The Westminster story began in 1838, when Sir George Cayley opened the Polytechnic Institution at 309 Regent Street in London. In 1881, philanthropist Quintin Hogg, bought the Royal Polytechnic Institution building and moved his Young Men’s Christian Institute into 309 Regent Street, which soon became the publicly funded Regent Street Polytechnic. Since then, our education institution has secured a reputation as a place for firsts.
These include: the first polytechnic in the UK (1838), the opening of the first public photographic portrait studio in Europe (1841), the venue for the first public moving picture show in the UK, organised by the Lumiere brothers (1896), organising the first marathon race (at the London Olympics) over the now traditional distance of 26 miles, 385 yards (1908), offering the first degree courses in Photographic Science, Photography, and Media Studies (1960s and 1970s), the first modern university to win the Queen’s Award for Enterprise – International Trade and the UK’s first Partner University for UN Habitat, the agency which deals with human settlement and development.
The University also has a strong and historic commitment to promoting equality and embracing diversity. As a place to work or to study, we strive to strengthen our reputation as a welcoming and inclusive organisation. This course has an outstanding reputation for developing highly talented and original fashion graduates. We specialise in enabling you to become an individual and creative designer, capable of working within all levels of the international fashion industry.
Throughout the course, the emphasis is on the development of your personal design philosophy. The course offers a comprehensive design education for dedicated and ambitious individuals looking for a specialist career in the creative arena of the fashion industry. Work placements on both the three-year and sandwich course are undertaken at leading international fashion companies and have included Alexander McQueen, Celine, Christopher Kane, Tom Ford, Marc Jacobs, Chanel, Dior, Alexander Wang, Diane Von Furstenburg, Lanvin, Givenchy and Balenciaga.
Course graduates include Christopher Bailey, Chief Creative Officer of Burberry; Claire Barrow; Ashley Williams; Michael Herz, Creative Director of Bally; Katie Hillier, Consultant Accessory Designer for Marc Jacobs; Jutta Kraus, Creative Director of Bernhard Willhelm; Carri Mundane, Creative Director of Cassette Playa; and Stuart Vevers, Creative Director of Loewe.
