As fashion students, we’re faced with both courses that we connect to and that help us grow, and others that we absolutely despise. But in the end, we do learn something (or at least we hope that we do.) In my experience at Thomas Jefferson University, here are some courses that have really shaped and defined me as a designer!
Fashion Design Research
I took this course in the spring semester of my freshman year, and it was such a great beginning course for me. It set the foundation of what expectations will be for us as designers when it comes to research for our collections. I learned so many valuable things like where to begin research, how to develop an interesting and engaging concept, how to make study pages and concept boards, and how to use all of this to make designs and a full collection. As I’ve grown through the years, as I am now in my third, I’ve used the model they gave me from my first and created my own style to develop my designs with.
CAD for Fashion design
CAD is a MUST. CAD stands for Computer Aided Design, and it is a need-to-know skill in the industry. I took this the spring semester of my sophomore year, and I felt it fit perfectly in the grand outline of my design student journey. It was good to transition from physical work to digital, and it allowed a lot of room for creativity. CAD has taught me how to do flats, develop prints and patterns, and made me better at Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. All things technical were included in this course and I learned so much.
Fashion Figure Drawing
This has to be my favorite class of all time. It was a physical drawing course, but I really enjoyed the techniques I learned and developed towards my own style. I took this in the fall semester of sophomore year, and I learned about developing fabrics like furs, leathers, knits, and so much more about how to make them look realistic. Since after this course, I took CAD, I was able to explore digital design in confidence and was able to apply the new techniques and style I created for myself to digital designing.
As I’m still growing and developing in the Fashion Design program, these courses have really pushed me and my peers. We have a lot of great opportunities here and I encourage everyone to explore all that the program and other disciplines have to offer. I hope everyone in the program learns a lot and grows to their fullest potential!