including the political, cultural and social structures of the time, as well as a detailed study of the fabrics, materials, patterns and forms characteristic of the age. Students then spend the first term recreating this historical costume down to the smallest details, including underwear, accessories, coiffure and make-up. This time-consuming technical assignment prepares the student for the work he will have to do during the next two terms, in which the emphasis lies on the more creative aspects of the main assignment, which is: the creation of an 'avant-garde' fashion collection of five silhouettes. This consists of drawing and making complete outfits and selecting colours and materials, inspired by the research carried out in the first term. Graphics teachers see to it that the drawing work is tuned to the individual collections and that the students develop a personal style. In addition to the obligatory course in drawing from a model, the second year covers two specific subjects: the history of dress from the Renaissance to the present, and modelling/draping. In this course, the students acquire the skill, working with materials directly on live models or dummies, without the aid of pencil and pattern paper. Not that the two disciplines are incompatible, quite on the contrary: by using materials to create forms and volumes directly, the students acquire a more direct knowledge of the art of tailoring, which they can then use in two-dimensional pattern drawing. Seminars on shoemaking, millinery or glove- making and other projects add variety to the programme and may also be useful in the students' later careers. Finally the theoretical subjects are integrated in multidisciplinary workshops and projects that cluster theoretical subjects: contemporary art, art history, literature, philosophy, sociology and psychology.

Third-year students are required to present a collection of 8 silhouettes by the end of the year. This collection must be based on a preliminary study of either a European or a non-European culture. Again, the recreation of a typical costume or dress is seen as a necessary period of contemplation before starting to design the individual collection itself. The study of ethnic peoples leads to surprising discoveries, which,

combined with the student's own experiences, can give rise to an original collection. The creative aspects are supervised by the fashion design teacher from the beginning to the end, while in the pattern and draping courses the students are helped to find solutions to the technical and dimensional problems of tailoring. Regular consultation between the student and the teacher is very important. The best final results are achieved by those students whose creativity, enthusiasm and justification of the selected theme are followed up on a regular basis. The students can further broaden their horizons in graphic design, in computer graphics and ima-ging, and in the seminars on knitwear, and the courses on modelling/draping. Drawing from a model remains an important artistic subject on the curriculum.

The final year is almost entirely devoted to the final collection which is to include a minimum of 12 silhouettes. In this year, the students are expected to display a synthesis of all the skills and techniques they have acquired. The students are given complete freedom in selecting their source of inspiration. In order to have a fully-fledged all-round collection at the end of the year, the students have to start planning and designing very early on in the academic year. Final-year students need to draw on all their organisational skills and plan everything well right from the start. The outcome is to be the crown on four years of hard work. The final-year collections must reflect both the spirit of our times and the designer's position with regard to prevailing trends. The approaching reality of professional life means that students become preoccupied with practical questions. Journalists, press agents, shop owners, fashion designers and manufacturers are invited to give lectures on their profession.

The entire staff of teachers meet at regular intervals during the academic year in order to discuss and evaluate the work in progress of all four years, together with the students.