Higher Certificate in Fashion
The programme guides students through the foundational knowledge required to work in the fashion industry at an entry level.
The 1 Year Higher Certificate in Fashion (NQF 5) qualification equips students to design, illustrate and create garments, understand the underpinning knowledge involved in marketing and advertising fashion products. The aim of the qualification is to prepare students for an entry-level career in fashion or for further study in the field of fashion. We are certified with the highest possible international educational organisation management in the world. This is the standard set by Swiss based international Standards Organisation known as ISO21001001:2028. The programme is designed to enable the potential within each student to achieve his or her optimal potential and engage actively and progressively within the fashion industry.
DURATION
The Higher Certificate in Fashion is a one-year full-time programme.
3YRS
CREDITS
The Higher Certificate in Fashion is a 121 credit undergraduate qualification allowing students access to our Diploma in Fashion or Bachelor of Fashion.
121
NQF LEVEL
NQF stands for National Qualifications Framework. This system is used to determine which level of qualification or qualifications students have achieved. The higher your NQF Level, the Higher your Qualification.
NQF5
Early Bird Fees for 2025
Option A – Year 1
R7 500 Securing Deposit
R6 800 Registration Fee due upon Registration
TRAINING FEES
R47 979 due 28 February 2025
Discount of R4 818 included
Option B – Year 1
R7 500 Securing Deposit
R6 800 Registration Fee due upon Registration
TRAINING FEES
R16 670 due 28 February 2025
R16 670 due 30 April 2025
R16 670 due 30 June 2025
Discount of R2 787 included
Option C – Year 1
R7 500 Securing Deposit
R6 800 Registration Fee due upon Registration
TRAINING FEES
Paid in 10 equal monthly instalments of R5 279.70 from 28 February 2025 to 30 November 2025
*Option C is only available on the following conditions:
• Debit Order Form completed and agreed upon
• Credit Check confirmed
Option D – Year 1
R7 500 Securing Deposit
R6 800 Registration Fee due upon Registration
TRAINING FEE
R52 797 due 28 February 2025
*Option D is applicable if you secure financial aid with Student Hero or Capitec Education Finance.
Consumables vary during the course of the academic year, including fabrics, cottons, art materials and the like depending on personal choice. These consumables are not included in the equipment pack price but a cost estimate will be provided per term. Our students have access to international online libraries for research purposes and textbooks both on and off campus.
Specialist Equipment and Textbook Pack 2024
Equipment: R4 360.15
Textbooks and Manuals: R2 592.67
Online Library Access Fee: R1 305
Eligibility for admission to the Institute’s 1-year full time Higher Certificate requires a National Senior Certificate (Grade 12) or its same/similar standard – with endorsement – with a minimum of 30% in English.
In order to be considered for admission to the programme the student will be required to; Submit proof that they have completed Grade 12 or the equivalent, preferably in the form of: A National Senior Certificate (NSC)/National Certificate (Vocational) (NCV) or a Senior Certificate with higher and/ or standard grade subjects or an equivalent school leaving certificate that indicates the candidate has met the minimum requirements for admission to a Higher Certificate (HC)
The Academic Year is made up of 2 semesters in which the programme courses are divided. Both practical and theory courses are completed simultaneously. The programme consists of four major pathways, supported by a number of sub courses. The VILLIOTI programme is assigned as set out below:
CREATIVE DESIGN
- Conceptual design in 2D and 3D.
- Womenswear.
- Research techniques.
- Textiles.
- Fashion Illustration.
- Fashion figures and a variety of poses.
- Rendering techniques.
- Life and figure drawing.
- Presentation techniques.
- Design development.
- Computer Aided Design (CAD).
- Technical drawing.
- Technical package.
- Trend Research
CONCEPT TO FINISHED GARMENT
- Pattern construction (womenswear).
- Grading.
- Garment construction.
- Operating Industrial equipment.
- Construction terminology.
- Non-standard textiles such as stretch wear.
ACADEMIC READING & WRITING SKILLS
- Study Skills.
- Referencing and writing methods.
- Interpretation of primary and secondary data.
- Communication of academic information.
BUSINESS STUDIES
- Local fashion business context.
- Business plan.
- Social media marketing.
- Fashion marketing.
- Entrepreneurship.
- Work Integrated Learning.
Begin your career in fashion. Apply today.
ENTRANCE EVALUATION
This lets us build your student profile so that you may start your fashion education.
BOOK YOUR INTERVIEW
We see if you are the right fit for Villioti Fashion Institute. Our student advisors will then help you choose between pursuing a Bachelor of Fashion, Diploma in Fashion, or Higher Certificate in Fashion.
PAST STUDENT WORK
CAREERS IN FASHION
Villioti Fashion Institute’s Higher Certificate in Fashion prepares you for a variety of careers in fashion. Career opportunities for successful graduates include (but are not limited to) assisting designers at local design houses, starting their own small fashion label to be sold at pop-up shops or neighbourhood markets, entering the marketing field for fashion brands, starting a style blog, being a CAD designer, or even becoming an assistant visual merchandiser.
The role of a Research Assistant, or Research Associate, is to gather accurate, credible information about a subject and summarize the findings to support senior researchers. Searching archives for information, conducting literature reviews, and conducting research interviews are among their responsibilities.
Small-scale retail typically consists of one owner and their shop or minimal staff. Owners of these businesses sell products and services supplied by franchise companies or their own products. Because these businesses are flexible, their owners can set hours to accommodate customers at any time. Most of the time these business owners will inhabit various roles such as merchandising, styling, designing. pattern engineering etc.
The role of a Junior Designer or Assistant Fashion Designer entails researching fashion trends, assisting with the design of fashion ranges, and sourcing fabric and trims for womenswear, menswear and childrenswear. The junior designer or assistant fashion designer will also be proficient in Photoshop and Illustrator along with hand drawing skills.
Owning you own business brings with it different tasks and duties depending on the path you choose. If you sell clothing made by other designers, you will be responsible for buying, visual merchandising, accounting, sales, human resources, marketing, and more. If you sell your own designs, you will be responsible for all the above roles, and you will also design, manufacture, and distribute your own creations.
Materials coordinators are responsible for ensuring that all projects are completed on time and within budget by paying close attention to detail and paying attention to quality. In addition to working with a wide range of materials, materials coordinators typically specialize in those used in manufacturing or construction, although they may work with many different types of materials. They ensure that these materials arrive at the right place at the right time so that production can proceed as planned.
Quality Control Assistants provide support to quality managers by keeping track of customer feedback, implementing quality control policies, training new staff, identifying faults in production, and testing in the laboratory.
A number of job opportunities, such as
- Social Media marketer for fashion brands
- Researcher’s Assistant / Materials Sourcing Coordinator
- Small-scale production (Garment Sampler/patternmaker)
- Quality Control assistant
- Sales Assistant / Online Sales Manager
- Small fashion Business Owner
- Small-scale retail (Market Stall/Pop-up Shop owner
- Visual Merchandiser
- CAD Designer
- Pattern-maker Assistant / Cutting Assistant
- Designer Assistant/Junior Fashion Designer/
- Assistant Apparel Designer
- Blogger
ARE YOU THE RIGHT FIT?
If you want to pursue a career in fashion, a qualification from Villioti Fashion Institute is the ideal way into the industry. No matter which avenue of fashion you’re interested in, we offer fashion qualifications that align perfectly with the needs and trends of the industry.
