Rationale:
There have not been a lot of changes in the educational environment regarding the practical education of Fashion Design. The same manual processes are still in use, with little education and practice concerning the technological advancements the international fashion industry has made and implemented over the years.
The product development process has become more automated with the advent of CAD/CAM technology and machinery. The factory floor has also seen automation, there has been a price drop in automation costs and as such, technology is available worldwide. The use of automation will create consistency in the quality of the product, high productivity, and competitiveness. Fashion education also takes too long to be effectively practical and profitable for the students. The need and creation for this qualification was prompted by these factors. It ensures that the students are provided with specialized product-based skills in a shorter period so that they can empower themselves as entrepreneurs or in the workplace.
The qualification also ensures that they are adequately equipped with the knowledge and skills of CAD/CAM software and have sufficient exposure to a state-of-the-art factory floor and machinery that is necessary for their speciality. This will include receiving further knowledge to scale their products for public consumption. Most traditional learning which usually spans 3 years without a speciality, produces a graduate who is at a disadvantage because they took a lot of time learning a variety of subjects, without honing their skills to produce a specific garment that they can sell once they have left the lecture room. The current generation’s psychological make-up is such that they desire quick results and sudden glorification. This course will give them the desired result through a product while addressing the need to resolve the unemployment issue plaguing the country.
The qualification is designed to produce learners who can work in the fashion industry in positions that relate to product development, digital pattern making, garment construction, production management and entrepreneurship.
This qualification looks to address the lack of specialised product-based skills within the fashion industry, it also looks to normalise the use of CAD/CAM technology and machinery within the industry for students to keep up with technological changes within the industry. The qualification seeks to address the following areas:
- Emphasis on the Product Development process with the use of Computer-Aided Design (CAD) / Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) technology and software for technical drawings, pattern making and grading. fabric and trims identification, application and care, parts of dresses. Specification sheets, pre-production management and labelling.
- Exposure to the factory through cutting sheets, laying, and cutting, dress construction, trim and notions application and exposure to manual and semi-automated machinery, product production management and packaging.
The qualification will include other important skills such as the following:
- Fit and sizing of dresses.
- Use of style and design elements.
- Bodice construction.
- Quality control and finishings
- Trend analysis.
- Product production line design.
- Entrepreneurial skills with a focus on setting-up a small/medium overgarment-making business.
- Garment costing and basic accounting.
- Marketing and branding skills.
- Range compilation.
- Appropriate pressing and storing of dresses.
This qualification provides learners who have left high school or learners who have already studied a fashion-related qualification, the prospect of receiving sufficient specialised knowledge and skills in dress design, with the formal recognition for the skills and knowledge they have acquired. It creates the opportunity for learners to improve their employability or gives them the tools needed to begin their own business once the course is complete with a speciality in dress design. It also presents the opportunity for the learner who has worked within the fashion industry without a formal qualification, as recognition for their skills, knowledge and competency acquired in the workplace.
Important:
Duration:
In-person learning: 4-6 hours every day except the weekend
Course starting date :
Application fee
fee :
In the event that management determines a course to be financially unviable, FIAL reserves the right to suspend or cancel it with short notice.