Assessment 1 Portfolio (80%) (Learning outcomes 1, 2, 3, 4)
A practical portfolio comprising:
A range of research evidence
Design development (e.g. sketches and samples)
Product development (e.g. patterns and toiles)
Ongoing annotations describing and justifying the design and make process
Final outcomes

Assessment 2 Presentation (20%) (Learning Outcomes 4)
A presentation to an audience ranging from 4 to 6 minutes:
Discussing research findings
Presenting design ideas and justifying intentions
Outlining further scope

There is no sector where the need to be on trend is more important than the fashion environment: this is not a local phenomenon, it is fundamental to the global fashion industry. Indeed to be really successful you need to be anticipating and leading trends rather than jumping on the band wagon. This module is designed to open your mind to the possibilities within and outside your normal working area, locally, nationally, and internationally. Some might refer to this as thinking outside the box.

You will explore the current hot topics in the fashion industry so that you are fully informed about the reasons why particular themes become high profile subjects, and how the fashion sector responds to them. For example, in the last 20 years, recycling and sustainability have become increasingly important to society, resulting in a shift in the fashion industry to embrace greener, more ethically aware production processes and products. During the same period, routes to market for fashion producers have diversified, and brands have had to be aware that the high-street shop may not be the future.
This module aims to equip you with research and analytical skills through the investigation of a given subject. This will lead to a presentation to an audience (assessment 1), using verbal and visual references to communicate your insights, reflections, ideas and considerations for further investigation. The work you undertake here will influence your approach to the portfolio of work for assessment 2.

You will develop a range of practical responses informed by your research into current and emerging hot topics. Pushing the boundaries of your creative and technical expertise, you will design and make a fashion focussed response that provides a potential solution to an identified issue or area for development, and be able to argue why you have made the choices you have arrived at.

1. Research, evaluate and interpret concepts and principles relating to current and emerging issues in the fashion industry
Enquiry
Analysis

2. Generate and present a range of alternative perspectives relating to a given subject
Learning, Problem Solving

3. Produce imaginative and suitable practical outcomes that draw on your increasing awareness of current and emerging issues in the fashion industry
Application

4. Provide a coherent argument through visual and verbal presentation.
Communication

You will learn how to research and generate ideas to produce a meaningful portfolio through studio work that is both tutor-led and managed by you. Your Module Handbook will include a week-by-week summary of activities.

As such, the learning strategies may include, but are not limited to:

Lectures and seminars discussing topical issues
Studio activities ¿ design-and-make workshops, portfolio development, presentation skills,
Practical development in response to a brief
Tutor-led debates and discussions
Peer evaluation and critiques
Time-management planning
Independent study

Specialist industrial sewing and pattern cutting equipment
Adobe Design suite
University Library
Word-processing facilities
Internet
Blackboard Virtual Learning Environment will support this module where relevant

Online resources
http://www.ethicalfashionforum.com/
http://fashionrevolution.org/

BLACK, S. (2012) The Sustainable Fashion Handbook. London: Thames & Hudson
CORNER, F. (2014) Why Fashion Matters. London: Thames & Hudson
MINNEY, S. (2016) Slow Fashion Aesthetics Meets Ethics. Oxford: New Internationalist