Summer Study Abroad - Fashion Design

College
Central Saint Martins Level
No prior subject experience required

Follow in the footsteps of Central Saint Martins' fashion alumni such as John Galliano, Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney, Chopova Lowena, Rottingdean Bazaar and Grace Wales Bonner at one of the world's most renowned fashion universities.

Course introduction

On your 3-week Fashion Design course you will deep dive into research methods and design processes, developing strong fashion design ideas, and experiencing a similar journey to that of an undergraduate Central Saint Martins student in forming your own creative fashion identity.

You will be expected to push your ideas to expand and explore what is possible through the design process utilising different design techniques. You will engage with London’s streets, museums, exhibitions, cultural centres, stores, fabric shops and people watching, all as backdrop for your inspiration, research and investigation.

Dates and fees

Session 1

Dates: 29 June 2026 – 16 July 2026
Fee: £2,630
Application deadline: 11 May 2026
Fee payment deadline: The full fee payment is due within 2 weeks of receiving your offer
Duration: 3 weeks, with classes Monday to Thursday
Location: Central Saint Martins - Granary Square

Session 1 applications are closed.

Session 2

Dates: 20 July 2026 – 6 August 2026
Fees: £2,630
Application deadline: 1 June 2026
Fee payment deadline: The full fee payment is due within 2 weeks of receiving your offer
Duration: 3 weeks, with classes Monday to Thursday
Location: Central Saint Martins - Granary Square

Apply to Session 2

Entry requirements

English requirements

You should be proficient in written and spoken English and be able to participate in group discussions and presentations. As a guideline we would expect you to have an English language level equivalent to IELTS score of 6.0. A certificate is not required.

Academic requirements

This course does not require any prior subject experience and is open to all levels. Students must be over 18 wanting an undergraduate-level of study.

Application requirements

When applying you will be required to provide us with:

A copy of your in-date passport. Your passport needs to cover the whole length of the course;

A 200-300 word personal statement. The personal statement should indicate why you plan to Study Abroad in London at UAL. You should indicate why you would like to join the course for which you are applying.

Course details

In addition to sketchbook work, you will drape on mannequins and experiment with mixed media materials. You will discover the significance of fashion illustration and be taught by some of CSM’s most experienced fashion illustration tutors.

You will develop your own drawing style with processes such as analytical / figurative observation, marking making, stencils, mono prints, rubbings, collage, papercuts, rubbings and 2D to 3D exploration.

You will engage in conversations with classmates and be supported by one-to-one tutorials. This course will stimulate and challenge you in the same way fashion students at CSM are stretched every day. The work produced at the end of your course will form a group exhibition, as well as form an important part of your own fashion portfolio.

Course overview

Week 1 Research - learning skills and techniques
Week 2 Development - applying skills and techniques
Week 3 Communication - refining outcomes and presentation skills

Credits

This course is the equivalent to 4 US / 16 UK / 8 ECTS style credits. For more information check our credits and assessments page.
If you’re planning to claim credit towards your degree, be sure to check with your home institution before you apply. Please note that some institutions may have a different credit equivalence, please check this with your home institution.

Post-course

Study Abroad students receive a Record of Study 6-8 weeks after completion of their course. They will also receive a digital badge and downloadable certificate from Accredible after their Record of Study is issued. Badges can be shared in digital portfolios, used on CVs and added to social media profiles such as LinkedIn.

Meet the tutors

Session 1

Heather Sproat graduated from BA Fashion Womenswear at Central Saint Martins in 1993 and later trained in haute couture tailoring techniques at the Christian Dior couture atelier in Paris. She went on to work as a designer at Louis Vuitton before beginning her academic career at Central Saint Martins in 2000. She is now joint pathway leader for the BA Fashion Womenswear course. Over more than two decades she has mentored many influential designers including Gareth Pugh, Zac Posen, Wales Bonner and Charles Jeffrey, and has led collaborative projects with partners including Dior, Louis Vuitton, Nike and the Victoria & Albert Museum.

Anna-Nicole Ziesche is a visual artist and Pathway Leader for BA Fashion Design Womenswear at Central Saint Martins. She studied BA and MA Fashion at Central Saint Martins before expanding her practice into film and performance. Her film Infinite Repetition (2000) marked an important shift in fashion communication by using film to reveal the evolving forms of garments in motion. Ziesche has exhibited internationally including at the Centre Georges Pompidou, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, the Museum of the Moving Image in New York and the V&A’s Fashion in Motion series.

Session 2

Joshua Beaty is an artist, designer and educator based in London. He graduated from the BA and MA Fashion programmes at Central Saint Martins, receiving the Samsung Award, the Sarabande Foundation Scholarship and the Louise Wilson Fund Award.

His collaborative work spans fashion, art and performance, working with figures and institutions including Charles Jeffrey, Dover Street Market, Palais de Tokyo and David Lynch’s Silencio. From 2019 to 2021 he was artist-in-residence at Sarabande, the Lee Alexander McQueen Foundation. He joined the BA Fashion academic team at Central Saint Martins in 2019.

Julie Verhoeven is an artist whose practice spans fashion, illustration, installation and moving image. Originally trained in fashion design, she became widely known for her distinctive fashion illustration in the early 2000s.Her collaborations include major fashion houses and beauty brands such as Marc Jacobs, Versace, Louis Vuitton, Chloé and M.A.C, producing work across illustration, film, installations and performance.

Alongside her artistic practice she teaches on the MA Fashion programme at Central Saint Martins. The Victoria and Albert Museum holds more than one hundred of her drawings in its permanent collection.

Why choose this course?

experience a taster of the prestigious BA Fashion Design degree programme at Central Saint Martins
learn from tutors who are practicing artists, designers and communicators.
meet like-minded individuals from around the world!
get involved in UAL life through social events and activities.
All courses are assessed and you'll receive a record of study at the end of the programme if you wish to request credit from your home institution.

Materials

You will be provided with a basic set of drawing paper, pens/pencils, and a sketchbook. You will also be provided with basic sewing equipment; fabric scissors, tape measure, pattern master.

Please ensure you bring:

Camera or smartphone

Summer Study Abroad Award

We offer two Summer Study Abroad Award for for two students on one of our 3-week Summer Study Abroad courses.

To be eligible, you must be 18 years or older, hold an offer to join one of our 3 week Summer Study Abroad courses, and be enrolled on an undergraduate degree programme outside the UK.

The award covers the tuition-fee only and depends on you successfully enrolling for the course. Our cancellation policy still applies.
Award winners will be asked to take part in promotional activities to promote Summer Study Abroad, including social media posts and takeovers, and blog writing.

Find out how to apply.

'Normal World', Gabriella Engdahl, 2021 BA Performance: Design and Practice, Central Saint Martins, UAL, Gabriella Engdahl, Normal World

Summer Study Abroad accommodation

Book to stay in 1 of UAL's halls of residences.
Study Abroad Summer Fashion Show, image by Jieying Shao

Visas and immigration

Check which visa you need and start planning your travels!
Image courtesy of UAL

Student story: Vivian Li, Advanced Fashion Design

We chatted to Vivian about her time on the course and at Central Saint Martins.
Image credit: Ana Escobar

All Summer Study Abroad courses

Study from 3 to 8 weeks on one of our summer programmes.Study from 3 to 8 weeks on one of our summer programmes.