Fashion
Our fashion courses help learners to become highly competent in design, with professional, specialist, practical and technical skills.
With daytime and evening courses to choose from, WAES classes are taught by professional and highly qualified tutors who work within the fashion and textiles industry and are respected for their technical skills and creativity.
At WAES you will:
- Use new bespoke fashion workshop facilities
- Gain a thorough introduction to design, sewing-machine skills, fashion embellishment, fabric manipulation, pattern cutting and garment construction techniques
- Learn to make and market your own product
- Learn to create scarves, bags, skirts, dresses and tops
Learn new techniques and improve your career prospects
Whether you’re a beginner looking to study our one-day taster sessions or an advanced student considering a career in fashion or self-employment, our aim is to improve your future study and career prospects.
Browse our courses below or contact us for more information.
For the following courses, you may be eligible for full or partial government funding or a loan, depending on factors like your age, location, residency status, employment situation, or income.
This UAL accredited course is designed to develop your creative and practical skills required to work in the fashion industry. Through research, skill-based workshops and experimentation with a range of techniques and materials, you will begin to develop your knowledge of a wide range of creative fashion techniques. The garments you create will be showcased in the end of year fashion show.
Please note: This is a year-long course.
This year long foundation course will introduce you to the basics of fashion design skills and an understanding of the main principles of design. You will explore key design skills that include both practical and theory. The course will provide a strong foundation for progression into further study, leading to an exciting career within the creative industries.
Please note, this is a WAES-certified course, which also includes English Functional Skills, Level 1.
This Level 1 NCFE Award is for beginners, or those with little experience. It will introduce you to the technical and creative skills used in the Fashion Design industry. It will teach you skills necessary to progress onto our UAL Level 2 course in Fashion starting in September.
The following courses must be paid for in full before starting, but in some cases there may be discounts available depending on eligibility.
This course is for clothes making beginners. In this course will learn how make a basic top in calico (unbleached cotton fabric) and then make the garment in your chosen fabric.
Learn how to make your own clothes on this short beginner's course. It will teach you how to use the sewing machine, as well as basic sewing techniques and processes. You will learn to construct a simple garment.
This course will introduction you to the core skills of pattern cutting, enabling you to use basic blocks to create simple patterns. You will learn how to drape on the stand and how to extract a pattern from your design and reproduce it in toile fabric.
Using pre-loved items of clothing, you will learn how to apply design principles and sewing construction techniques to make a unique piece of upcycled, sustainable clothing. You will obtain the skills needed to create numerous design ideas and based using upcycling techniques. You will leave the course with a completed garment and technical file of samples.
Students will consider ethical and sustainable techniques and how individuals can play their part in stopping unwanted clothes going to landfill.
You will need to bring at least two of your own garments to use during this course.
- Highly qualified and professionally experienced tutors
- Accessible Central London centres with bespoke facilities and great transport connections
- A wide range of in-person, online, distance learning and community-based courses
- Unique work experience opportunities through partnerships
- Guest speakers offer introductions to career pathways in a variety of sectors
- Excellent progression to employment, apprenticeships or further learning including university
