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Overview

The Bachelor of Design Arts with a major in Fashion & Costume Design guides you through the full arc of fashion creation — from silhouette and form through materials, construction, and production — giving you the creative confidence and practical skills to produce original, industry-ready work. This is a degree that takes your ideas seriously and equips you to realise them.

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Admission criteriaTuition and financial aid

About the Costume and Fashion Design Course

Fashion and costume design demand both vision and rigour, and this major develops both in equal measure. You'll build your creative and technical capability progressively — starting with hand-drawing and digital illustration, moving through pattern cutting and garment construction, and developing a structured understanding of form, materials, textile innovation, and production.

Learning unfolds through the Design Laboratory — a studio-based environment where you apply research, technical skill, and creative thinking to realise original work within your specialisation. Every trimester opens with a combined theoretical lecture shared across all four disciplines, before transitioning into discipline-specific studio practice where academic mentors guide you through demonstrations, tutorials, and self-directed studio time.

Across six trimesters — Exploration, Foundation, Issues, Global, Industry, and Capstone — you'll move from establishing your creative identity through to producing an advanced body of work with a defined design voice. Past students have had their work featured at some of Australia's most prestigious fashion events, including the PayPal Melbourne Fashion Festival, Melbourne Fashion Week, Fashion on the Fields, and Fashion Awards Australia.

Opportunities

Purpose-Built Facilities

LCI Melbourne's Fashion Design laboratories are purpose-built for creative practice — with fully equipped sewing machines, pattern-making materials, dress forms, mannequins, and irons available for hands-on studio work. A professional cyclorama lets you capture your designs in a polished setting, and the campus gallery — a versatile space used for runway shows, art exhibitions, and creative events — gives you a real platform to showcase your work to industry and peers.

Start date	Schedule	Location
Jun 1, 2026	Full-time - Daytime	On campus, Collingwood	Apply now
Sep 14, 2026	Full-time - Daytime	On campus, Collingwood	Apply now
Feb 8, 2027	Full-time - Daytime	On campus, Collingwood	Apply now
May 31, 2027	Full-time - Daytime	On campus, Collingwood	Apply now

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Domestic Applicants
Applicants must meet the following requirements:
- Successful completion of Year 12 or an equivalent qualification*
- An Admissions Consultation
- Must be 18 years of age or older at the commencement of the degree
ATAR scores are not considered as part of the admissions process. Applicants who have completed an unscored VCE (or equivalent) are eligible for entry.
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International Applicants
Applicants must meet the following requirements:
- Successful completion of Year 12 or an equivalent qualification*
- Participation in an Admissions Consultation
- Proof of English language proficiency
- Must be 18 years of age or older at the commencement of the degree
English language proficiency is assessed against an IELTS Academic benchmark. Applicants must achieve:
- An overall IELTS score of 6.0, with no band lower than 5.5
Equivalent English language test results may be accepted in place of IELTS, including:
- TOEFL
- Pearson Test of English (PTE Academic)
- Cambridge English Advanced (CAE)
*Please contact us to discuss Year 12 equivalency options.

List of Units

Design Laboratories (Major in Fashion & Costume Design)

The core of the degree — studio-based labs progressing through Exploration, Foundation, Issues, Global, Industry, and Capstone themes, culminating in a capstone exhibition of advanced work.

Design Laboratory: Exploration (LABF101)
Design Laboratory: Foundation (LABF102)
Design Laboratory: Issues (LABF103)
Design Sub Major or Entrepreneurship Fundamentals (ENT01)
Design Laboratory: Global (LABF204)
Design Laboratory: Industry (LABF205)
Design Laboratory: Capstone (LABF206)

Exploration Units

Foundation workshop-based study expanding core design and art knowledge across all disciplines.

Future Forward Design (ACC111)
Elective: Brand Strategy (ELE001)
Elective: Design & Wellbeing (ELE002)
Elective: Project Management (BUS08)
Elective: Design Thinking for Business (BUS01)

Contextual Units

Exploring the historical, cultural, and contemporary forces shaping design, communication, and digital practice.

Design, History & Culture (AXC111)
Social Trend Forecasting (AXC121)
Global Design Culture (AXE241)

Professional Practice Units

Real insight from practising creatives, combined with business and communication skills for a sustainable career.

Design Fundamentals (COM111)
Digital Communication (COM222)
Business Principles (ACC241)
Professional Practice & Systems (BPC351)
Professional Placement (APE241)
Professional Communication (BCC351)
Personal & Professional Practice (BPC361)

Tuition & Aid

LCI Melbourne is an Australian–Government accredited Institute Of Higher Education providing Australian Domestic students with access to FEE-HELP.

FEE-HELP is a loan scheme that assists eligible students to pay tuition fees.

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Inspiring stories

Empower your ambition with our students' success stories. Unlock a career that lives up to your aspirations.

Our learners and graduates have successful journeys! Get inspired and learn how their academic paths have enabled them to thrive in their dream fields.