Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Scheme in Fashion

Download Leaflet

Entrance Year Sept 2024

Programme Code JS3050

Mode of Study Full Time

Normal Duration 4 years (including 1 year with common curriculum)

Programme Intake 110

Fund Type Government-Funded

Credits Required for Graduation 120

Programme Leader(s)

Chief | Dr Carrie Wong

Deputy | Prof. Joanne Yip and Dr Kitty Lam

Remarks

Students will be awarded one of the following degrees upon successful completion of the programme’s graduation requirements.

BA (Hons) in Fashion (Fashion Design)
BA (Hons) in Fashion (Knitwear Design)
BA (Hons) in Fashion (Contour Fashion and Activewear)
BA (Hons) in Fashion (Fashion Business)
BA (Hons) in Fashion (Fashion Innovation and Technology)

Students select a specialism at the end of their Year One. Admission to a specialism is subject to assessment criteria including students’ preferences, GPA, and interview performance.
Students opting not to be streamed into any specialism will obtain a BA (Hons) in Fashion.
Students may also enrol in a Secondary Major in AI and Data Analytics (AIDA) or in Innovation and Entrepreneurship (IE). Admission to the Secondary Major is on a competitive basis and these programmes have different credit requirements for graduation. Please see the Secondary Major Details section for more information.
Students opting for a Secondary Major will not be streamed into a specialism.
The credit requirements are subject to review.

Aims and Characteristics

The overall aim of the programme is to train competent professionals for the fashion business, equipping them to work in textiles, apparel, retailing, design, and related organisations. Graduates play an active role in the development of the global fashion and textiles industry in local and overseas markets. In addition to cultivating students’ professional competencies, the programme enhances their other essential competencies, such as entrepreneurship, social media marketing, and business analytics. This expands graduates’ skillsets to meet the needs of today’s business environment. They excel in leadership, teamwork, healthy lifestyle practices and lifelong learning; they become trend leaders, innovators, critical thinkers, and creative problem solvers; and they deploy effective communication and interpersonal skills. They are biliterate and trilingual, and they serve as informed and ethical leaders who promote social and national responsibility, engage in local and international affairs, act as responsible global citizens, and exhibit cultural and aesthetic appreciation with a global perspective.

Characteristics

Based on their desired careers and academic performance, students can choose one of the following five specialisms under the BA Scheme.

Fashion Design

This specialism aims to nurture students’ creativity and design ability, and to develop their awareness of current and emerging technologies in the fashion and manufacturing environment and to enhance their understanding of relevant marketing and business practices.

Knitwear Design

This specialism, similar to that of Fashion Design specialism, aims to nurture students’ creativity and design ability. In addition to the general education, students also attain the essential knowledge and skills of a knitwear designer.

Contour Fashion and Activewear

This specialism aims to provide students with the necessary academic and practical knowledge of contour fashion and activewear, including the integration of design and technology aspects. It provides students with a supportive and inspiring learning environment to create imaginative designs using analytical and problem-solving abilities. It also encourages students’ independent judgement and critical thinking for the new development of contour fashion and activewear. Students are guided to attain first-hand experience of the latest technologies, modern materials and industrial practice.

Fashion Business

This specialism equips students for global fashion business. Students will learn the fundamental management and business principles, contemporary environmental and social practices and operational knowledge of global fashion marketing and digital channels. In particular, it will develop students’ skills in defining, analysing and solving business problems in fashion retail and marketing, from fast to luxury fashion, and from fashion accessories to lifestyle products. Emphasis will be placed on the aspects of fashion sourcing, buying, market research, branding, digital marketing, omni-channel distribution, social media analytics, store management and distribution of fashion products in both local and global contexts.

Fashion Innovation and Technology

This specialism nurtures graduates who have sound knowledge of fashion products and production processes; who are able to apply their knowledge within a technical, economic, managerial and commercial context; who are flexible and can adapt and respond to change; and who have the potential to become industrial leaders in product development, process innovation and production management in textiles and apparel in local and global markets.

BA (Hon) in Fashion

Students opting not to be streamed into any specialism will be given a BA (Hons) in Fashion. The curriculum of BA (Hons) in Fashion provides a flexible choice of subjects that will increase students’ adaptability to the changing needs of the fashion industry. It aims to provide students with a critical understanding of contemporary practices in the digitalisation, design and development of fashion products, trends in the global and local fashion markets, business and retail environments critical to the fashion system, as well as the emerging technologies, innovations and manufacturing environment in the fashion industry.

All normal year students start the programme with two common semesters, which provide a foundation in the major activities of the fashion and textiles industries. After these common semesters, students are streamed into one of the five specialisms according to the students’ individual preferences. In principle, all students are offered a free choice of specialism. However, in the unlikely event that a specialism is over-subscribed, a contingency procedure is followed. As each specialism has a threshold number of students, determined by the teaching resources of the School, the contingency procedure is applied when this threshold is reached. Therefore, students are required to supply a list of specialisms in order of preference. Specialism selection normally occurs in the second semester of the students’ first year of study. Students will be invited for a selection interview / assessment based on their choice of specialisms. The pool of students in the over-subscribed specialism will be ranked according to academic performance in their first semester of study and interview / assessment performance. Students with lower rankings will have a lower priority in admittance to their preferred specialism. In each semester after admission to a specialism, compulsory core subjects pertaining to the specialism are offered in addition to a wide range of elective subjects that enrich the students’ learning experience. Furthermore, students will undertake mandatory language subjects, general education subjects and work-integrated education in fulfilment of the General University Requirements.

Each student is required to earn at least 120 credits for graduation. In addition to 30 credits of General University Requirements (GUR), students are required to complete 90 credits of Discipline-Specific Requirements, which include elective subjects and the Final Year Project.

The options of a Secondary Major in AI and Data Analytics (AIDA) or in Innovation and Entrepreneurship (IE) are available to the students enrolled in the BA (Hons) Scheme in Fashion.

Selection Criteria

A Secondary Major is not mandatory. Only students with a Cumulative GPA of 2.70 or above may be considered for Secondary Major enrolment. Each Secondary Major may stipulate additional selection criteria for admission. To be admitted to a Secondary Major, students must apply to and obtain approval from the relevant department, no later than the commencement of the second year of study.

Credit Requirement

The students in the BA (Hons) Scheme in Fashion with a Secondary Major of AI and Data Analytics (AIDA) or Innovation and Entrepreneurship (IE) are required to complete 133 and 138 credits, respectively, for graduation:

Credit Requirements		Fashion	Fashion + IE	Fashion + AIDA
General University Requirement (GUR)		30	30	30
Major	Core	81/78/66	66	61
Major	Elective	9/12/24	6	6
Secondary Major	Core	-	21	30
	Elective	-	9	6
	Discipline-specific Elective	-	6	-
Total		120	138	133*

* The Integrated Capstone Project is a double counting subject (6 credits) for AIDA.

Professional Accreditation
Graduates with 2 years of relevant post-qualification experience can apply for an Associateship of the Textile Institute (ATI), UK. Graduates can also apply for Graduate Membership of the Hong Kong Institution of Textile and Apparel (GHKITA).

Subject to approval

Entry Scholarship and Additional Scholarships

To recognise the outstanding academic performance of local and non-local students, the School will grant entry scholarships to eligible students admitted to the scheme via non-JUPAS. Apart from the entry scholarships, additional scholarships may include. Please refer to the information sheet for details.

Please click here to view the entrance requirements for non-JUPAS applicants.

Other Information

Applicants attaining good results in EITHER art subjects (Textile, Visual Arts, and/or Design) OR science subjects (Chemistry and/or Mathematics) OR business OR commerce related subjects are all preferred.

Graduates with 2 years of relevant post-qualification experience can apply for an Associateship of the Textile Institute (ATI) in the UK.

Graduates can also apply for Graduate Membership of the Hong Kong Institution of Textile and Apparel (GHKITA).

Our scheme-based education approach nurtures all-round talents with the design, technology and business knowledge they need for a wide range of career paths in the fashion industry. Graduates have career opportunities in the fashion and textiles industries and related fields, including the following.

Graduates of the BA (Hons) in Fashion (Fashion Design) can pursue careers in the fashion and lifestyle industry as womenswear / menswear designers, technical designers, digital designers, illustrators, stylists, editors and trend forecasters.

Graduates of the BA (Hons) in Fashion (Contour Fashion and Activewear) have the abilities needed to work as designers or technical designers in the development of various kinds of products, such as contour fashion, intimate apparel, functional garments, swimwear, sportswear, activewear, lace and embroidery, and fashion accessories. In recent years, many Hong Kong manufacturers have maintained their competitiveness and maximised their profit margins by switching from being low-cost original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to being high value-added original design manufacturers (ODMs) or even original brand manufacturers (OBMs). This has led to a substantial demand for professionals capable of designing and developing new products.

Graduates of the BA (Hons) in Fashion (Knitwear Design) can seek careers as fashion knitwear designers, digital knitting technologists, product developers, illustrators, stylists, editors and trend forecasters.

Graduates of the BA (Hons) in Fashion (Fashion Business) can develop careers in digital retailing and marketing, sustainability and compliance, brand development, international trade in fashion and textiles, visual merchandising and luxury fashion management. Our graduates are equipped with all the necessary skills to generate both online and offline business for the fashion industry and beyond.

Graduates of the BA (Hons) in Fashion (Fashion Innovation and Technology) can pursue careers in fashion and textile enterprises / companies or innovation institutions / centres as fashion / textile product designers and developers, R&D managers, fashion merchandisers, fashion house or production managers, fashion / textile techno consultants, quality control / functional evaluation experts, customer service professionals and fashion/textile product researchers and innovators.

Transcript / Certificate:

Required

Others:

Any other additional information/document(s) to support the application (optional)

Interview Arrangement

Date of Interview:	Between March and July (for both design and non-design specialisms)
Mode:	Suitable candidates may be invited to interview at PolyU or via Microsoft Teams
Aims:	To assess the suitability of candidates for the programme.
Medium:	English
Duration:	About 15 to 30 minutes for the interview
Remarks:	The admission interview is forthe BA Scheme, not individual specialism. All students will start the programme with 2 common semesters. Students without a Secondary Major, after the 2 common semesters, will be streamed to one of the five specialisms according to students' individual preference, overall GPA in Year One and/ or interview results.Students will be asked to rank their specialism choices (from the most preferred to the least preferred) during Semester 2 of Year One for the School's consideration and approval.Students opting not to be streamed into any specialism will be given a BA (Hons) in Fashion.

PolyU stood out to me when choosing a university due to its outstanding reputation, recognition, and commitment to providing a high-quality education. Selecting fashion design at SFT as my major aligns perfectly with my career aspirations, as SFT offers a comprehensive and industry-relevant curriculum. The state-of-the-art facilities and experienced professors play a pivotal role in shaping my academic journey.

Studying at SFT has been enriching, providing me with a deep understanding of fashion design, garment construction, and textile technology. Engaging lectures, practical workshops, and hands-on projects have honed my attention to detail and fuelled my passion for the future. The programme’s emphasis on industry collaborations and real-world projects has equipped me with the practical skills necessary to succeed in the fashion industry.

PolyU and SFT have given me numerous opportunities to expand my horizons. I have been fortunate enough to receive a scholarship and actively participate in various competitions. These experiences have allowed me to unleash my creative prowess and create meaningful projects with tangible outcomes.

Alfrida Theodora Suhonggo

BA (Hons) in Fashion and Textiles (Design)

My time at SFT has been challenging but also rewarding. I have acquired various practical skills and had the opportunity to express my creativity and collaborate with other students from different cultures and backgrounds at SFT. The School has also offered me many valuable opportunities, such as an internship at MCM, a global fashion brand. During this internship, I applied the knowledge and experience, and gained a great deal of insight into the current trends and challenges of the fashion industry. I also participated in a study tour which enabled me to learn about the production process and the most advanced technologies for clothing. The opportunities provided by SFT have equipped me with a solid foundation for my future endeavours.

Cheung Man-ying Connie

BA (Hons) in Fashion & Textiles (Retail & Marketing)

Unlike other schools, SFT provides lots of laboratory sessions which enable me to transfer the knowledge we learnt at regular lectures into practical use. For example, operating equipment such as projectile weaving machines, and designing patterns for garments.

I am very thankful for the opportunities from SFT that open my eyes. I took a two-month course at the University of British Columbia with the scholarship of Undergraduate Student Research Awards offered by PolyU’s Graduate School. Besides, the tremendous industry networks with renowned brands and retailers, such as Lane Crawford, Farfetch, FR2, etc., help me to find good internship opportunities.

Leung Chui-yi

BA (HONS) in Fashion & Textiles (Technology)

Enquiries

SFT General Office

Room QT715
+852 2766 6500
sft.ug@polyu.edu.hk