Fashion Design

The Massey Fashion Design programme has a long-standing reputation of providing one of the strongest fashion design educations in New Zealand. This is substantiated by the number of fashion graduates who have excelled in their own design businesses internationally and nationally, such as Rebecca Taylor, Collette Dinnagan, Kate Sylvester, Deb Sweeney, and Alexandra Owen. Many fashion graduates are employed by highly successful companies such as, Bendon, Ice Breaker, Karen Walker, NomD, Zambesi and Paul Smith to name but a few. Massey offers a diploma in Fashion Design and Technology, an honours and non-honours degree major in Fashion Design and a co-joint Fashion Business degree, the first and only provider of this qualification in New Zealand.

The Massey fashion programme allows students to produce highly innovative and commercially successful designs derived from creative design processes and technical expertise. This is facilitated through lecturers who are experienced in professional practice and design research and a highly creative, stimulating and well resourced environment.
Bachelor of Design fashion major

First Year Students across the BFA (Hons) and BDes (Hons) share a core suite of papers in their first year.

Second Year: This year of study introduces fashion design processes exploring drawing and digital presentation, conceptual development, trend forecasting and various fashion market sectors. Technical learning in pattern development and sizing, draping, computer applications, construction and material analysis form the foundations of technical knowledge. Theoretical study of historical and social cultural contexts of fashion design are introduced and considered important components throughout all years to invigorate fashion research and understanding of design and contemporary relevance.

Third Year: This year furthers design practice and technical learning in more complex applications. Students enter national and international design competitions with open design briefs. In addition, fashion industry links are reinforced with product design development orientated to working with specified fashion companies and industry internships, both national and international.

Fourth Year: The primary focus in the fourth year is the final major design project. Students have the opportunity to create exploratory conceptual pieces or highly commercial collections designed for a range of markets within the fashion industry. Fashion business, fashion theory and advanced technical papers can contribute to the major project.
Bachelor Fashion Design and Business Co-major
This fashion business co-joint major allows fashion students to acquire all the core subjects offered in the Fashion Design major with an additional business major comprising management, communication management, marketing, enterprise development, or marketing communication, depending on the chosen specialisation.
Fashion Design and Technology Diploma
The diploma has an emphasis on the development of practical skills in fashion design, patternmaking, garment construction and textiles. Knowledge of the industry is primarily developed through practice, field trips, work placement and invited speakers.
First year: This year is the introduction to design, patternmaking, garment construction, textiles and the apparel industry.
Second year: The second year develops and extends the design and technical knowledge of patternmaking, construction and computer applications with emphasis on tailoring and knit apparel. Design work for national competitions is undertaken. Students complete the year with a significant project of a capsule collection.