Fashion Design

Courses

Color Theory

Discover color and its implications for designers and artists, such as the use of color to solve spatial problems. This course also examines color qualities, color harmony, and the way colors interact.

Design Sketching

Working from live models, students learn drawing skills, fundamental anatomy, and the dynamics of movement, in preparation for producing fashion illustrations.

Construction Techniques I

Practice basic draping, flat patternmaking, and sewing techniques as you learn the principles of fashion design. Topics include three-dimensional muslin interpretation of skirts and bodices, the development of slopers, and garment construction.

Construction Techniques II

Building on the basic draping, patternmaking, and sewing skills covered in Construction Techniques I, you learn to design more tailored apparel through advanced draping exercises and patternmaking applications. 

Fashion Flats

This course introduces the professional techniques used to create fashion flats, which range from traditional hand sketching to vector-format images produced in Adobe Illustrator. 

Worth to Westwood: Fashion from the 19th to the 21st Century

This fashion history course opens with an introduction to Charles Frederick Worth, the father of haute couture. Our exploration concludes with Dame Vivienne Westwood, the designer who brought punk and New Wave fashion into the mainstream.  

Two Electives

Electives that fulfill certificate requirements include Fashion Styling, Consumer Behavior, and Fashion Marketing Global Environment.

“I had fantastic professors with amazing skills to share; the faculty really make the difference.”

Program Highlights

Who Should Enroll

• Anyone interested in the design side of the fashion industry
• Creative individuals who want to use fabric and fashion design to conceptualize and realize their vision
• Fashion professionals seeking to advance their practice
• Entrepreneurs learning about garment construction before launching their own companies

What You’ll Gain

Drawing skills for fashion sketching, fashion flats, and fashion illustration

• The ability to apply creative research to concept development
• Familiarity with all the tools and materials needed to drape muslin patterns, make flat patterns, and construct garments
• Knowledge of various fabric types, notions, trimmings, and sewing supplies, as well as yardage specifications
• An understanding of the roles of sustainability and corporate responsibility in textile production
• Exposure to a variety of methods and practices in sewing, construction, and garment design

How You’ll Learn

• Direct interaction with faculty practitioners at the top of their fields
• In-person collaboration in small classes
• Project-based learning focused on developing real-world skills and portfolio assets

Why The New School?

The professional landscape as we’ve known it has changed dramatically, and ongoing learning is more important now than ever before. At The New School, we champion every student’s creativity and growth. By combining integrated disciplines with collaborative problem solving, we deliver an immersive, transformative learning experience. With the leadership of Parsons School of Design—a globally top-ranked design school—our faculty imparts the critical expertise students need to advance their careers or pivot to a new one in a constantly evolving world.