What it's like to study in the Fashion & Textiles Institute

This article was written by Costume Design for Film & Television BA(Hons) student Natalie.

I study Costume Design in the Fashion and Textiles Institute (FTI) at Falmouth University. Here is a quick insight into why I chose to study in this department at Falmouth and what it is like.

One of the best things about the department building is how open plan it is. This encourages collaboration and allows you to see everyone else’s creations, which can be very inspiring! You can find a 360 degree tour of the building here.

Around the building there is industry standard equipment in both the practical and digital elements of fashion. These include flat beds, overlockers, large scale printing, book binding, weaving, dye labs and IT suites. We also have a “Hot Works” room, where there are machines, such as the ultrasonic welder that can bond fabric stitch-free. This allows you to create waterproof garments and sportswear. You’ll be inducted on everything you need for your course in the first year, but if there is anything you want to use to broaden your horizons that you haven’t been shown, you can just ask and they will usually let you join a different group for their induction.

The FTI also has a catalogue of existing garments for students to use in their projects. Firstly, there is the “Archives.” These are older garments/sewing patterns that are meticulously preserved. Fashion students can then request them for drawing, photographing or referencing. This can be great if you are designing historical garments or doing a research project. We also have racks of clothes and accessories in the fashion styling department. These are often used for photoshoots or experimentation. On top of this, we also have the “Wardrobe Store.” Both Costume Design and Fashion Styling students have access to this. It contains clothes donated from Mulberry, theatre companies, as well as workwear and accessories. It is mainly used by Costume students within the course, as well as when working on student films. Costume students are also given the opportunity to volunteer in the Wardrobe Store to get hands on experience with costume cataloguing and maintenance. The textiles department has a strong focus on sustainability. They have a Natural Dye Garden on-campus where students are able to grow, harvest and process their own dyes in an eco-friendly way. 

The FTI has a big emphasis on collaboration. This can be with other departments such as Film, Photography and Games, however, it is often with other courses in the building. Fashion Photography students have lots of opportunities to shoot everyone’s creations, such as Costume, Fashion Design or Textile Design students’ work. These shoots could be styled by the Fashion Styling students and the images could then be developed by Fashion Marketing students. This means that whatever part of the process you want to do, you can still end up with a finished product for your portfolio. In addition, this gives you the opportunity to make industry connections for the future in a variety of different professions.