CORE FASHION DESIGN

CORE FASHION DESIGN

Your Vision. Your Voice. Your First Collection.

The Core Fashion Design Program at JCI takes you from initial concept to final garment—giving you the creative foundation, technical training, and industry insight to design with confidence and credibility.

Key Information

  • Tuition: $12,500
    Application Fee: $250
    Textbooks: $90
    Course Materials: $285
    School Supplies: $500 (estimate)
    Adobe Creative Cloud: Price varies
    Microsoft Excel: Price varies

    Please note: students must bring their own laptops.

    Tuition awards are available to those who qualify. Financial aid is available for domestic students.

    For international student tuition fees, click here.

  • In order to be eligible for the Core Fashion Design Program, you must meet our General Admission Requirements and complete the following prerequisites:

    • Basic fashion illustration (female croquis drawings by hand)

    • Elements of Design (flats by hand, understanding of design process, collection development)

    • Adobe Illustrator

    • Textiles

  • Program Hours: 600
    Weeks of Education: 30 weeks
    Total Length: 8 months (including 3 weeks breaks/holidays)

    • September 10, 2025

  • Maximum 14 students

Program Overview

This intensive program is built to support every stage of your design journey—from exploring your personal aesthetic to producing a professional collection. You’ll gain hands-on skills in pattern drafting, draping, garment construction, and textile knowledge, while also developing a strong understanding of branding, marketing, and business fundamentals. With mentorship from working professionals and the opportunity to showcase your work in a final collection look book, you’ll graduate with a portfolio that reflects both your creative vision and your readiness to contribute to today’s fashion industry.

Curriculum

This course takes you through the full fashion design journey—from refining your creative voice to building and showcasing a market-ready collection. With a strong focus on both concept development and technical execution, you’ll revisit essential skills, explore real-world design strategies, and bring your ideas to life through garment construction, branding, and presentation. By the end, you’ll have a professional portfolio, hands-on experience, and a collection that reflects both your aesthetic and your industry readiness.

Key Courses:

The Review, The Look, The Range, The Make, The Cut

What You’ll Learn:

  • How to revisit and strengthen essential design concepts and creative strategies

  • Industry methods for research, ideation, and developing a commercially viable collection

  • The full design-to-production cycle, from sketch to showroom

  • Pattern making, garment construction, and sewing for quality execution

  • How to source materials, use technical fabrics, and explore surface finishes

  • Creating tech packs and understanding supply chain logistics

  • Styling and branding your collection for photo shoots and runway

  • How to evaluate market trends and target audiences

  • Building a portfolio that reflects your design identity and career goals

  • Presenting your work through a professional brand showcase

*This program has been approved by the Private Training Institutions Regulatory Unit (PTIRU) of the Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills.

Next Steps

Have questions? Leave us a note and our Admissions team will personally reach out to help you.

Ready to start? Begin the application process below and our Admissions team will contact you for an interview.

Career Pathways

  • Gold dress modeled during a JCI student fashion show, showcasing design skills from the fashion program.

    FASHION DESIGNER

    A fashion designer creates original clothing and accessories, blending creativity with technical skills to design trends and products. They work on concept development, fabric selection, and garment construction, shaping the future of fashion industry styles.

  • Woman in a black dress with grommets and ties, highlighting work by a graduate of JCI’s core fashion design program.

    PATTERN MAKER

    A pattern maker translates fashion designs into templates, ensuring proper fit and style. They use precision to create patterns for garments, working closely with designers to bring concepts to life for production.

  • JCI student applying makeup to a model during a hands-on session in the media makeup program.

    PRODUCT DEVELOPER

    A product developer works with design and manufacturing teams to create new fashion products. They oversee the entire development process, from concept to production, ensuring designs are functional, cost-effective, and on-trend.

  • Woman with vibrant red hair styled by a JCI hair art design student during a practical session.

    TEXTILE ANALYST

    A textile analyst tests and evaluates fabrics for quality, durability, and performance. They analyze materials for suitability in designs, ensuring that textiles meet industry standards and consumer expectations.

  • Woman wearing an undereye patch for skincare, representing the body spa and medi esthetics program at JCI.

    CLO3D Technician

    A CLO3D technician uses 3D software to create digital garment prototypes, helping designers visualize and modify designs before physical production. They enhance the design process with virtual simulations for fit, fabric behavior, and styling.

  • I'm so grateful for this program and the people involved. It has challenged me in the best ways and has taught me an immense amount of perserverance. I believe this program offers more than skill—also mental toughness. Going into a challenging industry, this has been highly beneficial.

    — Ashley / Core Fashion Design Graduate

  • While I already had quite a lot of experience sewing beforehand, this course helped me a lot with fine-tuning my methods and process approach. The insturctors were great at adjusting their approach depending on skill level. I was definitely pushed to exceed my expectations.

    —Nastasha / Core Fashion Design Graduate

  • JCI is such a solid school. The isntructors and program director really care about the students and our well-being and they truly want to see us winning. I'm so grateful that I was able to work alongside big names in the Vancouver fashion community and will always love the time I spent here.

    —Ari / Core Fashion Design Graduate

  • My experience at JCI overall helped me find myself as an individual, let alone as a designer. Through experimenting and conceptualizing my creativity out in fashion and design as a form of multimedia, I have really built a stepping stone here.

    —Hue / Core Fashion Design Graduate

  • JCI Institute prepared me with the tools and knowledge to further my career in the fashion industry. The assignments and hands-on activities gave me the opportunity to show my creative side of styling and illustration, something I didn't know I had in me.

    —Samantha / Core Fashion Design Graduate

Student Success Stories

  • KELSEY FOUNDED HER OWN LABEL, BARE KNITWEAR

  • HAYDEN ASSISTED DESIGNER ADAM SMALL AT NYFW

  • THYRA IS IN OPERATIONS AT MELANIE AULD JEWELRY

  • MANUEL IS IN PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT AT STUDIO 310

  • LILLEA FOUNDED HER OWN LABEL, PROFANITY

  • HEATHER FOUNDER HER OWN LABEL, JUDE CANADA

Get Your Guide to JCI

From the classroom vibe to thriving alumni, this is your inside look at how we train creative professionals.