Fashion Design Course - 4 sessions

A programme of fashion workshops for schools and youth organisations that reveals the techniques used by top fashion designers

This fashion design course is our most comprehensive introduction to the techniques used every day by professional clothing designers.

Over the course of four fascinating sessions, your young people will learn how to do everything from creating a mood board to a finished clothing design. Plus they'll receive help and guidance every step of the way courtesy of SSS founder and top fashion designer Sissy Rooney

What happens on this fashion design course?

Session 1

• An inspirational motivational talk from Sissy about her path from troubled teen to pro-designer – explaining how with passion, creativity and perseverance, the young people can go far in life… no matter how difficult their background
• Sissy gives the group some creative inspiration by showing-off examples of clothing designed and customised on previous fashion design courses
• The group members design a mood/concept board which reveal their personalities, interests and fashion style –  these will be displayed alongside their finished item of clothing

Session 2

• Sissy introduces the group to the materials and equipment they'll use to customise their clothing in a ‘Street-Style' – includes fabric spray paints, fabric pens, crayons and a treasure-trove of embellishment materials
• The group have a go at customising a blank fabric square using the materials provided – this way they can experiment and make mistakes without ruining the final design
• Taking inspiration from their mood/concept boards the group brainstorm ideas for the final garment design… before working these ideas up onto a technical working sketch sheet
• The young people start to customise their clothing – closely following the working sketches that they just made
• Everyone takes it in turns to use the sewing machine, under Sissy's close supervision… the machine is safety-speed restricted

Session 3

• The group continue to work on their designs with advice and help from Sissy whenever they need it
• Everyone fills-out a garment costing form – this reveals how much the item cost to make and how much it could be sold for… and shows the group that it is possible to make money from their creative talents

Session 4

• The focus for the final week is on drawing and presentation skills – by the end of the course each young person will have a mounted fashion illustration displaying the item of clothing that they customised
• The young people learn how to sketch items of clothing and how to add colour with watercolour pencils and crayons
• Each group member does a mini-presentation showing-off their designs and explaining what they have learned on the course – there's also the option to stage a fashion show and photo-shoot

Areas covered on this fashion design course

• Mood/concept boarding
• Using art materials such as fabric spray paints and other embellishments
• Drawing-up technical working sketches
• Stencil making (optional)
• Fashion illustration and presentation skills
• Using a sewing machine
• Producing a finished item of clothing
• Garment costing
• Staging a mini fashion show, photo-shoot and presentation (optional)

What sizes does this fashion design course come in?

• The Full Monty –one two-hour session each week for four weeks, which can be run during the day or as an after school club. This four-week programme will give the group time to fully explore their creativity… and gain a working knowledge of fashion design and the fashion industry.
• Fun Size – A fast-moving introduction to all elements of the course condensed into one fun-packed day.

How many young people can this fashion design course accommodate?

We recommend that groups are limited to fifteen young people or fewer on our fashion design courses. This way, Sissy can spend time with each group member providing help and inspiration.

What do young people say about this fashion design course?

• “I feel like a real fashion designer” – Alice 14
  
• “Today has been the best day of my life” – Katie 11
  
• “I want to be a fashion designer when I grow up” – Livvy 12

Contact us about this fashion design course

To find out more, please take a minute to complete the form below… including all fields marked with *