Introduction

The course has a strong established reputation, with exceptional national and international links within the fashion industry.  Our graduates are renowned for their creative, innovative and directional design skills, as well as a strong underlying awareness of sustainability, commerciality and relevant technologies. Partnerships with industry enable us to connect with the global fashion landscape, so we can collaborate and develop international live projects and build relationships with a number of fashion-focused organisations: International Federation of Fashion and Textile Institutes (IFFTI) and Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York. This international perspective is embedded within modules and reinforced by optional overseas visits to fashion and textiles industry, trade and/or other professional events. 

The course provides extensive activity as an important setting for building professional networks and enhancing your transferable skills for future employability opportunities. Links with live industry projects, competitions and professional bodies continue to be a key feature that informs the curriculum, giving you the chance to work with a diverse range of clients on both commercially aware and socially informed research projects. You will have the opportunity to work alongside specialist visiting practitioners, sharing research and new approaches. Visiting lecturers play a crucial role in bringing in a wealth of external knowledge and skills from a different perspective. 

Tutorials will introduce you to a broad range of research and design approaches, deepening your learning by encouraging self-reflection, personal development and autonomy. The curriculum also requires you to consider your design application and context in relation to design responsibility – process, materials and manufacture – and you will be asked to consider the role of the designer in making responsible design decisions that impact positively on society.  

The course aims to inspire and prepare you to develop an enterprising, creative mind-set and the ability to thrive in a rapidly changing world of work, embracing the diverse and emerging roles within the fashion industry. It will enable you to incorporate critical and analytical problem-solving skills, together with general transferable skills, and prepare you for a broad range of related employment opportunities and/or postgraduate study, including NTU’s dynamic and experimental MA courses. 

UK-specific contents may not be applicable to HK students

 

Programme Features

Established reputation
Founded in 1843, the School of Art & Design at Nottingham Trent University (NTU) is one of the most well-established, renowned, and respected institutions in the UK, with exceptional national and international links within the fashion industry as well as recognised global presence. NTU is ranked 13th in Art & Design and 11th in Fashion & Textile subject area in the Complete University Guide and the Guardian University Guide 2026 respectively.

Competition opportunities 
Opportunities to compete in significant local and international competition (e.g. Young Designer Contest (YDC), Young Design Award (YDA) and Arts of Fashion Foundation etc.)

Local and overseas practitioner insights
Good mix of teaching staff from diverse fashion business background, both locally and internationally. 

Career support 
Excellent support to ensure all students are employment ready at graduation with individual comprehensive e-portfolio containing student work, creative CV, etc. and opportunities for industry practitioner experience sharing.   

Our graduates are highly sought after in the industry.  93% graduates in 2021 were employed upon graduation.

Modules

Resolutions: Culture and Context

Develop an individual research concept that advances your knowledge of contextual issues, cultural theories and debates. You will present this as a dissertation or in the alternative format of a visual product.

Resolutions: Practice and Context for Fashion Design

You will write your own design brief informed by your emerging design interests through which you will develop a professional portfolio and collection of work relating to your career aspirations.  This will communicate your creative design thinking and decision-making through selecting a pathway of either: fashion collection where you will create a four-outfit collection for a catwalk show, or fashion product for exhibition. The year will include opportunities to engage with external contexts through live projects, competitions, or professional bodies and will culminate in showcasing your collection/product and portfolio to a range of audiences and providing opportunities for your ongoing personal and professional development.  You will have opportunities to engage with live projects, competitions and professionals to broaden your portfolio and strategically enhance career directions.

Assessment

Dissertation and portfolios

QF Level

QF Level : Level 5 QR Registration No. : 15/002828/L5  Validity Period : 01/09/2015 - 31/08/2027

Importance of choosing a non-local top-up with QF Level 5 Employment Degree qualifications pitched at QF Level 5 are formally recognised by the HKSAR Government for employment purposes within the Civil Service for graduate posts. Further Studies Having been recognised at QF Level 5, this top-up degree programme meets the standard of locally-accredited bachelor's degree programmes. Upon graduation, students can pursue their further studies at Master’s degree level in Hong Kong or Overseas. Financial Assistance and Scholarships Various HKSAR Government financial assistance schemes and scholarships are only made available to eligible students enrolled into programmes with QF recognition.

Fees

• Application Fee : HK$200 (No application fee before the deadline!)
• Registration Fee : HK$3,500
• Tuition Fee : HK$102,040 by 2 instalments

Scholarships

 A variety of attractive scholarships are available to prospective, current and graduating SHAPE students.

"SHAPE has inspired me to pursue my creativity. I completed a creative fashion design project with great guidance from professional lecturers.It’s an invaluable experience to showcase my works in local and international competitions." Viony Oktavia Prasetya BA (Hons) Fashion Design Creative Designer, Hiantjen, Indonesia HKSAR Government Outstanding Performance Scholarship

Financial Aids 
The following HKSAR Government financial assistance schemes are available to eligible students who pursue this programme at SHAPE:

Financial Assistance Schemes		Amount (HK$)
	Non-means-tested Subsidy Scheme (NMTSS)	Up to $35,120 per year  [AY2025/26]
	Financial Assistance Scheme for Post-secondary Students (FASP)	Up to $95,090 (Tuition fee grant) Up to $9,200 (Academic expenses grant) Up to 59,540 (Living expenses loan) [AY2025/26]
	Non-means-tested Loan Scheme for Post-secondary Students (NLSPS)	Up to the annual tuition fees payable in the academic year [AY2025/26]

For details including eligibility and subsidy amount, please refer to the hyperlink of each scheme.

Career Prospects

We offer excellent support to ensure all students are employment-ready at graduation with individual comprehensive e-portfolio and opportunities for industry practitioner experience sharing.

Our graduates are highly sought after in the industry.  93% graduates in 2021 were employed within 6 months upon graduation.

"SHAPE has inspired me to pursue my creativity. I completed a creative fashion design project with great guidance from professional lecturers.It’s an invaluable experience to showcase my works in local and international competitions." Viony Oktavia Prasetya BA (Hons) Fashion Design Creative Designer, Hiantjen, Indonesia HKSAR Government Outstanding Performance Scholarship

Further Studies

Some of our graduates have pursued master’s degrees in Fashion Marketing, Fashion Design and Costume Design for Performance at reputable universities in Hong Kong and in the UK. Graduates are well-prepared to further their studies in the subject area as well as the style of university study in the UK.

Project Showcase

Student Awards
 

		"After graduated from Higher Diploma at HKDI, I continued to study a Fashion Design top up degree, where we had the opportunity to attend industry seminars and workshops, and to participate in various competitions to deepen industry knowledge and experience. After getting my bachelor’s degree, I worked in a German fashion brand and later established my own fashion brand, REDEMPTIVE." Wilson Choi BA (Hons) Fashion Design Taiwan Fashion Design Award - Champion  DalianCup International Youth Fashion Design Contest - Champion  CreateSmart Young Design Talent Special Award Dr Ng Tat-lun Memorial Outstanding Students Award
		"The programme has equipped me with extensive knowledge in the fashion industry – how fast-paced fashion industry works, what are the steps to transform ideas into garment production, etc. I aspire to establish my personal brand in the near future." Suzanna Yu BA (Hons) Fashion Design DFA Hong Kong Young Design Award ESPRIT International Exchange Scholarship

Design Work	Student & Award
	Chris Lo Finalist of Young Designer Award (YDA) 2022
	Melissa Chan Yuen Xin Winner of Young Designer Talent Award (YDTA) 2021
	Viony Oktavia Prasetya Finalist of The 20th Arts of Fashion Foundation 2022
	Ho Tsz Wai Cheryl & Chow Kit Ying Winners of Fashion x AI 2022 Call For Young Fashion Talents  The winners were awarded HKD$40,000 each, they have also won an opportunity to showcase work at M+ Fashion Show and  in the UK. They are also the first designers in the world to use AI-based Interactive Design Assistant for Fashion System (AiDA).
	Alize Lam Yeuk Hei Winner of CreateSmart Young Design Talent Award 2022
	Ng Tsz Kwan Winner of Young Design Talent Special Mention Award 2022
	Chung Ka Ching Winner of Redress Design Award 2024
	Chung Tsz Ho, Tiger Overall Champion at the Hong Kong Young Fashion Designer’s Contest 2024 (HKYDC)

Graduation Ceremony

Enquiries

Connect with SHAPE Community

Connect with Nottingham Trent Community