FA4030 - Styling and Curation 1

Lecturers with practical industry experience and supporting research will guide you through the module. Where possible, opportunities for engagement with industry though guest speakers will inform current practices and approaches to styling and curation. Workshop sessions will be used to deliver information, engender skills, question issues and develop outputs. Students are encouraged to reflect on cultural practices, their own emerging skillset, and the wider fashion sector. Practical skills linked to styling, visualisation and techniques aligned to communication through fashion will be developed through timetabled sessions, self-directed and independent study.

You will source and engage with a range of material showing your ability to review and evaluate findings through enquiry-based, creative practice. Discussions with staff and alongside peers, will help you to respond to briefs, subsequently generating dynamic ideas. You will learn to present your findings using a range of appropriate, visual and textual tools.

Small group tutorials will support the development of professional skills and will present an opportunity for constructive feedback from tutors and peers. The hard and soft skills developed across the module will be utilised across the remaining years on the programme and beyond.

An initial briefing will outline the goals of the module, alongside the structure of the sessions to follow. Workshops will be delivered by knowledgeable staff, often reflecting their own experience and research interests linked to the Fashion Communication sector. Where applicable, technical skills will be delivered by expert staff, providing demonstrations and support for students across their process. Methods for effective communication (research, appropriate styling, visualisation) will be discussed within workshops, with tutorials aimed at further developing your final submission. Further group work in the form of practice and discussion will assist your development in terms of knowledge, understanding and your overall communication skills.

Further support regarding academic writing will be provided via the University Library.

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. The reading list for this module can be found at: http://readinglists.northumbria.ac.uk
(Reading List service online guide for academic staff this containing contact details for the Reading List team – http://library.northumbria.ac.uk/readinglists)

Knowledge & Understanding:

Explain contextual issues related to the principles of fashion communication which shape practice

Apply critical thinking to debate issues and/or develop creative work



Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:

Communicate concepts, proposals or solutions using appropriate media.

Learn to apply new methods and complementary skills to extend practice.



Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):

Identify Ares for Personal Interest and Professional Growth within the Fashion Communication Field through consistent engagement with the module.

FORMATIVE: Formative feedback will be delivered across the module. This can be verbal and/or textual and will be aligned to workshop activities.

SUMMATIVE

1,000 Word Analysis 30%

An analytical piece denoting styling inspiration (LO1, LO3)


Portfolio and Research File 70%

Visual portfolio/lookbook of final styling considerations and outcomes, (LO2, LO4)

Research and Development File, including Concept Board and 500 word synopsis (LO5)

N/A

N/A

In this module you will be introduced to the practice of fashion styling and reflect on how it is influenced and inspired by society, culture and politics. You will experiment with styling and visual storytelling, considering the factors that inform image-making, with workshops demonstrating and discussing considerations linked to visualisation. You will explore styling practice in parallel to culture and society, ultimately creating a series of styled looks on a prescribed theme through the lens of cultural movements, community and/or significant historical and/or present events. Your final lookbook will be appropriately formatted, considering layout and written content appropriate to the visual outcomes. The module encourages independent and directed conceptual development of styling methodologies, enhancing your ability to reflect on practice, encouraging independent decision-making underpinned by cultural awareness and sensitivity.