Fashion Design Undergraduate Program

Fashion Design Undergraduate Program

Fashion Design Undergraduate Program

Table of Contents Why İstanbul Bilgi University? 1 About the Program 2 3 Duration of the Program 4 The Core Principles of the Program Program Curriculum 5

Context of Design 6 7 8 Resources and Equipment 10 Admission Criteria and Applications 11 Context of Fashion Career and Post- Graduation Opportunities 9 Contact Us

1 Why İstanbul Bilgi University? Founded in 1996 with the motto Learning not for school, but for life, Istanbul Bilgi University (BİLGİ) currently has more than 16.000 students, 900 academics and 20.000 alumni. As an English medium institution, BİLGİ offers more than 150 programs in its faculties of Architecture, Arts and Sciences, Communication, Law, Economics and Administrative Sciences, and Engineering in addition to its vocational and professional schools, and institutes. In order to excel in the international arena of education and research as a competitive institution, and to provide its students with development opportunities beyond the borders of Turkey, in 2006 İstanbul Bilgi University joined the Laureate International Universities, the world s largest university network comprising more than 75 renowned universities and 800.000 students in 30 different countries across the globe. As the only member of the Laureate International Universities in Turkey, BİLGİ provides its students with significant international opportunities through its academic collaboration with other institutions from all around the world. While taking the courses in their major curricula, students at BİLGİ enjoy being individuals who not only think freely, work independently, assume responsibility and study hard, but also take pleasure in doing so. Knowing what they want and acquiring professional skills even as they continue their studies, BİLGİ students become the sought-after professionals of the business world. Moreover, BİLGİ students experience a vibrant university life full of diverse social and cultural activities and events throughout their studies. İstanbul Bilgi University, which annually hosts more than 1.000 events including national and international festivals, concerts, exhibitions and conferences, spans over three campuses in the city center, santralistanbul, Dolapdere and Kuştepe.

BİLGİ Fashion Design Undergraduate Program At a time when perceptions and opinions of the Turkish fashion and textile industries are constantly evolving, the BİLGİ Fashion Design undergraduate program was founded with the objective of meeting the increasing demand for creative designers. The BİLGİ Fashion Design undergraduate program was designed to train creative, innovative and original fashion designers who can achieve a global vision in competitive marketplaces. In this regard, the program provides its students with the crucial insights into innovation, technical and business skills they will need after graduation. By creating a synthesis of creativity and the Turkish cultural legacy, the BİLGİ Fashion Design undergraduate program also offers a comprehensive education on the fashion industry, training the next generation of designers who will rise above the rest of the global market with a unique national identity.

2 About the Program Turkish fashion is well placed to acquire an identity that can be discerned from an increasingly homogenized global fashion world. With this objective in mind, BİLGİ Fashion Design undergraduate program aims to contribute to the national industry s vision to become a significant player in the global economy. By combining the youth s excitement, dynamism, unique and innovative point of view with the Turkish identity, the program focuses its efforts on giving its students those qualifications that will be instrumental in achieving this vision. The following are some of the objectives of the BİLGİ Fashion Design undergraduate program: Using innovative teaching methods that fit well with the curriculum. Providing a research-oriented and progressive education. Redefining the identity of fashion on a national and international scale. Producing designs which are oriented towards manufacturing and creation of brand recognition. Enhancing the personal development of conscientious young designers who will provide higher-quality service to the industry. Revitalizing the fashion industry with projects and ideas of creative minds. In order to achieve these objectives, the Fashion Design undergraduate program strikes a perfect balance in meeting the academic and professional needs of its students by closely following the developments in the fashion industry and national economy. The program, which provides students with a great opportunity to contribute to the contemporary fashion business, is also supplemented with seminars, personal tutorials with students, presentations, workshops, national and international travel programs and company fashion projects. In addition to having a group of accessible and approachable academic and technical staff, the program also has a vast library offering up-to-date and high-quality resources on fashion, online data-bases, a drawing studio, and an applied workshop equipped with state-of-the-art sewing machines.

3 Duration of the Program The Fashion Design undergraduate program consists of four years of full-time education. Each academic year starts in September and ends in June of the following year. The language of instruction in the Fashion Design undergraduate program is English. As a consequence, the students are expected to have a certain level of competence in English. Those who do not meet the expected level of competence are enrolled in the English Preparation Program for a year before they start their studies in Fashion Design.

4 The Core Principles of the Program BİLGİ Fashion Design program offers an application-oriented education. The objective of this approach is to equip the students with the information, skills and experience they will need after their graduation. The students of BİLGİ Fashion Design not only participate regularly in applied workshop activities, but also enjoy the opportunity to apply the information they acquire during these activities in homework assignments and other projects. Moreover, company fashion project during their senior year of the program enable students to get first hand experience of the professional life in their field.

Creative Workshop Activities, Homework Assignments and Projects In addition to theoretical studies, the program also aims to strengthen students confidence in their ability to work independently. To achieve this goal, improving skills by workshop activities is utilized as the principal method of education. In addition to the workshop activities, students are encouraged to conduct independent research, develop efficient methods for accessing and sourcing information, and use references effectively in individual homework assignments and projects. The research conducted by the students is closely followed by the faculty, who discuss it with the students during presentations and individual conversations, providing constructive feedback to help them improve their skills further. Workshops Workshop activities are designed to help students learn how to use the equipment effectively, to develop their ability to work independently, and to translate the theoretical information they acquired into practical skills. Homework Assignments In the Fashion Design undergraduate program, students are required to complete written homework assignments. By doing this, students develop their ability to describe the concepts behind their designs and express their ideas in writing. The materials and methods students use when preparing the assignments can also contribute to the visual presentation of their designs. The experience students acquire through completing and presenting these assignments in a timely manner builds the confidence and abilities needed after graduation for presenting designs to experts in the fashion industry.

Projects Projects aim to develop students creative abilities and translate these abilities into practice. Through the projects students learn how to use resources, how to develop new methods, how to complete a task within a reasonable time-frame, how to present a complete project by utilizing presentation resources effectively, developing oral and visual communication abilities, and being able to discuss the project with their peers by clearly articulating the causal thought process behind it. In common with the homework assignments, a number of projects require students to work independently and outside the campus setting. This helps students find their designer identity by encouraging them to broaden their field of vision and experience. Senior Project The principal idea behind the senior project is to give students an opportunity to have their first real professional experience by encouraging them to start with an original idea they had and with the help of the faculty pursue that idea to its fruition by being fully in charge of every step of the design process. Senior projects not only help students acquire experience in project design, management and completion in a reasonable time-frame, but also aim at exciting and motivating the students, giving them the satisfaction of creating a unique design. In this regard, BİLGİ Fashion Design students start their professional lives with the strong reference and motivation of having freshly completed a unique personal project.

5 Program Curriculum The Fashion Design undergraduate program meets the academic and practical expectations of its students by focusing on developments in design, fashion industry and national economy. In this regard, the first year of the program is designed to introduce students to the conceptual and practical tenets of fashion design, and to encourage their active participation. During this first year, students take theoretical and applied courses on drawing, art history, history of costumes, design fundamentals, drapery and elementary manufacturing processes. During the second year, the scope of the curriculum broadens to ensure that students acquire mastery of the concept of design and the principles of application. During this year, the primary objectives are to equip the students with the required skills for translating their designs into actual fashion objects, and to familiarize them with the applied processes, including computer-assisted and electronic instruments, used in the industry. To help them acquire a broad vision of fashion, students are also offered courses on subjects such as fashion photography and accessory design. Students are introduced to the psychology of fashion to help them understand the minds of the consumers and creators of fashions and the individual and societal processes at work.

The third year of the program helps students develop an understanding of the fashion industry and its business model. In addition to the courses designed to reinforce their creative identity, students are also offered a set of courses focusing on the wholesale and retail marketing in the fashion industry. The education students receive during this year is supplemented with seminars given by the professionals working in the fashion industry, which enables students to not only establish contacts within the industry but also have a very close look at the business world. Moreover, courses are offered on media and communication, related to the fashion industry as well as a personal development course. The last year in the Fashion Design undergraduate program focuses on the practical applications that will help students make the transition to professional life. Students are encouraged to complete company fashion project in an area of the fashion industry of their interest. Company fashion projects play an important role in helping students prepare for professional life and understand how to apply their theoretical knowledge and skills. By smoothing the transition process from student to professional life, company fashion projects play a pivotal role in helping students shape their careers after graduation. To complement this, students are required and encouraged to present their design collections during the senior year fashion show. By being in charge of the preparation process for these shows and their individual collections, students acquire crucial organizational and practical experience which will help them start their professional careers one step ahead of their competition. Moreover, these shows provide them with a unique opportunity to present their collections to important figures in the fashion and textile world, and establish solid professional connections.

6 Context of Design Fashion can be viewed as a human response to social and cultural change. In its early stages, fashion emerges from prominent individuals or groups. Then it gradually transforms into trends and popular style. In this regard, fashion is a powerful social force with its pace and high rate of propagation. At the frontier of change, fashion is a life cycle from the old to the new: Paralleling the multi-faceted nature of human existence, some ideas from the past can re-emerge as innovation. Fashion education demands an intellectual capacity to predict the impact of social, cultural and economic change, and to understand the short or long-term impact of these changes. As a product, fashion always has to be the frontier, and be the symbol of change with its strong foresight. The studies of a fashion student are expected to comprise a coherent whole with meaningful inter-connections between the subjects s/he studies. The program in part aims to ensure that students are able to utilize the methods, theoretical knowledge and practical experience they acquired through their education in their designs. A valuable outcome of the student s training is the ability to define and solve complex problems, intellectually and practically and to be prepared to assume responsibility at every level of private and public sectors including in managerial and administrative positions.

7 Context of Fashion As a human response to the new concepts and points of views which symbolize change, fashion is a field of study as important as philosophy or politics. A degree in fashion prepares students for positions as fashion designers in the fashion industry, as fashion editors in newspapers or magazines, or as national or international fashion marketers. In-training applications constitute an effective preparation for a professional career in fashion. Thanks to this training, students acquire the ability to see beyond the ordinary perception of fashion as mere clothing design, and explore the possibilities that transcend that perception. Since fashion is a global commodity it is important to establish both national and international connections and to be able to use a wide range of resources. Students gain access to these connections and resources via the communication network of the faculty members, company fashion projects and opportunities for overseas study. Through connections with the professional world and international partners BİLGİ Fashion Design continues its support for and contribution to its students careers during and after their graduation through seminars, projects and courses which enjoy the participation of a diverse body of fashion professionals.

The curriculum and educational philosophy of BİLGİ Fashion Design was designed by carefully evaluating a large number of successful and unsuccessful national and international fashion design programs. BİLGİ Fashion Design closely follows the world s changing economic dynamics and the resulting changes in fashion and aims to meet the demands by these changes in real-time. By appropriately situating the Turkish identity within the program, BİLGİ Fashion Design aims to turn this identity into an advantage for the alumni and the national fashion industry. Thanks to the superior education they receive, the alumni of BİLGİ Fashion Design program are ready to become the leading and indispensable names of the Turkish fashion identity and industry in the near future.

8 Resources and Equipment In order to facilitate the students active participation in theoretical and applied courses, BİLGİ Fashion Design offers many workshop opportunities. The program s drawing studio provides students with important equipment including drawing desks, lights, platforms, figure drawings, busts and projectors. In this regard, the drawing studio enables students to conduct diverse activities such as working on live models and clothing drawing. The Fashion Design program also has an application-oriented sewing workshop equipped with the most advanced sewingmachines. This allows the students to transform their drawing into three-dimensional forms, develop their practical skills and boost their confidence by turning their designs into real products. The applied workshop is equipped with life-size models that are the essentials of drapery applications. Ensuring that each student has a sufficient number of models is essential for the effective learning. BİLGİ Fashion Design provides its students with generous resources in this direction.

İstanbul Bilgi University has comprehensive physical and virtual libraries. In addition to these two libraries, Fashion Design students can also use the dedicated departmental library of the Fashion Design program. Students can use the rich and diverse resources contained in this library by officially registering. Moreover, the librarians are more than happy to meet students requests for resources not already in the collection. BİLGİ Fashion Design actively encourages events like professional development seminars for students, workshops, exhibitions, museum visits and competitions. It also offers support and sponsorship for such activities within the limits of resources available, and encourages the students participation. The meeting rooms, conference and seminar halls of İstanbul Bilgi University are well-equipped to facilitate visual components of such activities.

9 Career and Post- Graduation Opportunities The BILGI Fashion Design program, including company fashion projects and large scale-projects in the senior year, prepares students for a diverse selection of career opportunities in the industry including fashion design, fashion journalism, fashion photography, personal stylist, procurement and merchandising. As a member of the Laureate International Universities network, İstanbul Bilgi University provides career and placement services to its alumni, helping them pursue careers in various international positions and organizations. BİLGİ Fashion Design students are also encouraged to benefit from the partnership with NABA, the prominent fashion school of Italy and the world. Successful Fashion Design students will be able to study their 1st, 2nd and 4th years at BİLGİ and their 3rd year at NABA under a common curriculum designed by both schools. Those who complete this program will get both BİLGİ and NABA diplomas. For more information on the career opportunities in the fashion industry, you may refer to Fashion&Textiles: The Essential Careers Guide* by Carol Brown and Fashion Design* by Sue Jenkyn Jones. * Fashion&Textiles: The Essential Careers Guide, 2010 Laurence King Publishing * Fashion Design, 2005 Laurence King Publishing

10 Admission Criteria and Applications For students applying to the Fashion Design program, it is essential to have a passion for fashion and a desire to pursue a fashion career. In this regard, the applicants predisposition towards fashion and their previous work if any will be evaluated orally and in writing. Students who achieve a minimum score of 140 on YGS (Examination for Transition to Higher Education) are eligible for the program under the condition that they also pass an aptitude test. Those students, whose applications to the aptitude test are accepted, will be invited by to take the test at dates that will be determined by the department. The aptitude test is designed to evaluate the applicants previous work in fashion design, portfolios, drawing abilities and interest in the program.

11 Contact Us Prospective applicants who would like to have detailed information about the program can contact us through the following channels: Department of Fashion Design Telephone: (212) 311 5118 e-mail: fashion@bilgi.edu.tr Asst. Prof. İsmail Orakçıoğlu Director of the School of Applied Sciences e-mail: ismail.orakcioglu@bilgi.edu.tr www.bilgi.edu.tr info@bilgi.edu.tr 444 0 428 facebook.com/istanbulbilgiuniversitesi twitter.com/bilgiofficial vimeo.com/bilgi flickr.com/istanbulbilgiuniversite