Fashion Design Studio II: 

Advanced Fashion Design & Industry Practice Syllabus 

2026–2027

Teacher: Mrs. Parvaneh Chehrehsa
Email: chehrehsap@mdusd.org
Phone: (925) 682-4030 ex: 87412​ 

Room: A-12 / A-4

Grades: 10,11,12

Length: Full Year

Environment: Classroom-based

Honors: None

Subject: Visual & Performing Arts (F) / CTE

Discipline: Visual Arts /CTE

Institution: Mt. Diablo Unified School District

Course Overview

Students will:

• Develop a personal fashion design identity through advanced illustration, technical flats, and inspiration research, building on the foundational figure and rendering skills from Fashion Design Studio I.

• Demonstrate mastery of body measurement, commercial pattern symbols, and flat pattern drafting, including dart manipulation using slash-and-spread technique.

• Translate two-dimensional design ideas into three-dimensional form through draping on a dress form, producing a muslin prototype and derived illustration.

• Demonstrate advanced construction and finishing techniques, completing an original garment or wearable art project with professional-quality closures, facings, and finishes.

• Research and analyze fashion history, cultural dress, and contemporary trend cycles, applying research to original design work.

• Design a brand identity, identify a target customer, and develop merchandising and pricing strategy for an original product line.

• Use digital design tools to produce technical flats and a professional digital portfolio.

• Plan, construct, document, and publicly present a capstone mini-collection or advanced portfolio, synthesizing skills developed across both years of the program.

Fashion Design Studio II is the second course in a two-year studio sequence, and is intended for students who have completed Fashion Design Studio I or who bring equivalent fashion, sewing, textile, or portfolio experience. This full-year course advances students through design identity development, advanced fashion illustration, pattern literacy, draping, garment construction, brand identity, merchandising, digital portfolio technology, and a capstone collection or showcase.

Students who complete Fashion Design Studio I currently have no second-year pathway within the district; this course closes that gap. Instruction proceeds through eight sequential units, each connected to the department's fashion design workbook and companion textbook. Pattern drafting and draping — the two technical skills reserved for this second year of study — are introduced here for the first time, building directly on the pattern-symbol literacy and construction fundamentals taught in Fashion Design Studio I. Students complete the course having independently drafted and adapted a flat pattern, draped a bodice block on a dress form, constructed an advanced finished garment, and planned and publicly presented a capstone mini-collection — preparing them for post-secondary study, creative entrepreneurship, and fashion, textile, and apparel industry careers.

Content and Unit Overview

Course Content:

• Create a series of original illustrations and technical flats that display a personal design identity and increasing complexity and skill. (FDM.17.1, FDM.17.4, VA:Cr1.1, VA:Cr1.2)

• Draft and adapt a flat pattern using body measurements, commercial pattern symbols, and dart-manipulation technique. (FDM.17.5, FDM.17.6, VA:Cr2.2)

• Drape an original bodice or garment section on a dress form and translate the draped result into a pattern, prototype, or illustration. (FDM.17.6, FDM.17.7, FDM.17.8, VA:Cr2.1, VA:Cr3)

• Design, construct, and critique an advanced garment or wearable art project using professional-level construction and finishing techniques. (FDM.17.3, FDM.17.7, FDM.17.8, VA:Cr3, VA:Re9)

• Research historical fashion eras and cultural dress and analyze their influence on contemporary design. (FDM.18.2, FDM.20.5, VA:Re8, VA:Cn11)

• Design a brand identity and merchandising plan for an original product line, including a target customer profile and pricing strategy. (FDM.18.4-18.9, VA:Pr5, VA:Pr6)

• Produce a professional digital portfolio using industry-standard digital design and presentation tools. (FDM.17.3, FDM.17.4, FDM.18.1, FDM.20.3)

• Plan, construct, document, and publicly present a capstone collection or comprehensive advanced portfolio. (FDM.18.3, FDM.18.8, FDM.19.1, FDM.19.2, FDM.19.4, FDM.20.1, FDM.20.4, VA:Pr4, VA:Pr5, VA:Pr6, VA:Cn10)

Unit Overview/Summary

Unit I — Advanced Fashion Illustration and Design Identity

• Advanced illustration collection series.

• Technical flats blueprint.

• Designer inspiration research board.

• Personal design identity board.

Unit II — Pattern Literacy and Measurement

• Body measurement chart formulation.

• Pattern symbol reference study.

• Flat pattern drafting worksheet (slash-and-spread dart manipulation).

• Simple pattern adaptation project.

Unit III — Draping and the 3D Form

• Draped style study on a dress form.

• Muslin prototype development.

• Draping process photo documentation.

• Fashion illustration derived from the draped form.

Unit IV — Advanced Construction and Finishing

• Advanced sewing sample matrix.

• Finished garment or wearable art project.

• Production process log.

• Finish and craftsmanship critique.

Unit V — Fashion History, Culture, and Contemporary Trends

• Fashion-era historical research.

• Cultural fashion reflection essay.

• Trend forecasting board.

• Research-inspired design sketch.

Unit VI — Brand Identity and Fashion Merchandising

• Brand board curation.

• Target customer profile sheet.

• Retail pricing worksheet.

• Brand marketing pitch presentation.

Unit VII — Digital Fashion Design and Portfolio Technology

• Digital technical flat layout.

• Online portfolio layout page.

• Digital textile print concept.

• File organization and documentation compliance.

Unit VIII — Capstone Collection and Fashion Showcase

• Collection concept mood board.

• Three-look collection proposal.

• Technical flats blueprint matrix and materials/budget plan.

• Prototype/finished construction and public exhibition showcase presentation.

Assessment Overview

There are three primary methods of assessment in Fashion Design Studio II: practical demonstrations of advanced technical skill, written reflections and research, and oral/visual presentation of finished work.

Practical Demonstrations/Performances of Understanding/Final Collection and Exhibition: Students build on the foundational skills from Studio I to demonstrate the ability to conceptualize a garment or product line in illustration, draft or adapt a pattern, drape a garment on a dress form, and construct a finished, wearable, professional-quality product — all while considering fabric, cost, technique, and audience. Established rubric criteria (the Fashion Design Studio Master Universal Rubric) are used for student self-evaluation, peer evaluation, and instructor-assigned scores. Substandard garments or products are reworked until the student demonstrates mastery of the underlying skill.

Written Reflections/Research: Students demonstrate written understanding of pattern and draping technique, fashion history and cultural context, brand identity, and merchandising strategy through research pages, reflections, and a production process log.

Oral Presentations: Students present their brand marketing pitch (Unit 6) and capstone collection (Unit 8) to a live or simulated audience, applying visual-arts and business vocabulary and receiving self-, peer-, and instructor-evaluation.

Assessment Breakdown for Assignments

Composition, Design, & Layout /25

Skills & Techniques /25

Creativity & Originality /20

Completion, Presentation, Neatness & Time Management /30