Fashion and Textiles

Fashion and Textiles is all around us. A qualification in Fashion and Textiles invites students to engage in the journey from the fibre origin to the designing and manufacturing of the finished item. For example exploring the path of a natural staple cotton fibre as it passes through many technical stages before being transformed into a printed summer dress for sale in a high street chain store. Covering modules from fibre properties to environmental concerns, the course content is varied and thorough giving students a real-life insight and first steps into what it may be like to work as part of the textile industry, whether it is marketing, styling, buying, designing or making.

During this course students use their creativity and imagination to design and make textiles based prototypes. The content of the course is modern and relevant so students can learn about contemporary technologies, materials and processes as well as established practices. They are taught how to use a variety of tools and machinery to enable processes such as dyeing, printing, hand and machine embroidery, quilting, knitting, weaving, felting and more. Students are taught to use and manipulate block patterns to create intended fashion garments and over the two years make a collection of textiles products and fashion garments. Students complete the qualification with the theoretical knowledge and confidence to succeed in a number of creative industries.

Course content and assessment

We offer two courses; A level AQA Product Design and A level AQA Fashion and Textiles. They are both linear courses with the completion of the A Level at the end of the Upper Sixth. In the Lower Sixth, students will spend the first, second and part of the third term working on a number of individual projects developing and building their skills in the relevant materials areas. Students will then start their nonexam assessment coursework at the end of the Lower Sixth and complete it during terms one and two of the Upper Sixth.

Assessment Overview

Assessment: Non-exam Assessment (NEA) - Substantial Design and Make Project - A3 folio and made product - Weighting: 50%

Assessment: Paper 1 - Technical Principles - Written Exam - Weighting: 30%

Assessment: Paper 2 - Designing and Making Principles - Written Exam - Weighting: 20%

Potential careers

Textile designer, fashion designer, footwear designer, clothing alteration, fashion retailing, soft furnishings production, clothing production, tailoring, costume design, garment technology, dressmaking, upholstery, fashion marketing, visual merchandising, fashion merchandising, pattern cutting, fashion buying, styling, fashion journalism/blogging, fashion show production.

Facilities and staff

Clifton’s reputation for excellence in the Design and Technology Department is ever increasing and we are staffed with highly experienced staff who are trained in a variety of mediums and practice as designers and makers. We also have a full-time technician who supports the main workshop.

Clifton has a well-equipped Design and Technology Department that includes design studios, two computer rooms, Graphics and CAD programs, scanners, digital cameras and light boxes. We have a plastics workshop that includes a laser cutter and the equipment for the manipulation of plastics. We have a large workshop fitted out for wood and metal work,

including a new foundry for casting aluminium. Our textiles workshop has access to sewing machines, overlocker, sublimation printer, heat press and tools and equipment required for safe printing and dyeing of fabrics. The workshop continues to evolve with the equipment needed for students to fully realise all aspects of their designs.

Entry Requirements

Grade 7 at GCSE DT

Course Offered

A Level AQA Fashion and Textiles