Where Can I Find Free Online Fashion Design Courses?

<p>Fashion design is more than sewing fabrics together. It combines art, technology, and business skills to create beautiful or thought-provoking designs and profit from them. While there are many fashion design degree programs, free fashion classes are another option for those who love fashion design as a hobby or want to try it without committing to a full program. </p> <p /> <table border="1"><tr><th> Institution/Platform </th><th> Courses Offered </th><th> Course Level </th><th> Length</th></tr> <tr><td> University of Fashion </td><td> Drawing Female Contrapposto Front Pose <br /> Bustier Bodice </td><td> Beginner </td><td> Under 1 hour of video time</td></tr> <tr><td> MIT Open Courseware </td><td> Beginning Costume Design and Construction <br /> The Craft of Costume Design </td><td> Intermediate <br /> Beginner </td><td> Self-paced</td></tr> <tr><td> Skillshare </td><td> Designing Repeat Patterns: From Icons to Apparel and Beyond </td><td> Intermediate </td><td> 30 minutes of video time</td></tr> </table><h2 id="section---FreeOnlineFashionDesignCourses">Free Online Fashion Design Courses</h2> <p>Most free courses are for beginners and do not have any prerequisites, but there are some at the intermediate level. Some courses require special equipment, such as drawing tools or a sewing machine, so you can follow along with the instructor and complete projects. If you're looking for certification, there are little to no free online fashion courses with a certificate. Those programs are usually longer and require payment. Below is information about a few platforms that offer online fashion degree courses without tuition. </p> <h3 id="section---TheUniversityOfFashion">The University of Fashion</h3> <p>The University of Fashion is an online platform that teaches fashion courses through video instruction. They have courses in beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels for many fashion professionals, including designers and <a href="https://learn.org/articles/Retail_Buyer_Become_a_Retail_Buyer_in_5_Steps.html">retail buyers</a>. Most of the courses require a paid membership, but there are a few that are offered for free. The courses are divided into disciplines, and a few of them include: </p> <ul><li>Draping </li><li>Fashion Business </li><li>Sewing </li><li>Fashion Art </li><li>Pattern Making </li></ul><p>There are several courses within each discipline. Two free courses are Drawing Female Contrapposto Front Pose, which is in the Fashion Art discipline, and Bustier Bodice, which is in the draping discipline. These courses are both beginner level and have under 1 hour of video time, but creating a piece for the course can take longer. The drawing course teaches how to draw and ink female fashion figures to show off designs properly. The draping course teaches how to prepare a dress form, take measurements, and drape a bustier bodice. </p> <h3 id="section---MITOpenCourseware">MIT Open Courseware</h3> <p>The Massachusetts Institute of Technology offers downloadable PDF files of courses that have been previously taught to undergraduate students. The files include class assignments, projects, a course syllabus, and examples of student's work. They also provide a list of materials that the original class used and field trips to enhance the learning experience. Since the course is a downloadable file, it is self-paced. </p> <p>Two fashion design courses are: </p> <p><b>Beginning Costume Design and Construction</b> </p> <p>An intermediate course, students learn techniques for costume design, including how to make costumes based off of character analysis by reading scripts. Costume construction, draping, and drafting techniques are practiced. Research on period fashion is also included. </p> <p><b>The Craft of Costume Design</b> </p> <p>This course focuses on crafting pieces of a costume instead of sewing (for example, creating a hat or jewelry). Students learn methods for using various techniques and materials. A few assignments include dyeing and distressing materials, and crafting wigs, masks, armor, and corsets. </p> <h3 id="section---Skillshare">Skillshare</h3> <p>Skillshare is a video platform with courses on hundreds of subjects. Many courses require a paid membership, but a few free ones are available. Courses can be uploaded by anyone, but Skillshare has a selection process for courses they find exceptional and can be found with the 'Staff Picks' label. They additionally have Skillshare Originals, which is content that is professionally made by their team. </p> <p>One free Skillshare Original course in fashion design is Designing Repeat Patterns: From Icons to Apparel and Beyond. The course lasts a total of 30 minutes, but creating a piece of work for the course can make it longer. The course teaches basic patternmaking but is considered intermediate. A few concepts in the course include how to gather inspiration, set up an artboard, crafting and refining a pattern, and sending a pattern to print.</p>