will be applied through the Fashion Practice and Critical Contexts unit and throughout the course.  The final unit, Negotiated Major Project, allows you to develop a specialist approach to fashion practice and create a set of outputs that guide you towards a postgraduate course, industry or an enterprise destination.

The course applies a genderless approach to the design process.  Time spent exploring experimental processes can be applied to any relevant muse or consumer. The course fosters a peer learning and collaborative working environment through group working during workshops, peer review sessions and team working.

You will progress from the course with a portfolio and realised design work to support future development. Some students study on the Graduate Diploma to further their knowledge and skills before moving into industry or starting their own enterprise. Others use this study opportunity to prepare for MA progression within the Design and Technology programme at LCF, and other institutions within UAL and beyond.  Students from this course progress onto MA programmes within UAL including MA Fashion Design Technology Menswear, MA Fashion Design Technology Womenswear, MA Fashion Futures, MA Costume Design for Performance, MA Innovative Fashion Production, MA Fashion Artefact, MA Textiles, MA Art and Science and MA Pattern and Garment Technology.  Graduates from this course have also gone on to study MA at other institutions including FIT New York, RCA, University of Westminster, Aalto Helsinki, Glasgow School of Art and Kingston University.

You will leave the course with an understanding and confidence in conceptualising and realising your ideas as fashion outputs having studied in a city known for nurturing new talent. 

Climate, Social and Racial Justice

We are committed to ensuring that your skills are set within an ethical framework and are working to embed UAL’s Principles for Climate, Social and Racial Justice into the course.

Course units

Block 1 (Weeks 1-15) 

Diagnostic and Development Project (40 Credits)
Fashion Practice and Critical Contexts (20 Credits) 

Block 2 (Weeks 16-30) 

Negotiated Major Project (60 Credits) 
  

Course structure 

The information outlined is an indicative structure of the course. Whilst we will aim to deliver the course as described on this page, there may be situations where it is desirable or necessary for the University to make changes in course provision, for example because of regulatory requirements or operational efficiencies, before or after enrolment. If this occurs, we will communicate all major changes to applicants and students who have either applied or enrolled on the course. 

Webpage updates 

We will update this webpage from time to time with new information as it becomes available. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please contact a member of the course team. 
  
 

Course Units: 

The Diagnostic and Development Project 
Creative fashion design relies on a deep, personal understanding of research that should originate from a multitude of sources and inspirations. To become an innovative designer within the industry requires the ability to take this information and respond by taking risks and alternate paths throughout the design process and beginning to understand what may make you different. This practice-based unit aims to observe and challenge your use of both existing and unfamiliar methods of the research, design, and technical processes to help inform your values as a designer. Through the introduction of different approaches to research and design this unit will encourage an experimental and reflective approach to understanding a design brief centred around fashion product. 

Fashion Practice and Critical Contexts 
The fashion industry is a field of cultural production that circulates highly symbolic objects across many overlapping and interconnected spaces of production and consumption. To work in this field requires a high amount of reflexivity and a tacit understanding of the aesthetic, social and political contexts in which fashion is produced. This unit affords you the opportunity to explore fashion in its cultural and historical contexts and to develop a theoretical underpinning to inform your design practice. You will learn how to apply academic and visual research methods in order to make sense of current issues in fashion practice and how to contextualise them through cultural and critical theory. 

Negotiated Major Project 
This final unit will consolidate the critical, conceptual and experimental thinking developed within block one.  It presents the opportunity for you to devise, explore and realise a personal and in-depth practice-led fashion outcome. You will be expected to propose and critique your intentions for the project and justify any potential innovation within the context of the fashion industry, in relation to both what you produce and how you present it. 

The project will be led by continuously developing your sense of aesthetic that critically reflects on your likes and dislikes as a practitioner whilst also providing the opportunity to explore and realise the challenges of your chosen brief. Visual research methods will be explored in relation to your studio practice giving you the ability to present a professional and self-directed project with appropriate fashion related outcomes.  Your work will evidence your ability to construct, direct and organise an overall professional outcome. By evaluating and reflecting upon your own learning and skills you may direct this project towards postgraduate progression, entering the industry or considering personal enterprise. 

Learning and teaching methods

The following teaching and learning methods are employed to support the integrated achievement of the course outcomes using a blended learning mode of delivery: 

  • Online and in person lectures. 
  • Online and in person seminars. 
  • In person workshops and practical demonstrations. 
  • Online and in person individual and group tutorials. 
  • Critiques.
  • Peer critiques. 

Graduate Diploma Fashion Design Technology | Undergraduate Degree Show 2023

Graduate Diploma Fashion Design Technology | Undergraduate Degree Show 2023

Graduate Showcase

Explore work by our recent students on the UAL Showcase

Student and graduate work

  • Romina-Ferrari-1.jpg
    Work by Graduate Diploma Fashion Design Technology student, Romina Ferrari.
  • Grad-Dip-FDT-Hong-Zhao-01-model-on-ladder.JPG
    Graduate Diploma Fashion Design Technology. Student work by Hong Zhao.
  • Romina-Ferrari-2.jpg
    Work by Graduate Diploma Fashion Design Technology student, Romina Ferrari.
  • Grad-Dip-FDT-Iga-Kampa-01-blue-cream-and-pink-woven-pipe-wired-piece.jpg
    Graduate Diploma Fashion Design Technology. Student work by Iga Kampa.
  • Romina-Ferrari-3.jpg
    Work by Graduate Diploma Fashion Design Technology student, Romina Ferrari.
  • LCF Undergraduate Class of 2023 – School of Design and Technology Screenings. Photography by Eilwen Jones.

    LCF23: School of Design and Technology Screenings recap

    Recapping LCF23's screenings hosted by the School of Design and Technology, showcasing work from BA (Hons) Fashion Sportswear, BA (Hons) Fashion Pattern Cutting, and Graduate Diploma Fashion Design Technology.

  • Visitors during a recent LCF graduate exhibition. Photographer: © Ana Blumenkron

    Introducing LCF's new public facing Cultural Programme

    LCF is excited to announce that from September 2023, when it opens the doors to its new home as part of East Bank, it will offer a brand-new, free, cultural programme open to the public.

  • LCF Postgraduate Class of 2023. Artwork by Lauren Chalmers.

    Celebrating LCF Postgraduate Class of 2023

    LCF are excited to introduce LCF Postgraduate Class of 2023, demonstrating how LCF students look beyond the traditional notions of fashion to imagine a new and exciting future.

  • Close up of Frederico laying on Pampas

    Memories surrounded by de Gaucho

    We got in touch with alumnus Frederico Becker, a 24-year-old Brazilian Fashion Designer on his latest collection “Bem-Te-Vi” for his brand Fred Becker.

Staff

Tarang Bharti

Tarang Bharti is the course leader for the Graduate Diploma in Fashion Design and Technology, he studied BA (Hons) Fashion Design and Technology Womenswear at London College of Fashion as well as the PGCert in Learning and Teaching at UAL. Alongside his teaching practice, Tarang has been actively involved in the industry with the previous roles including brand manager for Rue-L, product development, and pattern cutting roles for brands such as Claire Barrow and J.Won London. Tarang also owns his leather accessories brand, where he challenges the idea of traditional luxury and craft through innovative use of material and experimental construction. Outside Fashion, Tarang has a photography practice and is currently studying MA Photography Arts at the University of Westminster, where his research enquiry is focusing on the relationship between Science, Photography and Art, through an Objective Ontological Enquiry in Documentary and Art Photography. Tarang firmly believes having a fashion practice should be a fluid term, with trans-disciplinary processes at the heart of it.

Anna Howard

Anna Howard is the design lecturer for the Graduate Diploma in Fashion Design and Technology. Her art practice and design education is heavily led by research and intuitive learning through the act of making. Originating from her bachelor studies in Book Arts and Design Anna has maintained a dedication to independent publishing, and creative modes of disseminating new ideas generated through sourcing and collating archival material. She has worked with contemporary artists to produce small editions through her own business and works collaboratively on the imprint Eva.C. With a range of experience across multiple creative industries she has worked with establishments such as Donlon Books, LN-CC, Frame London and Wild Life Archive. Informed by collecting printed material, textiles, and design objects, Anna firmly believes in the power of narratives in objects.

Fees and funding

Home fee

£13,330

This fee is correct for 2024/25 entry and is subject to change for 2025/26 entry.

Tuition fees may increase in future years for new and continuing students on courses lasting more than one year. For this course, you can pay tuition fees in instalments.

Students from countries outside of the UK will generally be charged international fees. The rules are complex so read more about tuition fees and determining your fee status.

International fee

£28,570

This fee is correct for 2024/25 entry and is subject to change for 2025/26 entry.

Tuition fees may increase in future years for new and continuing students on courses lasting more than one year. For this course, you can pay tuition fees in instalments.

Students from countries outside of the UK will generally be charged international fees. The rules are complex so read more about tuition fees and determining your fee status.

Scholarship search

Entry requirements

The standard entry requirements for this course are as follows:

  • An Honours degree or equivalent academic qualification;
  • Professional qualifications recognised as equivalent to an Honours degree;
  • OR a combination of formal qualifications and experiential learning which, taken together, can be demonstrated to be equivalent to formal qualifications otherwise required.

APEL (Accreditation of Prior (Experiential) Learning)

Applicants who do not meet these course entry requirements may still be considered in exceptional cases. The course team will consider each application that demonstrates additional strengths and alternative evidence. This might, for example, be demonstrated by:

  • Related academic or work experience
  • The quality of the personal statement
  • A strong academic or other professional reference
  • OR a combination of these factors

Each application will be considered on its own merit but we cannot guarantee an offer in each case.

English Language Requirements

IELTS level 6.5 with a minimum of 6.0 in reading, writing, listening and speaking. Please check our main English Language Requirements .

Selection criteria

The course seeks to recruit students from diverse socio-economic and cultural backgrounds, and welcomes applications from mature students.

The course team seeks to recruit students who can demonstrate:

  • The potential to develop their practical and critical abilities through academic study
  • Critical knowledge of a subject area
  • A capacity for intellectual inquiry and reflective thought
  • An openness to new ideas and a willingness to participate actively in their own intellectual development
  • Initiative and a developed and mature attitude to independent study

 

Apply now

Application deadline

Deadline

Round 1:

13 December 2023 at 1pm (UK time)

Round 2:

3 April 2024 at 1pm (UK time)

Digital portfolio and video task deadline

Round 1:

16 January 2024

Round 2:

16 April 2024

Decision outcome

Round 1:

End of March 2024

Round 2:

End of June 2024

Round 1
Round 2
Deadline
13 December 2023 at 1pm (UK time)
3 April 2024 at 1pm (UK time)
Digital portfolio and video task deadline
16 January 2024
16 April 2024
Decision outcome
End of March 2024
End of June 2024

All applications received by 3 April will be treated equally. If there are places available after this date, the course will remain open to applications until places have been filled.

Read more about deadlines

Apply now

Application deadline

Deadline

Round 1:

13 December 2023 at 1pm (UK time)

Round 2:

3 April 2024 at 1pm (UK time)

Digital portfolio and video task deadline

Round 1:

16 January 2024

Round 2:

16 April 2024

Decision outcome

Round 1:

End of March 2024

Round 2:

End of June 2024

Round 1
Round 2
Deadline
13 December 2023 at 1pm (UK time)
3 April 2024 at 1pm (UK time)
Digital portfolio and video task deadline
16 January 2024
16 April 2024
Decision outcome
End of March 2024
End of June 2024

All applications received by 3 April will be treated equally. If there are places available after this date, the course will remain open to applications until places have been filled.

Read more about deadlines

Apply to UAL

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Find your representative

How to apply

Follow this step-by-step guide to apply for this course

Step 1: Initial application

You will need to submit an initial application including your personal statement and CV.

Personal statement advice

Your personal statement should be maximum 500 words and include:

  • your reasons for choosing the course
  • your current creative practice and how this course will help you achieve your future plans
  • any relevant education and experience, especially if you do not have any formal academic qualifications.

Visit our personal statement page for more advice.

CV advice

Please provide a CV detailing your education, qualifications and any relevant work or voluntary experience. If you have any web projects or other media that you would like to share, please include links in your CV. If English is not your first language, please also include your most recent English language test score.

Step 2: Video task and digital portfolio

We will review your initial application. If you have met the standard entry requirements, we will ask you to submit a video task and digital portfolio.

You’ll need to submit these via PebblePad, our online portfolio tool. Please submit your video task on the first page followed by your portfolio.

Video task advice

We’d like you to submit a 2-3 minute video to help us learn more about you. When recording your task, please face the camera and speak in English.

What to include in your video task

  • Choose 1 project from your portfolio and explain how it challenged you and your understanding of fashion design technology.
  • Tell us how this experience inspired you to apply to the Graduate Diploma at London College of Fashion.

Read our guidance for how to submit your video task and which file types we accept.

Digital portfolio advice

Your portfolio should consist of recent work that reflects your creative strengths.

It should:

  • be maximum 30 pages, including your video task
  • include essential development work from sketchbooks as well as final presentations with photographs of your garments
  • be clearly presented with labels including dates and captions.

For more support, see our Portfolio advice and PebblePad advice.

Step 3: Interview

You may be invited to an interview following our review of your application. All interviews are held online and last 15 to 20 minutes.

For top tips, see our Interview advice.

You also need to know

Communicating with you

Once you have submitted your initial application, we will email you with your login details for our Applicant portal.

Requests for supplementary documents like qualifications and English language tests will be made through the applicant portal. You can also use it to ask questions regarding your application. Visit our After you apply page for more information.

Applying to more than 1 course

You can apply for more than 1 postgraduate course at UAL but we recommend that you apply for no more than 3 courses. You need to tailor your application, supporting documents and portfolio to each course, so applying for many different courses could risk the overall quality of your application. If you receive offers for multiple courses, you'll only be able to accept 1 offer. UAL doesn't accept repeat applications to the same course in the same academic year.

Visas and immigration history check

All non-UK nationals must complete an immigration history check. Your application may be considered by our course teams before this check takes place. This means that we may request your portfolio and/or video task before we identify any issues arising from your immigration history check. Sometimes your history may mean that we are not able to continue considering your application. Visit our Immigration and visas advice page for more information.

External student transfer policy

UAL accepts transfers from other institutions on a case-by-case basis. Read our Student transfer policy for more information.

Alternative offers

If your application is really strong, but we believe your strengths and skillset are better suited to a different course, we may make you an alternative offer. This means you will be offered a place on a different course or at a different UAL College.

Deferring your place

We do not accept any deferral requests for our postgraduate courses. This means that you must apply in the year that you plan to start your course and you will not be able to defer your place to start at a later date.

Application deadlines

For postgraduate courses at UAL there are 2 equal consideration deadlines to ensure fairness for all our applicants. If you apply ahead of either of these deadlines, your application will be considered on an equal basis with all other applications in that round. If there are places available after the second deadline, the course will remain open to applications until places have been filled.

Careers

All of our undergraduate courses offer career development, so that you become a creative thinker, making effective contributions to your relevant sector of the fashion industry.

LCF offers students the opportunity to develop Personal and Professional Development (PPD) skills while studying through:
  • An on-course work experience or placement year. Please note, this is not available on every course; please see the Course Details section for information about work placement opportunities.
  • Access to to speaker programmes and events featuring alumni and industry.
  • Access to careers activities, such as CV clinics and one-to-one advice sessions.
  • Access to a graduate careers service
  • Access to a live jobsboard for all years.
  • Advice on setting up your own brand or company.
Graduates who wish to continue their education at postgraduate level can progress to suitable courses within the College, the University or elsewhere.

Career paths

The Graduate Diploma in Fashion Design Technology is located within the Graduate School at LCF. This course prepares graduates for suitable MA courses within the Design and Technology programme at LCF, including MA Fashion Design Technology Menswear, MA Fashion Design Technology Womenswear, and MA Pattern and Garment Technology.

Graduates have previously secured places on MA progressions within UAL and LCF, CSM, Chelsea and Wimbledon in addition to the RCA, Westminster, Kingston, Goldsmiths, Aalto Helskinki, Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp.

Alternatively, graduates of this course will be in a position to gain employment in varied roles within the international fashion industry in the area of design and technology.