textile design

As such, the textile design major is in constant evolution and today covers much more than basic techniques such as weaving, knitting and print design. Traditional methods are placed in a current context and translated into contemporary practice. During the programme, you are introduced to age-old crafts as well as contemporary industrial and digital processes. Numerous and varied initiations set the stage for your artistic journey in which you soon make many of your own choices and learn to work autonomously. Experimentation, both playful and analytical, is central to the development of your own visual language and methodology as a designer. Knowledge of materials and techniques such as weaving, knitting, embroidery and printing are important for a textile designer and are given considerable weight in the programme.

In-depth knowledge of materials and technologies enables you to link functional properties to visual qualities. The tension between these aspects is a breeding ground for innovation. However, this knowledge is always integrated into the artistic process. An inquisitive and critical attitude is a prerequisite for success, not only within the study programme but also afterwards as a professional designer. During the programme, the development of a critical and individual view is continuously stimulated through various assignments and projects.

Where the textile design students' research touches on other disciplines within KASK & Conservatorium, fascinating artistic symbioses often arise. For example, projects with fashion, interior design or autonomous design students form an attractive research domain with diverse possibilities and applications. Projects in collaboration with artists, designers and companies are part of the curriculum and make a relevant connection with the professional field. The recurring collaboration with the HOGENT textile technology course acts as a laboratory for innovative projects and is a challenging place to test out work in an industrial setting.

The distinctive versatility of the discipline gives the textile designer great freedom of movement and autonomy. This richness makes textile design a fascinating field in which you can make your own emphases already as a student. The continuous evolution and updating of the discipline is reflected in various research projects within the Design & Design department. Moreover, the textile design lecturers are all active professional designers who bring specific expertise from different fields. International internships, trade fair and company visits, guest lectures and competitions also bring the professional world close to the students and support the formation of imaginative and innovative designers.

KASK & Conservatorium offers English-language master programmes in the visual arts, audiovisual arts, drama and music. Each year, dozens of foreign students choose the master programmes of our faculty to continue their studies. The presence of students from different international backgrounds is an enrichment for our educational tradition and provides an added value to the training of foreign master students and Flemish students moving on from the Dutch-language bachelor programmes alike.

The programmes are organized so as to facilitate encounters between Dutch-speaking and English-speaking students in informal contexts, in seminars and courses, and even in artistic projects they start up together. There are no differences in curricula, competencies, learning outcomes or organization between the English-language programmes and their Dutch-language counterparts. English-speaking candidates holding a master’s degree in music can also go in for the advanced master contemporary music or one of our postgraduate programmes.

Don’t hesitate to contact the study and learning track counsellors with your questions.