HS Fashion Design: Art Course Descriptions

Fashion designers create clothing for every occasion and lifestyle. Explore a career as a fashion designer, assistant designer, stylist, or fashion executive.

These courses focus on sketching, drawing and fashion history

Please note: Not all courses are offered each semester

HAR 016 Introduction to Fashion Design Art
If you dream of becoming a fashion designer, merchandiser, or stylist, this course can help make that dream a reality. Learn the elements of a basic fashion design sketch and start to develop your own women's wear croquis. This course teaches you to understand, analyze, and draw the front view female fashion figure. You will learn how to develop your design ideas as fashion sketches and explore the basic silhouettes used in the fashion design industry. Gallery

HAR 087 Advanced Fashion Design Art Techniques
*This is a level-2 course. Prerequisites: HAR 016 or HAR 096
This course builds upon skills learned in HAR 016 or HAR 096. You will continue to develop and refine your understanding of fashion figures, garment details, and construction. You will also learn tips and tricks for rendering popular fabrics in the sportswear market and develop a "flat sketch" from a garment and fashion figure, required for portfolio submissions. At the end of this course, you will have created a sportswear collection and will understand collection development. Gallery

*To waive the prerequisite for course HAR 087 you need to submit an email to [email protected] with three examples of your fashion drawings. Please make sure to include your full name and date of birth. Please note that this is in addition to the online registration, which has to be completed by all Precollege students.

HAR 089 Fashion Design Portfolio
** This is a level-3 course. Prerequisites: HAR 082, 087, 090, 092, or 123
How do you develop a professional fashion design portfolio? In this course, you will create a small women's wear collection and learn advanced rendering techniques and presentation formats. Projects in the course will help you create your portfolio. We strongly recommend students take this course no earlier than 11th grade. Gallery

**To waive the prerequisite for course HAR 089 you need to submit an email to [email protected] with three examples of your fashion drawings. Please make sure to include your full name and date of birth. Please note that this is in addition to the online registration, which has to be completed by all Precollege students.

HAR 091 Icons of Couture Fashion
*This is a level-2 course. Prerequisites: HAR 016 or HMW 151 or HAR 096
You will research historic and contemporary designers including Dior, Balenciaga, McQueen, and Mugler, as well as their contributions to the fashion industry. Exploring how these designers implemented conceptual thinking, design development, and an overall vision, you will evolve your own design philosophies. You will also develop your own fashion illustrations inspired by the approaches and techniques of these great icons, elevating your ideas to a more sophisticated and conceptual level. Gallery

HAR 096 Agender Sportswear Design
(This description is also listed under the Menswear Design offerings)
You will design unisex sportswear for this new and emerging segment of the fashion design industry. Develop your own croquis and develop garment shapes that work on multiple body-types. You will design and render your own agender sportswear line. Gallery

HAR 101 Drawing for Designers: Basics
The ability to translate your fashion design ideas from imagination to paper is an essential skill for any fashion designer. You'll learn the basics of drawing the croquis (a women's wear fashion figure) and how to apply garment silhouettes using the industry's technical drawing standards. Develop the skills for drawing proportions and dimensionality that are necessary for portfolio submissions. (You can skip this summer class if you've already taken HAR 016)

HAR 102 Drawing for Designers: Advanced
*This is a level-2 course. Prerequisites: HAR 016 or HAR 096 or HAR 101
In this advanced fashion design class, you'll take your designs to the next level. Create your own ready-to-wear collection and then apply color rendering techniques used to make your fabrics look textural. Explore more detailed approaches to stylizing your fashion figure and gain in-depth understanding of apparel construction. (You can skip this summer class if you've already taken HAR 087)

HAR 103 Drawing for Designers: Portfolio
** This is a level-3 course. Prerequisites: HAR 082, 087, 090, 092, or 123 or HAR 102
Elevate your fashion design portfolio for admissions submissions or to prepare for a career in the fashion industry by building upon skills learned in our basic and advanced drawing courses. You'll receive individualized feedback about your fashion designs and implement portfolio presentation best practices. New projects include the creation of a cohesive women's wear collection. (You can skip this summer class if you've already taken HAR 089)