Online Fashion Course | Foundation Fashion Design Diploma

This exciting and transformative course gives students the skills they need, providing them with unique insights into the dynamics of this ever-evolving industry.

This stimulating course has a strong practical focus, developing not just skills, knowledge and understanding of cultures, design and design theory, but also the development of challenging ideas that provoke conventional fashion and create a dazzling and beautiful future today.

Successful graduates earn a Foundation Diploma qualification that is equal to 3 A Levels and is nationally accredited by the UK’s largest vocational awarding body, SEG ABC Awards.

Equally valuable, graduates achieve a specialist portfolio that expresses their personal brand of fashion and textile design, enabling them to access top universities and employment as a professional qualified fashion or textile designer.

Entry requirements

To enrol in our online Fashion Foundation course, you must meet the following criteria:

Be aged 16 years or over
Hold 5 GCSEs / IGCSEs including Maths, English and Art or Photography (or equivalent international qualifications), or have a strong portfolio
Mature students do not need to have an exam qualification. You will need some ability to draw and paint, and have a desire to succeed. Please send an example of your work if unsure of the level.

Our foundation fashion design course is taken completely online. As such, you must have access to a strong internet connection as well as basic art materials to complete the course.

Study Options

The Diploma Foundation Fashion Course is available on a part time or full time study basis. Full time programmes are one year, beginning December to January and September to October. Alternatively, you can study part time over two years. Enrolment available all year round.

Part-time programmes (2 years): available all year around – enrolling now
Full-time programmes (1 year): start December to January and September to October. Exceptions may apply.

Accreditations and UCAS Points

Our online Foundation Fashion Design course is accredited by SEG ABC, one of the nation’s leading education awarding bodies. Graduates finish the course with a fully recognised fashion design qualification.

Accreditation: SEG ABC Awards
OFQUAL Regulated: Yes (Ofqual number 500/8476/8)
UCAS Tariff: up to 112 points – equivalent to two A Levels at A* grade – university entry requires 80 -100 UCAS points
UCAS application supported: Yes

Additional Course Information

Portfolio support: Yes

Tuition: Face to face, one to one – unlimited

Progression: To any University / BA Honours Degree

Level 3 or Level 4?

The qualification that students will receive is a Level 3 Diploma. Level 3 qualifications are FE (further education) and prepare for University. LEAs fund students up to this level and the qualification carries UCAS points for entry into HE (higher education).

There is a final graded unit which is actually a Level 4 unit, which helps students prepare for HE, as it gives experience at this slightly higher level. This unit shows on your transcript for the qualification (the sheet that breaks down all units, credits and grade) as a Level 4 unit. However, the qualification is awarded as a Level 3 qualification overall.

The exam board do offer a Level 4 foundation diploma, but it does not carry any UCAS points whatsoever, so it is unlikely to be useful to any of our students. (This is because Level 4 is seen as HE and not FE.) If students want to go for a Level 4 version of the course, they can, but this is to be discussed once enrolled, as it will mean no UCAS points! The degree that students go on to study will be level 4+, so there is no need to gain a Level 4 qualification at this stage.

Our online Foundation Fashion Design course comprises 3 units or stages: the Exploratory Stage, the Pathway Stage, and the Confirmatory Stage. Each stage lasts 12 to 24 weeks, depending on whether you are studying full-time or part-time and can be extended if needed.

The Exploratory Stage

The Exploratory Stage of the course provides an opportunity for students to gain a deeper understanding of the practice of art and design. During this stage, students will learn the fundamental elements of the discipline, such as drawing and basic photography. You will use a range of materials and processes, all helping to develop their portfolio.

You’ll have the option to choose from five different project areas, of which you'll study three:

Photography (mandatory)
Fine Art
Graphic Design and Illustration
3D (Architecture, 3D Design, Sculpture)
Fashion and Textiles

The Pathway Stage

The Pathway stage gives students the opportunity to delve deeper into a particular field of study. The choice is completely yours. Your tutors will guide your work based on the work that you completed during the Exploratory Stage so that you find a subject that best aligns with your interests and goals.

The Confirmatory Stage

The Confirmatory stage marks the end of the Foundation Fashion Design Diploma and will comprise the work that determines your final grade. During this stage, you will work on a practical final major project of your own choosing. This can take the form of a show reel, a piece of clothing, a series of photographs, a painting, an animation, an interior design plan, an architectural design, or a video game, among other possibilities. Your tutor will be able to provide guidance and advice in order to get you on the right track with a project that you find interesting and that is in line with your strengths.