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Postgraduate

MA Fashion Artefact

Butterfly-shaped wooden eyewear modeled by male in purple suit.
Student work by Yanni Fan | MA Fashion Artefact | London College of Fashion | University of Arts London
College
London College of Fashion Start date
September 2025 Course length
15 months

Utilise factory level equipment to manufacture your creations to industry standards in this pioneering incubator for the creative designers of the future.

Course summary

Apply to start in September 2025

This course has places available for UK applicants only. We are no longer accepting applications from international students for 2025/26 entry to this course. International applications for 2026/27 entry will open in autumn 2025.

Applying for more than 1 course

From October 2024, you can only apply for a maximum of 3 postgraduate courses each year at UAL (excluding online or low-residency courses and Graduate Diplomas). Find out more in the Apply Now section.

Why choose this course at London College of Fashion

  • Unique course: Study on the only course that explores artefact design in its broadest sense. It is globally acknowledged by industry leaders for its innovative approach to recontextualising fashion products and provoking new design narratives.
  • Specialist facilities: Benefit from access to factory-level equipment that meets industry standards and are unique to this course, enabling you to create professional-quality artefacts.
  • Graduate career prospects: Benefit from our course's industry connections to enhance your career. Graduates have secured roles at top-tier fashion houses, including Burberry Prorsum, Alexander McQueen, Louis Vuitton, Mulberry, and Phoebe Philo showcasing the course's outstanding reputation.
  • Creative exploration: Push boundaries through a multidisciplinary approach that merges art, design, and fashion to develop conceptual artefacts that challenge traditional norms.
  • Global platform: Showcase your work in international exhibitions and build a professional network, supported by the course’s established reputation as a global leader in artefact design.

Open Days

Book your place on one of our upcoming events, including online talks and campus tours to get an insight into studying with us.

Scholarships, bursaries and awards

Use our scholarship search to discover if you are eligible for any scholarships, bursaries or awards.

Course overview

The MA Fashion Artefact course exists within the Craft Programme, in the School of Design and Technology (SDT) at London College of Fashion. The Programme also includes: MA Footwear BA (Hons) Cordwainers Footwear; BA (Hons) Cordwainers Fashion, Bags & Accessories and BA (Hons) Bespoke Tailoring. The SDT also includes MA Fashion Futures, which closely aligns to the MA Fashion Artefact course’s making and theory elements and provide collaborative opportunities and shared resources.  The course is a globally unique and well-established masters which has developed an international reputation as a pioneering incubator for the creative designers and practitioners of the future.

Climate, Social and Racial Justice

The course is committed to embedding UAL’s Principles for Climate, Social and Racial Justice. 
 

Contact us

Register your interest to receive information and updates about studying at UAL.

Contact us to make an enquiry.

Course units

The Course is divided into three 15-week blocks (full-time). The first block is 60 credits and students who successfully complete this block are eligible for the award of a PG Cert. The second block is a further 60 credits and students who complete blocks 1 and 2 are eligible for the award of PG Dip. The third and final block is the Master Project, this is a 60 credit unit and students who successfully complete this block are eligible for the award of an MA. The final award grading is based upon the MA project only. 

Block 1: 

Collaborative Challenge Unit (20 Credits) 
Mastering Studio Methodologies Unit (40 Credits) 

Block 2: 

Research Proposal Unit (20 Credits) 
Analytical Design and Manufacturing Methodologies Unit (40 credits) 

Block 3: 

Masters Project (60 Credits) 

Programme specification

Download course specification (PDF File 363.9 KB)

Learning and teaching methods

The learning and teaching strategies focus on individual and small group tutorials and formative and summative assessment points. 

Blended learning environments offer a natural and logic platform for incoming students who have chosen to embark on a personal approach within the four key areas of studio practice that are key to the course philosophy. These four areas are: (1) Regional Craftsmanship and Heritage, (2) Artefact as a political voice, (3) Advanced manufacture and technology (4) Prosthetic design.

The course encourages collaboration allowing students to work with peers from other disciplines, or external partners and to learn critical professional skills to edit and peer reviewing their work and the work of others, in line with the Creative Attributes Framework.

The following learning and teaching methods are employed to support the integrated achievement of the course outcomes:

  • Lectures; seminars; discussions; tutorials; workshops, demonstrations; critiques; peer review and engagement with the Creative Attributes Framework (CAF).

Assessment methods

Throughout the course, students are given formative assessments and feedback via the tutorial system and peer group and staff reviews.  All the unit assessments are summative, as are the block assessments, and final assessment.

The range of assessment methods include written assignments; individual and group oral presentations; presentations of 2D and 3D products and research materials; peer assessment and self-assessment.

The Masters Project is a 60 credit unit and students who successfully complete this block are eligible for the award of an MA. The final award grading is based upon the Masters Project only.

Showcasing at LCF

There are a range of showcasing opportunities students can take part in whilst studying at LCF. End year showcasing at London College of Fashion, UAL, is one of the moments students can celebrate graduating from their courses. However, degree shows are not part of the learning outcomes in a course curriculum and are therefore not guaranteed as part of studying with us. Students must register by a deadline to take part, and we are not able to show all student work so submitting students will have their work curated.

UAL Showcase

Explore work by our recent students on the UAL Showcase

  • MANIFEST
    MANIFEST, Jenny Zeng, 2025 MA Fashion Artefact, London College of Fashion, UAL

    Jenny Zeng

  • WEAVING TOGETHER
    WEAVING TOGETHER, Yangning Zhang, 2025 MA Fashion Artefact, London College of Fashion, UAL

    Yangning Zhang

  • Body Mobilization
    Body Mobilization, Minqi Shao, 2025 MA Fashion Artefact, London College of Fashion, UAL

    Minqi Shao

  • Touching the Wild : A Quiet Protest
    Touching the Wild : A Quiet Protest, Ziqian Ye, 2025 MA Fashion Artefact, London College of Fashion, UAL

    Ziqian Ye

  • Woof Reunion
    Woof Reunion, Ziqi Gang, 2025 MA Fashion Artefact, London College of Fashion, UAL

    Ziqi Gang

  • Reality ~ Reality'
    Reality ~ Reality', KEXUAN LIU, 2025 MA Fashion Artefact, London College of Fashion, UAL

    KEXUAN LIU

  • See more work by students on this course on UAL Showcase

Student and graduate work

  • Jana-Zornik.jpg
  • Maria-Sokolyanskaya.jpg
  • Xiutao-Fu.jpg
  • Yancy-Chen.jpg

MA Artefact graduates at London Craft Week 2021

Why What Who: Ten years of MA Fashion Artefact at London College of Fashion

Latest news from this course

  • Entangled by MA Fashion Futures graduate Kaja Grujic

    MA Fashion Futures student, Kaja Grujic, on her hypnotic dance film, 'Entangled

    MA Fashion Futures graduate, Kaja Grujic, talks about redefining the relationship between humans and nature and combining all her ideas into her hypnotic dance film, 'Entangled'.

  • LCF x Smythson. Photography by James Rees. Creative Director Rob Phillips. Model Sherin Zavazalova.

    LCF x Smythson 2023 - A Notebook Collaboration

    London College of Fashion and Smythson joined forces to follow 15 artists (students and tutors) through their creative journeys to fill an unlined Smythson Portobello Notebook.

  • LCF x London Craft Week at Golden Lane. May 2023.

    LCF x London Craft Week 2023

    London College of Fashion, UAL hosted a public facing LCF x LCW exhibition of footwear, accessories, jewellery, tailoring and fashion artefacts in the home of craft, Golden Lane.

  • Visitors during a recent LCF graduate exhibition. Photographer: © Ana Blumenkron

    Introducing LCF's new public facing Cultural Programme

    LCF is excited to announce that from September 2023, when it opens the doors to its new home as part of East Bank, it will offer a brand-new, free, cultural programme open to the public.

  • See all stories

Facilities at LCF

Staff

Naomi Filmer

Naomi Filmer is course leader and a contemporary jewellery designer / artist. She makes objects about the body rather than to adorn, treating the body itself as a site for continuing aesthetic inquiry. Her early works gained attention on catwalk created for designers Hussein Chalayan, Alexander McQueen and Anne Valerie Hash and others. Subsequent works have featured in design exhibitions, and recognised for her sculptural forms and varied use of materials. Naomi continues to explore recurrent themes of fragmentation and isolation of the body through objects that explore the tension between art and design, using craft and combined media to push the boundaries between art and accessories. Her work is collected and exhibited internationally in the Crafts Council London, Victoria and Albert Museum London, Boijmans von Beuningen Rotterdam, MUDAC Lausanne, MoMu Antwerp, Trienale Design Museum Milan and elsewhere.

Fees and funding

Home fee

£14,000

This fee is correct for 2025/26 entry and is subject to change for 2026/27 entry.

Tuition fees may increase in future years for new and continuing students on courses lasting more than one year. For this course, you can pay tuition fees in instalments.

Students from countries outside of the UK will generally be charged international fees. The rules are complex so read more about tuition fees and determining your fee status.

International fee

£29,990

This fee is correct for 2025/26 entry and is subject to change for 2026/27 entry.

Tuition fees may increase in future years for new and continuing students on courses lasting more than one year. For this course, you can pay tuition fees in instalments.

Students from countries outside of the UK will generally be charged international fees. The rules are complex so read more about tuition fees and determining your fee status.

Additional costs

You may need to cover additional costs which are not included in your tuition fees, such as materials and equipment specific to your course. Typical approximate costs for this course include: ​

  • Drawing tools and materials: £35-£150
  • Leather crafting toolkit: £50
  • Laptop or desktop computer

For a list of general digital equipment you may need (and how you can borrow equipment), visit our Study costs page.​

Accommodation

Find out about accommodation options and how much they will cost, and other living expenses you’ll need to consider.

Scholarships, bursaries and awards

If you’ve completed a qualifying course at UAL, you may be eligible for a tuition fee discount on this course. Find out more about our Progression discount.

You can also find out more about the Postgraduate Masters Loan (Home students only) and scholarships, including £7,000 scholarships for Home and International students. Discover more about student funding.

If you’re based in the UK and plan to visit UAL for an Open Event, check if you’re eligible for our UAL Travel Bursary. This covers the costs of mainland train or airline travel to visit UAL.

How to pay

Find out how you can pay your tuition fees.

Scholarship search

Or view all

Entry requirements

Entry to this course is highly competitive: applicants are expected to achieve, or already have, the course entry requirements detailed below.

  • An Honours degree at 2.1 or above in a related discipline. Applicants with a degree in another subject may be considered, depending on the strength of the application;

OR

  • Relevant and quantitative experience.

All classes are conducted in English. The level required by the University for this course is IELTS 6.5 with a minimum of 6.0 in each skill. 

Selection criteria

The course seeks to recruit students who can demonstrate: 

  • A strong commitment and motivation towards a career in an aspect of the fashion and creative industries 
  • An awareness, and relevant experience of, fashion or the creative industries; 
  • High-level knowledge and skills commensurate with planned entry into the defined course including the ability to design and manufacture fashion artefacts. 

The course seeks to recruit students from diverse socio-economic and cultural backgrounds, and welcomes applications from mature students. 

Information for disabled applicants

UAL is committed to achieving inclusion and equality for disabled students. This includes students who have:

     
  • Dyslexia or another Specific Learning Difference
  • A sensory impairment
  • A physical impairment
  • A long-term health or mental health condition
  • Autism
  • Another long-term condition which has an impact on your day-to-day life

Our Disability Service arranges adjustments and support for disabled applicants and students.

Read our Disability and dyslexia: applying for a course and joining UAL information.

Apply now

Application deadline

Deadline

Round 1:

10 December 2024 at 1pm (UK time)

Round 2:

26 March 2025 at 1pm (UK time)

Digital portfolio and video task deadline

Round 1:

8 January 2025 at 11.59pm (UK time)

Round 2:

9 April 2025 at 11.59pm (UK time)

Decision outcome

Round 1:

21 March 2025

Round 2:

20 June 2025

Round 1
Round 2
Deadline
10 December 2024 at 1pm (UK time)
26 March 2025 at 1pm (UK time)
Digital portfolio and video task deadline
8 January 2025 at 11.59pm (UK time)
9 April 2025 at 11.59pm (UK time)
Decision outcome
21 March 2025
20 June 2025

This course is still open to applications from UK students and will remain open until all places are filled.

Read more about deadlines

Apply to UAL

Start your application

Apply now

Application deadline

Deadline

Round 1:

10 December 2024 at 1pm (UK time)

Round 2:

26 March 2025 at 1pm (UK time)

Digital portfolio and video task deadline

Round 1:

8 January 2025 at 11.59pm (UK time)

Round 2:

9 April 2025 at 11.59pm (UK time)

Decision outcome

Round 1:

21 March 2025

Round 2:

20 June 2025

Round 1
Round 2
Deadline
10 December 2024 at 1pm (UK time)
26 March 2025 at 1pm (UK time)
Digital portfolio and video task deadline
8 January 2025 at 11.59pm (UK time)
9 April 2025 at 11.59pm (UK time)
Decision outcome
21 March 2025
20 June 2025

We are no longer accepting applications to this course for 2025/26 entry from international applicants. Applications for 2026/27 entry will open in autumn 2025.

Read more about deadlines

How to apply

Follow this step-by-step guide to apply for this course

Step 1: Initial application

You will need to submit an initial application including your personal statement, CV and study proposal.

Personal statement advice

Your personal statement should be maximum 500 words and include:

  • your reasons for choosing the course
  • your current creative practice and how this course will help you achieve your future plans
  • any relevant education and/or industry experience - especially if you do not have any formal academic qualifications.

Visit our personal statement page for more advice.

CV advice

Please provide a CV detailing your education, qualifications and any relevant work or voluntary experience. If you have any web projects or other media that you would like to share, please include links in your CV.

If English is not your first language, please also include your most recent English language test score.

Study proposal advice

Please provide a brief summary of your study proposal (400 words).

It should:

  • state the background for your proposal, including a brief overview of your creative practice so far
  • determine the precise area of study – your design context
  • set out your aims and objectives within the course structure
  • outline the sequence of practical and theoretical research that you intend to follow
  • refer to any critical ideas and design concepts that may underpin your practice, demonstrating your knowledge of the historical and contemporary context of fashion artefact, accessories and product
  • state the form of realisation, outcome or product typology of the study proposal
  • include any research resources that you plan to use
  • include a bibliography and an appendix with supporting notes, drawings and links if necessary. These will not be included in the word count.

Please note, your proposal serves to inform your application and we understand that your ideas will develop and change throughout your studies.

Step 2: Video task and digital portfolio

We will review your initial application. If you have met the standard entry requirements, we will ask you to submit a video task and a digital portfolio.

You’ll need to submit these via PebblePad, our online portfolio tool. Please submit your video task on the first page followed by your portfolio.

Video task advice

We’d like you to submit a 2-3 minute video to help us learn more about you. When recording your task, please face the camera and speak in English.

What to include in your video task

  • Choose 1 project from your portfolio. Explain how it challenged you in both creative thinking and in the making. How has the experience of that project improved your skills?
  • Tell us how this experience inspired you to apply to this course at London College of Fashion.
  • Explain your understanding of what defines a fashion artefact, and how your work relates to this understanding.

Read our guidance for how to submit your video task and which file types we accept.

Digital portfolio advice

Your portfolio should consist of recent work that reflects your creative strengths.

It should:

  • be maximum 30 pages, including your video task
  • include digital versions of your design development drawings, photographs of realised designs, speculative design and sketch work
  • include work in progress, as well as finished pieces to demonstrate your creative process and ability to develop an idea from initial concept to finished outcome
  • clearly present your work with notes to explain your thinking and making process, including dates and other relevant information.

For more support, see our Portfolio advice and PebblePad advice.

Step 3: Interview

You may be invited to an interview following our review of your application. All interviews are held online and last 15 to 20 minutes.

For top tips, see our Interview advice.

You also need to know

Communicating with you

Once you have submitted your initial application, we will email you with your login details for our Applicant portal.

Requests for supplementary documents like qualifications and English language tests will be made through the applicant portal. You can also use it to ask questions regarding your application. Visit our After you apply page for more information.

Applying to more than 1 course

From October 2024, you can only apply for a maximum of 3 postgraduate courses each year at UAL. This excludes online or low-residency courses and Graduate Diplomas, which you can apply to in addition to 3 other postgraduate courses.

If you apply for more than 3 postgraduate courses between October 2024 and August 2025, we won’t accept the 4th application. It’s not possible to withdraw an application to replace it with another.

You need to tailor your application, supporting documents and portfolio to each course, so applying for many different courses could risk the overall quality of your application. If you receive offers for multiple courses, you'll only be able to accept 1 offer.

Visas and immigration history check

All non-UK nationals must complete an immigration history check. Your application may be considered by our course teams before this check takes place. If your course requires a portfolio and/or video task, we may request these before we identify any issues arising from your immigration history check. Sometimes your history may mean that we are not able to continue considering your application. Visit our Immigration and visas advice page for more information.

External student transfer policy

UAL accepts transfers from other institutions on a case-by-case basis. Read our Student transfer policy for more information.

Alternative offers

If your application is really strong, but we believe your strengths and skillset are better suited to a different course, we may make you an alternative offer. This means you will be offered a place on a different course or at a different UAL College.

Deferring your place

We do not accept any deferral requests for our postgraduate courses. This means that you must apply in the year that you plan to start your course and you will not be able to defer your place to start at a later date.

Application deadlines

Most of our postgraduate courses have 2 rounds of deadlines: one in December and one in March.

As long as you apply ahead of each deadline we will consider your application alongside all the other applications in that round. We always make sure to hold enough places back for round 2 to make sure we can consider your application fairly, no matter which round you apply in.

If there are still places available after the second deadline, the course will remain open to applications until all places have been filled.

Careers

All our postgraduate courses offer career development, so that you become a creative thinker, making effective contributions to your relevant sector of the fashion industry.

LCF offers students the opportunity to develop Personal and Professional Development (PPD) skills while studying through:

  • Access to to speaker programmes and events featuring alumni and industry.
  • Access to careers activities, such as CV clinics and one-to-one advice sessions.
  • Access to a graduate careers service
  • Access to a live jobsboard for all years.
  • Advice on setting up your own brand or company.

Career paths

Graduates from MA Fashion Artefact will be in a position to gain employment as innovators within the field of fashion design or object based fashion artefacts / accessories and may identify a fashion house, large corporate company or alternatively choose to build their own identity through the launch of their own product/design label. Graduates of MA Fashion Artefact have previously gone on to set up their own labels and work in a number of roles within the industry at companies including Burberry Prorsum and Alexander McQueen. Further employment opportunities include trend prediction, stylist, illustrator and freelance designer.

Masters graduates have an acknowledged advantage in the employment market, obtaining work in a wide range of vocational and academic fields related to fashion. Graduates from the MA Fashion Artefact will be in a position to gain employment as innovators within the fields of fashion design and technology, fashion communications, or management and marketing for the fashion industries. The MA also provides an excellent preparation for higher level research degrees (MPhil or PhD), with an increasing number of graduates undertaking research in fashion related subjects, in both practice and theory.

Graduate Futures

Graduate Futures provides a comprehensive career management service supporting our students to become informed and self-reliant individuals able to plan and manage their own careers.

LCF alumni

Many of our alumni are now impressive, leading industry figures.

Alumni

London College of Fashion

Contact

Telephone

+44 (0)20 7514 7400

Address

105 Carpenter's Road
London

E20 2AR