Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design
London, England
From the iconic designs of London's red Routemaster buses and the chopper bike to theatrical productions like Phantom of the Opera; from exquisite fashion at Dior and Chloé in Paris to the current portrayal of that icon of contemporary culture, James Bond; Central Saint Martins' alumni have made a profound impact on our lives. Our staff and students continue to build on the success of our past by pushing the boundaries of the practice of art and design and art and design education.
Central Saint Martins provides specialist education and research in the fields of fine art, fashion & textiles, film, video and photography, graphics & communication design, three dimensional design, theatre & performance and interdisciplinary art & design. We have opportunities for study from foundation through undergraduate and postgraduate to research degrees; a vibrant research community and a large short course programme. As well as our permanent academic staff, all of whom are active artists or designers, we employ a large number of associate lecturers who are professional artists, designers or performers. Our students are from diverse cultural backgrounds, 65 different countries and all age groups, many with a broad experience of life and the professions.
The ambition of the fashion design course at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design is that its graduates should go out into the world as highly competent and creatively confident people, with a breadth of knowledge of the industry and equipped with intellectual skills as well as practical and specialist ones.
The goal is to enable the student to fulfill the his/her creative and intellectual potential, balance imaginative visual ideas with commercial and professional considerations, understand the nature of and relationship between different roles within the fashion industry, and understand the historical, social, and economic contexts which influence the development of fashion design.
History
The Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design (also called Central Saint Martins, Saint Martins or simply known as CSM amongst students and staff) is one of the leading colleges of art and design in England. It is part of the University of the Arts London along with Chelsea College of Art & Design, London College of Communication (LCC, b/k/a London College of Printing), London College of Fashion (LCF) and Camberwell College of Arts. It was given university status in 2004 (prior to this the cumulation of the 5 colleges was known as 'The London Institute').
Central Saint Martins was created in 1989 from the joining of Central School of Art & Design (founded in 1896) and St Martin's School of Art (founded in 1854). For most of the 1960 and 1970s St Martins was acknowledged as the leading London Art School producing the likes of Gilbert and George (who met there) and Richard Long as well as employing influential artists such as Anthony Caro and Barry Flanagan as staff, and was a meeting point for many Punk and New Wave bands. Indeed, the school was immortalized in Pulp's song "Common People", as the place where the woman who caught Jarvis Cocker's eye (along with Jarvis himself) studied. It was also the site of The Sex Pistols notorious first ever 'gig' (notorious because some say they were actually thrown out after 5 minutes). On the 6th of November, 2005, the college received a Blue Plaque commemorating this event's 30th anniversary.
Central Saint Martins remains one of London's most revered art institutions with strong research and teaching departments in Fine Art, Fashion, Graphics, 3D design and Performance. It has undergone a cascade of recent developments, having already swallowed up both Drama Centre London in 1999 and the Byam Shaw School of Art in 2003 prior to the University of the Arts London's conception. Central Saint Martins has an internationally recognised research profile as rated in the recent government Research Assessment Exercise; it forms links between the arts, communication, fashion and design with a range of other disciplines leading to research and enterprise projects through its Innovation Centre; it employs graduates on international design consultancy projects through the Design Laboratory; it is one of the world's largest providers of art and design short-course training; and it has registered museum status for its contemporary and museum collections.
Fashion Design
The BA (Bachelor of Arts) Fashion course at Central Saint Martins has earned a national and international reputation for producing innovative and highly creative designers and fashion communicators who have gone on to make outstanding and directional contributions within a variety of fashion professions in the UK and abroad. Graduates include such influential names as John Galliano, Hussein Chalayan, Matthew Williamson, Clements Ribeiro and the journalists Iain R Webb, Jeremy Langmead and Andrew Tucker.
Our philosophy is to provide a learning environment in which innovation, invention and originality can be developed within a range of different, but closely related, fashion pathways. It springs from the belief that for fashion graduates to continue to contribute effectively in a climate of change in the new millennium, they will need to be versatile fashion specialists. They will need to possess an in-depth knowledge of their chosen fields, as well as a breadth of knowledge and critical understanding of the social, economic and cultural factors that impact on the professional fashion environment.
Programs
The course offers a choice of three- or four-year programs across seven pathways, including the newly accredited pathway in Fashion History and Theory. All are programs aiming towards the completion of a bachelor degree.
Fashion Design Womenswear - For highly focused designers, wishing to base their careers specifically in design for womenswear.
Fashion Design Menswear - For those who wish to focus on menswear, needs a sound knowledge of national and international markets.
Fashion Print - For students who have an inherent talent for handling images, colour and surface pattern and who are stimulated by the excitement and continual changes within fashion.
Fashion Design with Knitwear - Embracing the breadth of creative approaches to knitwear.
Fashion Communication with Promotion - Concerned with the variety of ways in which fashion is communicated creatively in the media.
Fashion Design with Marketing - Combines analytical, organizational and marketing skills with those of innovative design.
- Fashion History and Theory - Considers fashion's significance in a contemporary context.
International Admissions
If you are from outside the European Union please contact Central Saint Martins International Office. Our International Office deals specifically with the needs of students from overseas. They will be able to assist and advise you on applying to the course, accommodation, visa requirements and much more.
There are students from 90 countries studying at Central Saint Martins and the College encourages students from all over the world to apply.
Most international students apply through the Central Saint Martins International Office, which offers advice on:
- choosing an appropriate subject and level of study
- entry and portfolio requirements for your chosen course
- how to apply
- how to proceed once you have been offered a place
International Office
Central Saint Martins
Southampton Row
London WC1B 4AP
Tel: +44 (0)20 7514 7027
Fax: +44 (0)7514 8013
international@csm.arts.ac.uk
The International Office at Central Saint Martins also offers advisory tutorials designed to help applicants who may be unfamiliar with British art and design education. This includes assistance with portfolio preparation and advice about applying to courses and programmes of study.
You may also apply through the University of the Arts' worldwide network of representatives or the British Council.
Financial Aid
Every student needs a plan for paying for their education. While some pay by cash, many students use financial aid to help with their college costs. The friendly Financial Aid staff is available to assist you through the financial aid application process.
If you are from the UK, you may be entitled to help with fees or be able to take out a loan to help meet living costs, with repayments linked to your income after leaving higher education. To apply for financial help you must contact your Local Education Authority (LEA). You should contact them as soon as possible, after you apply for your place at college. Details are given in the leaflet Financial Support for Higher Education Students available on the Department for Education and Skills' web site, or by calling free on 0800 731 9133.
If you live outside the UK, you can get advice on funding your course from your local British Council office. See www.britishcouncil.org.uk for a list of British Council offices world wide or contact the British Council Information Centre:
T +44 (0)161 957 7755 F +44(0)161 957 7762
general.enquiries@britishcouncil.org
