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Short course

Contemporary Dress Design and Making Short Course

Contemporary Dress Design and Making Short Course | On campus
Design and make contemporary dresses. Learn modern dressmaking techniques and create stylish, unique garments.

Next start months
July 2026
Tutor(s)
Katharine Harrison
Price
From £940.00

Course description

Course overview

Do you want to design and make your own dress that actually fits you? This course covers all the basics to get you started.

Your tutor will guide you through this journey from the very beginning of the design process through to the developing of your own patterns and the final making of a calico sample of your own design.

Who this course is for

This course is aimed at anyone who has some experience in pattern cutting and sewing.

Key information

Topics covered

  • Fashion design
  • Pattern cutting
  • Sewing

Learning outcomes

  • Design and make a well-fitted dress
  • Digital badge and certificate of attendance

Materials

  • Layout paper pad for design work
  • Metric tape measure
  • Pattern master or set square for pattern cutting
  • 4H and B pencil or propelling pencil
  • Magic scotch tape
  • Glue stick
  • Fine steel pins
  • Fabric shears
  • Paper shears
  • Felt tip pen (or magic marker)
  • Eraser
  • Thread
  • Bobbin case (can be bought in the College Shop)

Tutor

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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