Lingerie and Swimwear Design Short Course
Course description
Course overview
The Lingerie and Swimwear Design short course covers the design processes of lingerie and swimwear enabling you to design your own capsule collection. You'll gain valuable insights into the lingerie and swimwear industry, allowing you to develop a suitable retail concept.
You'll undertake research development, customer profiling, establishing a market position, concept development and exploring design details. You'll also create a wish list of fabrics/components for your design.
This course also covers trend forecasting and colour palette development to drive your collection build, with drawing tips and range planning. You'll be working both independently and in groups, with regular group feedback.
Please note that this is a design based course and does not include any garment construction work or pattern cutting.
This course is available both on campus or online. Please check location assigned to specific dates in the booking section.
Who this course is for
This course is ideal for anyone looking to gain a thorough understanding of the product cycle for a lingerie or swimwear collection and develop practical skills that will help you in your career or business. You must also have some painting experience for the course.
Key information
Topics covered on campus
- Focus on research development, customer profiling, establishing a market level, concept development and exploring design details/components
- This course also includes trend, fabric and colour palette development to aid your collection, with drawing tips and range planning. You will work both independently and in groups, with regular group feedback
Topics covered online
- Trend boards (colour pallet, product shape, product detail, fabrics/prints, design theme)
- Shop report (competitor analysis to help with your range planning)
- Marketing guide (how do your competitors market their designs?)
- Customer profile (what type of customer are you designing for?)
- Illustration guide (where to start, what materials to use)
- Finishing and terminology (understanding different types of finishing to build into your sketches)
- Collection build (designing your capsule collection)
- Understand next steps (route to manufacture, designer checklists, final e-presentation
Learning outcomes
- Create a capsule collection for your chosen product category, utilising a comprehensive design and construction toolkit. This will include concept development, fabric selection, component choices, and detailed design planning.
- Develop skills in researching fashion trends, identifying target customers, and profiling market positions, enhancing their ability to design with specific customer needs in mind.
- Use trend forecasting techniques to inform design choices and build cohesive colour palettes that reflect current and upcoming market trends.
- Gain a solid understanding of the lingerie and swimwear industry's landscape, including competitor analysis and positioning within the market.
- Conceptualise a retail strategy for presenting their designs, considering market trends, consumer behaviour, and brand positioning.
- Learn how to visually communicate ideas through the development of trend boards, fabric selections, design illustrations, and collection presentations.
- Work both independently and in group settings, sharing ideas, giving and receiving feedback, and improving designs based on peer and tutor input.
- Develop an awareness of the production process, including designer checklists and potential routes to manufacture, to prepare for transitioning designs from concept to reality.
- Digital badge and certificate of attendance
Materials
On campus
To fully participate in the practical exercises please bring the following materials/equipment to the first class:
- A4 layout 45gsm paper pad
- Technical/mechanical pencil
- Eraser
- Fine black pens
- Materials for colour work in your preferred medium (e.g. coloured pencils, water soluble coloured pencils, felt tip pens etc)
- Notepad and pen for note taking
- Laptop/iPad/tablet
- 1-2 fashion/art/design/architecture magazines to cut up for a collage activity (optional)
Online
Please bring for the first session:
- A4 layout 45gsm paper pad
- Technical/mechanical pencil
- Eraser
- Fine black pens
- Materials for colour work in your preferred medium (e.g. coloured pencils, felt tip pens etc)
If you are taking this course online, please see our Guide to taking online short courses.
Tutor
Emma Hopkins
Emma Hopkins is a Designer, llustrator & Trend Researcher for Lingerie, Swimwear & Sports. With a diverse and creative background reaching across intimates, apparel, trend forecasting and illustration. Emma has been designing for nearly 20 years, working for brands across US, Asia, Europe & UK markets to create lingerie collections and trend research for iconic luxury and high street brands. Emma thrives on creating next generation products in moulded, bonded, seamfree, structured and unstructured garments.
Nichole de Carle
Nichole de Carle is a contour design specialist and fashion entrepreneur with over a decade of experience shaping the bodywear and activewear industry. A First-Class Honours graduate in Contour Design from De Montfort University, her career began at global fashion houses including Alexander McQueen, Donna Karan New York, and Pleasure State.
In 2010, Nichole launched her eponymous label, creating bespoke designs for icons such as Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez, and Rita Ora. Following the brand’s acquisition in 2021, she redirected her expertise to drive innovation across her consultancy, London Contour Experts, where she also serves as the trend forecaster for Performance Days Global Tradeshows and a partner with the trend forecasting company Concepts Paris.
Named on Lingerie Insight’s Power List as a leading industry influencer, Nichole combines creative direction, business strategy, and brand innovation to help contour and fashion brands thrive. Through London Contour Experts, she offers 360° consultancy — empowering emerging and established labels to push boundaries and redefine the future of bodywear.
Katharine Harrison
Katharine Harrison (Katy) is a multidisciplinary creative with a focus on intimate bodywear for the female experience.
Trained as a Womenswear designer at the Royal College of art, Brighton University and Kingston University respectively, Katharine has over 20 year’s experience in both Fashion and Costume industries, with almost 10 years teaching experience in both further and higher education.
Running her signature womenswear label from her London Studio since 2012, Katharine has shown collections at London and Paris Fashion week as part of the Canon Cinema at Somerset House and Paris showrooms, where she gained international recognition from press and buyers.
Now focussing on bespoke lingerie, Katharine’s work explores how undergarments can assist in the reconnection with our bodies, our intuition and primordial wisdom during matrescence and midlife.
Katharine has a background in corsetry and bespoke tailoring, constructing and fitting corsets for industry clients and various period feature films, with experience working as a pre-apprentice in Bespoke Tailoring on Savile Row. Katharine has worked and trained under various labels such as Marchesa, Katharine Hamnett and Ely Kishimoto, working for a range of stylists, actors, designers and directors over the course of her career.
With past experience as a Senior Technician for Middlesex University and Lecturer at London Metropolitan and University of the Arts London, Katharine interest lies in the transformational potential of both fashion and education in the creative arts.
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