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Fashion - BDes

Is it for you?

Named by Forbes as one of the best schools in 2021 that are shaping the future of fashion, the Bachelor of Design in Fashion is an interdisciplinary degree program that inspires students to reimagine fashion in bold, new ways. 

In response to the rapidly shifting landscape of fashion, you’ll be encouraged to hone your creativity and design thinking skills around inclusive, decolonized, and sustainable perspectives. The program prepares you to become a leader in fashion, locally and globally.

 Ranked in Best Colleges That Are Shaping The Future Of Fashion (external link, opens in new window)  by Forbes.

Program info

Faculty: 
The Creative School

Program format(s): 
Full time: 4 Year

Degree: 
Bachelor of Design

Grade range: 
Low 80s1

Requirements: 
Grades-Plus 

Experiential learning: 
Mandatory internship


Tuition and fees 

For detailed fees information, visit tuition and fees by program.

Full-time format 2023-2024:

Ontario students fees range: $7,232 - $7,738
Out-of-province students fees range: $8,060 - $8,582
International fees range: $33,462 - $33,881

First-year courses

Here is a preview of first-year courses based on the available undergraduate calendar information.

1st Semester

REQUIRED:

CORE ELECTIVE: One course from Table I (opens in new window) 

LIBERAL STUDIES: One course from Table A - Lower Level Liberal Studies (opens in new window) 

2nd Semester

REQUIRED:

CORE ELECTIVE:
Two courses from Table I (opens in new window) 

Your future

  • Fashion design
  • Art/creative direction
  • Social and environmental advocacy
  • Costuming for TV, film and stage
  • Event management
  • Brand strategy and design
  • Textile and surface design
  • Photography
  • Visual merchandising
  • Buying
  • Graduate studies 

Thinking of applying? Make sure the program is still accepting applications.


Requirements

Academic requirements

Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) or equivalent with a minimum of six Grade 12 U or M courses including the following program specific requirements. 

Typically, a minimum overall average of 70% establishes eligibility for admission consideration; subject to competition individual programs may require higher prerequisite grades and/or higher overall averages:

  • A minimum grade of 70% or higher will be required in Grade 12 U English/anglais (ENG4U/EAE4U preferred)
  • Recommended: art/visual arts and sewing courses, if available. 

Academic admission requirements for all other applicants are available on the admission requirements page.


Non-academic requirements 

This is a Grades-Plus program. In addition to meeting competitive academic requirements, you are required to submit the following non-academic requirements. Your ability to follow and adhere to the requirements is part of the assessment of your application. 

Questions? Contact fashion.admission@torontomu.ca with questions about the portfolio.

 Fall 2024 non-academic requirement due date: 
February 1, 2024 or 10 business days
 from your application submission date, whichever comes later.

 Winter 2024 applicants due dates: 
August 1, 2023 or 10 business days
 from your application submission date, whichever comes later. SlideRoom (external link, opens in new window)  will open and be available for you to submit your non-academic requirements as of June 1, 2023.

The portfolio is an essential part of your application and it represents an opportunity to display your creativity, exploratory research and technical skills. It is the place to showcase your concepts and critical thinking and express your interest in Fashion. Your portfolio contains a combination of visual and written work, including both process and finished pieces.

Four portfolio pieces:

Submit four (4) finished pieces of your best creative work or samples of writing that display your skills and interest in Fashion. We really want to see how your ideas develop and so you are encouraged to also submit process work along with the finished pieces to demonstrate the evolution of your ideas. Be sure to label your process work accordingly.

Your process may be demonstrated through: 

  • sketching multiple concepts 
  • material exploration 
  • photos of work in progress 
  • credited images of inspiration 
  • notes and related research 

Portfolio content options

Some suggested portfolio items are listed below, but you may also choose to submit work that is not listed here. We suggest choosing multiple categories to represent your skills and creativity. If you choose to submit multiple items from the same category show us different skills. 

Clothing & accessories 

  • Sewn garment: From a commercial pattern or your original design 
  • Creative reuse: Upcycled garment or accessory 

 Notes: Display on a dress form or body. Photograph front, back and detail views. Include a short description.

Graphic design 

  • Branding: Design a logo and advertisement using your original imagery and text 
  • Social media campaign: Promote an idea through a social platform of your choice. Include graphics and a written description of your strategy

Fine art

  • Traditional art media: Painting, printmaking, sculpture, etc. 
  • Illustration/drawing: Fashion figure and garment design, accessory, or product illustration 
  • Photography: Abstract, editorial or product-focused

Accessory or textile design

  • Accessory design: An illustration, computer rendering or photographs of a physical prototype of your design for jewellery, hat, purse, etc. Include a short description along with images showing the overall design and details 
  • Textile design: Your original block print, digital design, weaving, embroidery etc. Include a short description along with sketches, prints or photographs showing the overall design and details

Writing 

  • Academic writing: An essay demonstrating your skills in research and writing 
  • Creative writing: An example of fiction, non-fiction, or poetry 
  • Fashion journalism: An article you’ve written for a blog, print etc.

Fashion business 

  • New business or product idea: Include a 1-2 page description and concept sketches or photos 
  • Marketing plan for a fashion brand: Include a 1-2 page description and concept sketches or photos

Fashion event 

  • Describe your role or contribution to a Fashion event that you planned, coordinated, or participated in. Include a 1-2 page description plus photographs and other related materials

Your own choice 

  • The categories listed above are just suggestions. You are welcome to submit any work that represents your skills and creativity!

Drawing upon your personal experiences, tell us about: 

  • Your interest in Fashion
  • Why you want to pursue a Bachelor of Design in Fashion

Please consider an important issue affecting Fashion and its potential solutions, such as: 

  • Cultural appropriation 
  • Diversity and inclusion 
  • Fashion activism 
  • Sustainability 
  • Or any other issue of your choice

 Submission requirements: 

  • 500 word essay
  • All work must be your own
  • Visual work should be carefully photographed or scanned and prepared
  • Written work should be carefully proofread
  • Portfolio submissions will be assessed on their originality, creativity, level of complexity, technical proficiency and neatness
  • Non-academic requirements including portfolios are only accepted online. No physical submissions will be accepted
  • Ensure that all guidelines have been followed
  • Only complete submissions will be accepted and reviewed
  • You will not be permitted to re-submit missing or incomplete work

Your non-academic submission will be retained by the School of Fashion for the purpose of verifying authenticity. There will be no exceptions to this policy. Upon admission and registration in the program, if any element of the portfolio or statement of intent is found to be plagiarized (not wholly your own), your admission/registration in the program will be cancelled.

The non-academic requirements assessment fee is $50 CDN and must be paid in order for your submission to be reviewed. Here’s how to pay:

  1. Access your ChooseTMU Applicant Portal account (instructions to access the portal can be found below under Submission Instructions).

  2. Click on the button to link to the eForms Centre.

    eForms Centre button highlighted in the applicant portal account
  3. Next, click on the eForms Center tile.

    eForms Center button highlighted in the bottom right corner of MyServiceHub.
  4. Then click on the Non-Academic Fee Form link.

    Non-academic Fee Form highlighted in the eForms Center page.

Do not submit non-academic material until after you have submitted your application for admission. You will receive an email acknowledgement of your application that will include your TMU Student Number. Please include your TMU Student Number on all materials you submit.

You are required to submit your portfolio and statement of intent via SlideRoom.

Go to SlideRoom (external link, opens in new window)  and create an account (or sign in if you already have one).

File preparation

SlideRoom recommends:

  • 1024 x 1024 px at 72 ppi is a good standard to use as a general guideline for browser based-viewing
  • Images larger than 1280 x 1280 at 72 ppi will be resized in SlideRoom
  • Images (up to 10MB each)
  • Video (up to 500MB each)
  • Audio (up to 60MB each)
  • PDFs (up to 20MB each)
  • You may also link to media from YouTube, Vimeo and SoundCloud
  • Use PDFs where possible for multi-page documents
  • Process Work is recommended as a multi-page PDF
  • PNGs are great for preserving the quality of your work
  • Do not submit working files (.ai, .psd, .indd, .docx)

Submission instructions

Label all portfolio pieces so that it is clear which pieces belong together. 

Use the following format for labelling your pieces:

  • Portfolio_Piece1*_TMU Student Number [*replace the number for each piece (2,3,4)]

For additional uploads related to the same portfolio piece:

  • Portfolio_Piece1a_TMU Student Number
  • Portfolio_Piece1b_TMU Student Number

Label all process work.

Use the following format for labelling your process work:

  • Process_1* _TMU Student Number [replace the number for each piece (2,3,4)]

For additional uploads related to the same process work:

  • Process_1a_TMU Student Number
  • Process_1b_TMU Student Number

Continue to review your ChooseTMU Applicant Portal account for updates about your application.

If you are applying for readmission or reinstatement, you are not required to submit non-academic requirements. You must inform the program department of your intentions.

 Email fashion.admission@torontomu.ca by February 1, 2024, or 10 business days from your application submission date (whichever comes later).


Student spotlight

Fashion students showcased and sold their sustainable and inventive designs at INLAND 

Fashion students from The Creative School put their designs on display at INLAND, an in-person pop-up shopping community that showcases Canada’s most celebrated and up-and-coming fashion designers and creators. The pop-up featured over 75 Canadian designers, including 12 undergraduate and graduate students from the Fashion program. 

Read more: Fashion students shine at Toronto’s favourite shopping pop-up

A hand holds up the flyer for INLAND. Dresses and other designs can be seen in the background.


More ways to explore TMU

  

Notes:

  1. Actual minimum grade ranges required for fall 2024 admission/wait list consideration will be determined based on grades and qualifications presented by the applicant pool as they become available. Required grade ranges may fluctuate from year to year (up or down) as a result of competition. Applicants not educated in Ontario may present the equivalent of the Ontario requirements. TMU reserves the right to determine equivalency at its sole discretion.

Disclaimer: 

While every effort is made to ensure accuracy on this site, in the event of a discrepancy, TMU's current Undergraduate Calendar is the official reference.