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Fashion Design

  • Fashion Design students participate in a distinctive opportunity to blend the rich history of Arab culture, fashion and traditions with the fashion industry of the 21st century.

    Through the intensive curriculum, students learn that fashion design is far more than the crafting of beautiful clothing, learning how to develop a fashion collection, from concept to the finished product.

    Aspiring designers are encouraged to look beyond the traditional restrictions of fashion and to scrutinize clothing as it responds to lifestyle, sculptural practice, performance, movement, costume and art.
    Currently no intakes for this major

  • Students are exposed to a complete range of technical skills in model drawing, pattern drafting, draping, color illustration, jewelry and textile design. The curriculum also includes computer-assisted design, fashion aesthetics, the theory of composition and color, fashion history and a range of business-related courses. Internships offer our students a glimpse of real-life, whilst our fieldtrips open their imaginations and offer great cultural experiences.

    Guest designers from the fashion industry including Emanuel Ungaro, Carla Fendi, JJ Valaya, Manish Aurora and Reem Acra have lectured, critiqued and interacted with students to complement VCUarts Qatar’s highly dedicated fashion faculty.
    Currently no intakes for this major

Why study Fashion Design?

  • MFA in Design image1

    Fashion designers set the trends

    In reality, few other professions depend as much on keeping on top of the ever-changing popular opinion and watching what competitors produce. The life of a designer is intimately linked to tastes and sensibilities that change at a moment’s notice, and he or she must be able to capitalize on, or even better, influence those opinions. Fashion embodies the ideas and the attitudes of the time we live in and every generation of designers gets to remake the world through their designs.
    Currently no intakes for this major

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    Understanding the business of fashion

    Our fashion curriculum has a strong focus on the marketing, merchandising and business management of clothing and accessories. Students are taught how to interpret theoretical knowledge to predict various trends that affect the global industry. They learn to employ visual and theoretical research and analysis skills to identify the supply and demand trends, and to explore strategies for merchandising and marketing of apparel. Our internships help students to appreciate firsthand how the fashion industry works.
    Currently no intakes for this major

  • MFA in Design image3

    VCUarts Qatar - a rigorous, rewarding, multi-cultural experience

    All graduates complete a liberal arts and science core curriculum in addition to their major program; these courses enrich a student’s understanding of the world and help them frame their art and design studies into a broad intellectual context. High achieving students will also be invited to follow our Honors program to enhance their education.
    Currently no intakes for this major

Curriculum

Degree requirement descriptions, including general education requirements, collateral requirements, Major requirements and open electives can be found at this link:
http://bulletin.vcu.edu/undergraduate/arts/school-arts-qatar/fashion-bfa-concentration-fashion-design/#degreerequirementstext

Semester plans can be found at this link:
http://bulletin.vcu.edu/undergraduate/arts/school-arts-qatar/fashion-bfa-concentration-fashion-design/#planofstudytext

Course descriptions can be found at this link:
http://bulletin.vcu.edu/undergraduate/arts/school-arts-qatar/fashion-bfa-concentration-fashion-design/#coursestext

Course description for Fashion merchandising (minor) can be found at this link:

http://bulletin.vcu.edu/undergraduate/arts/fashion-design-merchandising/fashion-minor/

Faculty

  • Christopher Fink

    Chair of Fashion Design

    .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
    Room 239B

  • Abdul Cader

    Technical Fashion Coordinator

    P +974 4402 0658
    .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

  • Ali Khan

    Associate Professor

    P +974 4402 0649
    .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

    see full profile

  • Azumi Minoda

    Adjunct Faculty

  • Dana Riad Said El-Haj Ahmad

    Adjunct Faculty

  • Esther Alice De Veuve

    Adjunct Faculty

    P +974 4402 0653
    .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

    see full profile

  • Federica Visani

    Assistant Professor

    P +974 4402 0657
    .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
    Room 227C

  • Gregory Rosborough

    Adjunct Faculty

  • Jo Momean

    Adjunct Faculty

  • Nishi Arlyn Rafols

    Administrative Business Specialist

    P +974 4402 0698
    .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

  • Christopher Fink

    Chair of Fashion Design

    .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
    Room 239B

  • Abdul Cader

    Technical Fashion Coordinator

    P +974 4402 0658
    .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

  • Ali Khan

    Associate Professor
Contact


.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Room 239B

Contact

P +974 4402 0658
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

BIO

Ali Khan is a Doha based Luxury and Menswear specialist with a diversified experience that includes, design, forecasting, merchandising, retail and academics and uniquely encompasses the five continents. His academic affiliations include such prestigious schools as HEC Paris, and the Royal College of Art London, where he is currently working on his PhD on contemporary...

Contact

P +974 4402 0649
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

see full profile

  • Azumi Minoda

    Adjunct Faculty

  • Dana Riad Said El-Haj Ahmad

    Adjunct Faculty

  • Esther Alice De Veuve

    Adjunct Faculty

BIO

Professionally active in American Theatre since 1999, Esther had the privilege of working for many wonderful regional theaters, opera and ballet companies in a variety of roles from Designer, to Wardrobe Mistress, Draper, Dyer, First Hand and Head Craft Technician.  She finds joy in being a part of a theatrical experience, no matter the role....

Contact

P +974 4402 0653
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

see full profile

  • Federica Visani

    Assistant Professor

    P +974 4402 0657
    .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
    Room 227C

  • Gregory Rosborough

    Adjunct Faculty

  • Jo Momean

    Adjunct Faculty

Contact

P +974 4402 0657
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Room 227C

  • Nishi Arlyn Rafols

    Administrative Business Specialist

    P +974 4402 0698
    .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

  • Roda Al Marzouqi

    Teaching Assistant & Academic Support Coordinator
  • Sonali Raman

    Adjunct Faculty
Contact

P +974 4402 0698
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

BIO

In 2002 Roda Al Marzouqui was one of the first fashion Department  graduates from VCUQatar.  A sportswear enthusiast, she has honed her  skill in the design and production of spectator sportswear and worked  for the Social Development Center as their resident designer for 3 years.  In August 2006 she joined her alma...

Contact

P +974 4402 0655
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

see full profile

BIO

Sonali has been in the fashion business for over 28 years with diverse experiences spanning client side, retail, consultancy, interacting with manufacturers, sourcing and designing both in India and the Middle East. She worked for nearly two decades with a fashion-buying house in India representing European retail brands, sourcing textiles, developing sample lines and finding the...

see full profile

Alumni

  • Selina Farooqui

    Fashion Designer, Selina Farooqui Fashion
    Class of 2011

    The couture bug has bitten the country. These past few years, Doha has seen a dramatic transformation of the fashion industry, with designer labels making a conspicuous and visible impact on the landscape. In this highly competitive milieu, VCUarts Qatar alumna Selina Farooqui is weaving her own success story.

    see full biography

    Alumini image1

  • Latifa Al Mudahki

    Owner & General Manager, Fashion Designer, Moda Key
    Class of 2008

    On a busy street in central Doha lies a boutique showcasing design labels from Qatar and around the world. Launched in spring of 2011, the swish new outlet Moda Key in Freej Bin Mahmoud is what owner, general manager and VCUarts Qatar alumna Latifa Al Mudahki calls a fresh, chic venue for women.

    see full biography

    Alumini image1

  • Ahmed El Sayed

    Fashion Designer, White Stain
    Class of 2011

    Being one of only six male students at VCUarts Qatar, Ahmed El Sayed admits he did stand out, and being the only male student in the Fashion department when he began his studies in 2007, he did get spoilt a bit.

    see full biography

    Alumini image1

Campus

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    Our unique Materials Library offers a huge range of materials from across the world.

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    Visit to VCUarts Qatar’s Fashion Design department by fashion entrepreneur and founder of designer fashion portal Net-a-Porter, Dame Nathalie Massenet.

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    Visit by Indian-American fashion designer Naeem Khan to the VCUarts Qatar Fashion Design studios.

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Fieldtrips & Workshops

  • Indonesia

  • Shanghai Hong Kong

  • India

  • Indonesia

  • Shanghai Hong Kong

  • India

Indonesia

May 2012

Thirteen students and four learning faculty went to Yogyakarta, Indonesia in May 2012 as volunteers on a trip organized by reach out to Asia (rotA). During this service learning trip, students led four five-day workshops on art and design at the smK rotA school in Bayat.

Field trip image

Shanghai Hong Kong

2010

Fourteen fashion design students and three faculty participated in the three-day Shanghai Expo and were hosted by the Qatar Embassy. Our students visited Helen Lee, one of the leading designers in Shanghai's emerging fashion scene, besides other designers, as well as factories and textile innovators. In Hong Kong our students visited Asia's Fashion Jewellery & Accessories Fair.

India

October 2011

In October 2011, noted Indian fashion model Sakala Debrass, sixteen students/alumni and four faculty travelled to India to attend the Wills Fashion week in Delhi. They visited designers, textile innovators, the Calico Museum in Ahmadabad as well as the National Institute of Design. We toured Agra, Jaipur and Mumbai to meet and discuss fashion and all of the infinite opportunities with leading Indian design professionals. Two alumni, Selina Farooqui and Dana Ahmed were invited to showcase their collections in the fall 2012 Wills fashion week.




Opportunities

Internships

Internships are a great way for students to gain hands-on experience in a professional design environment. VCUarts Qatar’s internships form part of the core curriculum and all students are expected to undertake a 120-hour placement often in their Senior Year. Internships are generally unpaid but may lead to sponsorship or employment after graduation. All placements are managed by the faculty internship coordinator with contracts, reporting documents and timesheets to ensure the highest professional standards are maintained.

Here are just some of the corporations that have offered valuable internships to our Fashion Design students:

Akademics, Cacherel, Easton Pearson, Feral Childe, Integral Services Uniform Department, Isabel Toledo, Manish Arora, Maria Bonita, Natalie Chanin, Qatar Museums Authority, Rami Al Ali Designers, Saks Fifth Avenue, Sara’s Secrets, (formerly Caroline’s), Social Development Center, Versace, Vivienne Westwood.

Visiting Artists

Each year VCUarts Qatar welcomes visiting artists and designers to campus to share their expertise and experiences. Drawn from across the globe, these artists, designers, educators are highly accomplished and recognized within their respective design fields. They share their knowledge through lectures, conferences or specific workshops, broadening our students’ creative experiences and complementing our multi-cultural approach to design.

Here are just some of the visiting artists and designers who visited and helped our Fashion Design graduates:

Anne Marie Paltsou, Bongiwe Walaza, Chunghie Lee, DeeDee Gordon, Donna Campbell, Eric Gaskins, Eric Raisina, Feral Childe, Hebah Al Hasan, Ike Rust, Isabel Toledo, Jill Dumain, Manish Arora, Maria Bonita, Melanie McClintock, Sheikh Majed Al Sabah.

Inquiries

VCUarts Qatar
Al Luqta Street
Education City
Doha, Qatar
+974 4402 0555
vcuqinfo@vcu.edu

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