The Romans and Egyptians were greatly concerned with their appearance, investing much effort and money in seeking elegance and innovating various fashion styles. Fashion interest has been evident throughout history in the Western world, especially in Britain and France, as they significantly influenced global fashion through colonial rule, which contributed to transferring clothing styles and spreading them worldwide. The modern clothing industry began in companies or fashion houses managed by designers in the 19th century. The city of Paris, France, exported the latest clothing designs with distinctive French patterns to the world. Afterward, fashion magazines spread worldwide in the early 20th century, becoming more influential on public taste. Perhaps the most famous of these magazines was La Gazette du Bon Ton, founded in 1912 by Lucien Vogel.
Fashion and textile design has witnessed rapid development in the 21st century, with a multitude of fashion houses and fashion manufacturing companies, and the use of modern technological means in fashion design has become essential. Fashion and textile design refer to designing and adding aesthetic and creative touches to clothing through multiple stages, including drawing the design, selecting fabrics, taking measurements, using computers to create designs, and keeping up with the latest fashion trends. A professional designer can create designs from an aesthetic and artistic perspective that aligns with societal culture and keeps pace with contemporary textile art, which is rapidly evolving.
What Skills Are Required for a Fashion Designer?
- Ability to link cultural and social values with fashion and textile design
- Ability to identify suitable textile and printing techniques
- Ability to innovate diverse designs for fashion and textiles
- Effective utilization of advanced technologies in fashion and design
- Ability to use mechanical tools in the design field
- Teamwork and completing work within a specified timeframe
- Linking ethical values of art and culture with professional ethical values
- Keeping up with developments in art, design, and technologies, both locally and internationally
Curriculum for Fashion and Textile Design Programs
The subjects covered by students during their four years of studying fashion and textile design vary. Below are the academic subjects according to one of the Turkish universities. Most universities offer the same subjects with slight differences. You can learn about the details of the academic subjects covered in each academic year by visiting the university website where you wish to study.
First Academic Year
- Art Origins
- Teaching Basic Arts
- Conducting an applied study of portrait drawings and rapid drawing techniques
- Characteristics and properties of threads from different materials and their uses in fashion design
Second Academic Year
- Design Basics
- Design using computers
- Pattern development
- Textile structure basics
- Textile preparation processes and machines
- Introduction to photography
- Print design
- Printing techniques
- Effects of urban life
Third Academic Year
- Fashion and clothing history
- Practical application activities in the workplace
- Fashion design
- Sewing techniques
- Fashion shaping methods
- Current cultural trends and modern artistic tendencies
- Basic concepts of aesthetics
- Islamic and Eastern arts
- Contemporary art theories
- Leading trends in Western arts
Fourth Academic Year
- Graduation project
- Fashion marketing
- Planning implementation activities in the workplace
- Accessories design
- Artwork analysis
- Semiotics and art
- Entrepreneurship
- Design and branding
- Social sciences and arts
In addition to the above educational programs, students participate in applied projects under the supervision of several fashion designers and well-known companies in the fashion and textile world, which develop their necessary craft and social skills and enable them to build their experience in the real world.
Job Opportunities for Fashion and Textile Design Graduates
- Local and international clothing and textile manufacturing companies
- Fashion model design companies for cinema, theater, and television
- Pattern design companies, sample factories, and ready-to-wear clothing factories
- Supervision of production lines and quality in clothing factories
- Working in management, planning, and marketing in the fashion industry
- Teaching in institutes and colleges
- Initiating projects in the field of fashion and clothing art
