Fashion and Technology

Program Introduction

Some people walk past a bolt of fabric without taking notice. You see the finished garment already hanging in your mind: the seams, the structure, the silhouette. The Bachelor of Design in Fashion and Technology gives you four years to turn your eye for style into an employable skill.

As a student at The KPU Wilson School of Design, you’ll learn pattern drafting, garment construction, and textile innovation, working across categories like womenswear, activewear, sustainable design, and more. Training happens on the same equipment the industry actually uses, including laser cutters, ultrasonic welders, and professional software like Optitex, Illustrator, and InDesign. On the business side, you’ll use forecasting tools like WGSN, and collaborate on projects with local brands. If you like, an international exchange is even an option, letting you study at partner fashion schools in places like London, Melbourne, Helsinki, or Taipei.

Before you graduate, you’ll design, produce, and present your own solo collection in front of the industry leaders who might hire you next.

What it looks like to shape the future of fashion:

Why this student’s work placement with John Fluevog was an “eye-opening experience”:

Why Study Fashion and Technology?

Here’s what makes our program unique:

You’ll have access to the latest technology: lasers, 3D printers, ultrasonic welders, and professional software like Optitex, Illustrator, and InDesign.
Our faculty include industry leaders who stay plugged into the global fashion scene, not just the classroom.
Our work placements open doors at local companies — think lululemon, Arc’teryx, and Aritzia.
Our Advisory Committee of apparel industry leaders keeps the curriculum current, so you’re always learning the latest.
Design doesn't happen in isolation here. You’ll work alongside product, interior, and graphic design students, and that community shapes your work in ways a fashion-only program never could.
Complete your first two years and you’re eligible to exit with a diploma, or keep going toward the full four-year degree. It’s your call.
With hundreds of apparel companies in the Lower Mainland alone, B.C.'s fashion industry gives our grads real choice in where they land.
Some graduates don’t just find a job, they create one. Our alumni have launched their own labels, built on what they learned here.

Apply Today

Who Studies Fashion and Technology?

Fashion and Technology draws people from all walks of life. Some arrive with a sewing machine that’s seen years of heavy use. Others show up with sketchbooks full of ideas they don’t know how to create. You might be fresh out of high school or an industry professional ready to sharpen what you already know. Either way, you’ll need persistence and a willingness to take risks.

We’ll teach you the rest: technical skill in construction and drafting, the full range of textiles and how they perform, and the research habits required to forecast what’s coming next in the industry. We’ll teach you all of it, starting from wherever you’re at.

A Fashion and Technology grad on how the program prepared him for the workplace:

Admission Requirements

Here’s what you’ll need to do in order to apply to the Wilson School of Design:

Meet our English Proficiency Requirement.
Submit an Entrance Package.
Complete an Interview (may be required).

Click the links below to explore detailed requirements about this program.

How to Apply Admission Requirements

Fashion and Technology Grad Profile

Jean Okada finds inspiration everywhere: in nature, music, and community. That’s a mindset she’s carried since graduating from Fashion and Technology at the Wilson School of Design. She credits our school with pushing her beyond the art of design itself. Jean says the program taught her how to present and sell an idea, too. It seems to be working. Eighteen years into her career, Jean finds herself in the role of Design Director for Outerwear at Aritzia. Yes, she’s the one who gets to decide what next season’s puffy jacket will look like!

“Wilson School of Design really set me up to work in the industry and be adaptable in the job market. There are lots of ups and downs in the industry, of course. There can be some long nights, there can be last-minute changes, lots of different feedback. You know, the program really helped me to manage my time. That's such an important skill.”