Students will be able to take an A-level in Fashion for the first time ever under plans unveiled 19 May 2016 by exam board AQA with the first students taking the exam in 2019.

“The fashionable woman wears clothes. The clothes don’t wear her.” Mary Quant”

As part of the new course, students will be studying the work of influential designers such as Chanel, Dior, Mary Quant, Yves Saint Laurent, Pierre Cardin, Vivienne Westwood, Gaultier and Alexander McQueen with an in-depth look at and the impact they have had on fashion, textiles, design, and manufacture.

The new standalone qualification replaces the long-standing ‘Textiles’ course. Students will create their own designs, learning how to use a variety of textiles and new design technologies and they will study the commercial side of fashion, including branding and marketing.

The new qualifications place greater emphasis on understanding and applying iterative design processes. Students will use their creativity and imagination to design and make prototypes that solve real and relevant problems, considering their own and others’ needs, wants and values.

The plans for AQA’s new Design and Technology: Fashion and Textiles A-level, which will be available to teach from September 2017.

What are your thoughts on the first ever Design and Technology: Fashion and Textiles A-level course? I would love to know in the comments below…