Textiles

See our 2025 Course Highlights here

100% A*-B   A Level 2025

Consistently top performing A Level course in Dorset, value added score of 1.48 to 0.52.

Competitions:

Dorset Asset Prize: Top county Textile student awards 2 years running

Valter trust: Cockbaine shield for design innovation in Textiles.

Clothes Show Young handbag designer of the year: National finalists

Cultural and contextual enrichment, trips and visits:

The Stitch Show, London- demonstrations, workshops and lectures

The Victoria and Albert Museum, London: Tim Walker, Mary Quant, Fashioned by Nature, Balenciaga, Undressed

Harrods, London; Superbrands

Blandford Fashion Museum Fashion at Ferndown Exhibition

AUB; Lucienne Day, Summer Shows, What is Textiles, A Stitch in Line

Winchester School of Art: Luxury Sustainable Textiles and Fashion BA workshops

UCA, Epsom Open Event: Fashion Atelier and Tailoring, Fashion and Textile Design

Visiting and online learning lecturers:

Chip Harris, Fashion Atelier and Tailoring UCA
Mr O Pattern studio, Fashion Ravensbourne
Anya Glinski; Costume designer
Rebecca Pride; MA Historical Costume, AUB
Katie Godman Sinclair; author Gothic Fashion
Annabel Rodd; MA Sustainable Textiles, Falmouth
Patrick Grant, Sewing Bee
Dr Elaine Igoe; Luxury Sustainable Textiles, WSA
Matthew Coats; Fashion WSA

Work Experience:

Minster bridal
Walford Mill
Just William
Kyleigh’s Papercuts

Desirable skills:

Creative approach, resilience, flair for art and design, enquiring mind, ambition.

Other subjects that work well with this course are:
Art and photography

Why study Textiles at A Level?
Fashion and Textiles at FUS is a vibrant and challenging course which aims to provide students with a diverse skill set and awareness of career opportunities post-Sixth Form study. We encourage independent personal research and self-expression. Students develop their ideas based around exciting, relevant and personal themes and respond to live project briefs, including the Royal Opera House Costume competition.

Our course allows students to develop an awareness of the fashion and textiles industry, placing sustainable practice at its heart. Visits to prominent exhibitions, craft spaces, museums and universities underpin the course. Visiting artists, recent graduates, alumni and practical workshops are a regular feature of the course which enables strong networks with local and national artists, designers and makers.

Course overview
Students will primarily learn through doing, acquiring a diverse range of practical making skills; using sewing machines, CAD and textile art media. Critical and contextual studies reflecting current and historical practitioners, will inform and inspire personal responses. Peer assessment, student led learning and teamwork are a key element of the course.
Practical processes include: Textile design; surface pattern, print and dyeing, batik, silk painting, and screen and block printing. Heat transfer press, fashion illustration, marketing and promotion, garment construction, CAD, laser cutting and freehand machine embroidery techniques.
Artist led workshops, both on and off site. Exhibition visits.
Fashion and textile design, pattern cutting, drafting, costume and dressmaking skills.

Students studying Textiles will:

• Take part in a fashion show, work collaboratively across genres
• Embrace a diverse range of fashion and textile processes; innovation in design
• Consider industry and societal issues such as climate change, slow fashion, wellbeing, arts education and activism.
• Investigate different aspects of fashion and textiles within a wider global context – future of design practice, sustainability and advertising campaigns.

Progression routes and future careers

Ferndown offers a bespoke, three year pathway including the Foundation BTEC Level 4 Art, Design and Media Practice course.

A Level Textiles students have gone onto study at degree level on the following courses: UAL, London College of Fashion; Textiles, Contour Fashion, Creative Direction, Styling, De Montfort University; Contour Fashion, UCA Atelier and Tailoring, Fashion, Textiles, Winchester School of Art; Textiles, Fashion, Luxury Sustainable, Loughborough; Textiles, AUB; Costume, Falmouth; Costume.

Specialist staff: Lisa Robson BA (Hons) Printed Textiles, UCA, PGCE Art & Design UCL Arts Award Advisor, freelance designer, retail; Liberty London, Art and Drama tours rep.

Corrine Hardman BA (Hons) Fine Art, Winchester, PGCE. Jan Collard; textiles technician.