Study Fashion Design Online – QLS Level 1 Award

Discover how fashion ideas take shape with BOLC Academy. Our Certificate in Fashion Design QLS Level 1 Award introduces you to the industry, visual design fundamentals and the thoughtful use of colour. You can study fashion design online at your own pace, building an understanding of how garments communicate style, purpose and identity.

The course is designed for beginners, creative hobbyists and learners considering further study. You can also browse our course catalogue to compare subject areas and learning levels, or explore the wider fashion design course collection for the next step in your learning.

About This Level 1 Fashion Design Award

Fashion design involves more than selecting attractive clothing. A design must bring together visual elements, the intended wearer, materials and a coherent creative idea. This introductory award concentrates on the conceptual foundations: how the industry has developed, why fashion trends change, how designers build visual balance and how colour choices affect a garment’s appearance. These subjects provide a useful vocabulary for discussing fashion with greater precision.

The course comprises three units and approximately 60 hours of self-paced online learning. It is an accessible starting point for those who want to understand design decisions before exploring more detailed fashion illustration, pattern development or garment construction. Unlike a practical tailoring programme, this award focuses primarily on fashion awareness and foundational design knowledge.

What You Will Learn

• Explain the role of fashion designers and how historical influences shape contemporary fashion.
• Recognise the fashion cycle and the relationship between emerging trends and changing consumer preferences.
• Identify how lines, shapes, colours and textures influence a garment’s visual character.
• Describe how balance, emphasis and repetition can create a coherent composition.
• Compare colour combinations according to mood, contrast, garment purpose and intended audience.

Flexible Online Study

This Level 1 Award is delivered online, allowing you to organise your study around work, family and other commitments. The indicative learning duration is approximately 60 hours, and the course follows a clear three-unit sequence. You can review the learning material as you develop your understanding of fashion history, design elements and colour use. BOLC Academy offers a convenient route into structured introductory fashion study without the need to attend regular classroom sessions.

Developing Your Fashion Design Knowledge

After this short award, you may wish to take a broader introduction that explores the same foundations in greater depth. BOLC Academy’s longer Level 1 Fashion Design Certificate offers approximately 80 study hours, while the Level 2 Fashion Design Certificate provides further study of fashion forecasting and design principles. Select the course that matches the depth of learning you want rather than assuming one award automatically grants entry to a job.

For further ideas on developing your creative skills outside a classroom, read our how to learn fashion designing at home. The article offers supplementary guidance alongside the course syllabus.

Begin Your Fashion Design Studies

Explore the essentials of fashion history, design composition and colour with BOLC Academy’s flexible Level 1 Award. Enrol to build a clear foundation for your next stage of creative learning.

Unit 1. Introduction to Fashion Design

Your learning begins with the role of fashion in everyday life and the ways clothing reflects culture, identity and changing social expectations. You will explore the development of the fashion industry and the influence of major styles across the eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth centuries. This historical perspective helps explain why familiar silhouettes and details return in new forms rather than treating every trend as entirely new.

The unit also introduces the fashion cycle: the emergence, adoption, popularity and eventual decline or revival of particular styles. You will consider how designers interpret these movements and how their responsibilities extend from identifying inspiration to communicating a clear creative direction. By the end of the unit, you should be better equipped to distinguish an enduring design influence from a short-lived fashion trend.

Unit 2. Elements and Principles of Design

This unit looks closely at the visual building blocks of fashion: colour, shape, line and texture. A vertical line, for example, can change how a silhouette is perceived, while the choice between smooth and heavily textured materials may alter the overall effect of a design. You will explore how these elements work together, rather than viewing them as unrelated decoration.

You will then examine key principles such as balance, emphasis and repetition, and their contribution to a coherent composition. Balance concerns the visual distribution of detail; emphasis guides attention towards a particular feature; repetition establishes continuity across a garment or coordinated look. Understanding these principles helps you explain why one design appears harmonious while another feels cluttered or disconnected. The focus is on informed observation and creative judgement at introductory level.

Unit 3. The Use of Colour in Fashion Design

Colour is central to the identity and appeal of a garment. The final unit explores how a designer chooses colour combinations with an intended audience, garment function and overall impression in mind. You will consider the difference between contrast and cohesion, why some combinations appear visually comfortable, and how a deliberate clash can also become part of a design concept.

The unit encourages you to think about colour as a design decision rather than an isolated preference. For example, two garments with identical shapes may communicate very different moods when presented in muted neutrals or sharply contrasting tones. You will use the concepts developed in the earlier units to evaluate colour relationships and explain the reasoning behind different design choices. This creates a foundation for further learning in styling, illustration and dress design.

At the end of this course successful learners will receive a Certificate of Achievement from the Quality Licence Scheme and a Learner Unit Summary (which lists the components the learner has completed as part of the course).

This course and/or training programme has been endorsed by the Quality Licence Scheme for its high-quality, non-regulated provision and training programmes. This course and/or training programme is not regulated by Ofqual and is not an accredited qualification. Your training provider will be able to advise you on any further recognition, for example progression routes into further and/or higher education. For further information please visit the Learner FAQs on the Quality Licence Scheme website.

Frequently Asked Questions
 

What is covered in this Level 1 Fashion Design Award?

The award introduces the fashion industry and its history, core elements and principles of design, and the use of colour. It develops a conceptual foundation rather than providing comprehensive technical garment-making training.

Can I study fashion design online without previous experience?

Yes. The subjects are introductory and are appropriate if you are starting to explore fashion as a creative interest or potential area of further study.

How long is the course?

The indicative learning duration is approximately 60 hours. Your actual pace will depend on how much time you devote to reading, reflection and reviewing the materials.

Does the course cover fashion history?

Yes. The first unit discusses the development of fashion and selected influences from the eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth centuries, alongside the fashion cycle.

Will I learn to sew or construct garments?

The approved syllabus concentrates on design concepts and colour. It does not present detailed sewing, pattern cutting or garment construction as core units.

What design principles will I explore?

The second unit examines key principles including balance, emphasis and repetition, together with the elements of line, shape, colour and texture.

Why is colour studied in a separate unit?

Colour helps communicate a garment’s purpose, mood and visual identity. The final unit explores how combinations create contrast or cohesion and influence the overall design.

Is this course suitable for someone interested in styling?

It can provide useful introductory knowledge about colour relationships, design balance and changing trends, although it is not a specialist personal styling qualification.

What certificate is available after completion?

Successful learners receive a Quality Licence Scheme Certificate of Achievement and a Learner Unit Summary identifying completed course components.

Is the Level 1 Award an Ofqual-regulated qualification?

No. This is Quality Licence Scheme-endorsed, non-regulated training. Its Level 1 designation should not be confused with an RQF-regulated qualification.

How does this Award differ from the Level 1 Certificate?

This Award has an indicative duration of 60 hours. BOLC’s separate Level 1 Certificate is listed at approximately 80 hours, providing a longer introductory route.

What could I study after completing the Award?

You could progress to a more extensive introductory course or explore BOLC’s Level 2 Fashion Design Certificate, which includes fashion forecasting and further design study.

Our introductory Level 1 Fashion Design Award is designed to lay a strong foundation for more advanced studies at diploma level. Successful candidates may also put their new skills and knowledge to use in a practical setting, working towards a rewarding career in fashion design. We also strongly recommend endorsed fashion design studies for anyone interested in starting their own business from scratch. Newcomers to fashion design can expect to earn around £20,000 to £25,000 in an entry-level position.

This course is suited to people exploring fashion design for the first time, hobbyists interested in developing a stronger design vocabulary, creative learners preparing for more extensive courses, and those curious about the ideas behind clothing and style. No formal fashion design background is needed to engage with these introductory subjects.