Semester & Location:	Summer 2026 - Stockholm
Type & Credits:	Elective Course - 3 credits
Faculty:	Magda Marnell - Contact via Canvas Inbox
Major Disciplines:	Design, Fashion Studies, Studio Arts
Related Disciplines:	Interior Design, Visual Arts
Program Contact:	ADSupport@dis.dk

Course Description 

This intensive three-week course explores Scandinavian fashion and textile design through hands-on workshops, contemporary fashion theory, designer research, and study visits.

Students will work with fashion illustration, draping, textile techniques, upcycling, styling, and concept development. Workshops are combined with discussions and short lectures on topics such as sustainability, gender and identity, subcultures, and fashion as communication.

Through research and student presentations, participants will study influential Scandinavian and international designers and use their work as a starting point for practical assignments. Visits to museums, exhibitions, design studios, and other relevant sites in Stockholm provide further context for the course.

Students will document their process in a sketchbook and develop a final individual project based on the methods and themes explored during the course.

The course is suitable for students in fashion and textile design, studio art, interior design, architecture, design history, visual communication, creative management, business, and related fields. No previous experience in fashion design is required.

Learning Objectives

By the end of the course, students will:

• Gain practical experience in fashion and textile design methods.
• Explore fashion illustration, draping, textile techniques, upcycling, and styling.
• Gain insight into Scandinavian and international fashion through designer research and study visits.
• Understand key contemporary issues in fashion, including sustainability, gender, identity, and subcultures.
• Explore fashion as a form of visual communication.
• Develop and present an individual design project.

Faculty

Magda Marnell

Magda Marnell is a fashion designer and educator with over 15 years of experience in the fashion industry. Educated at London College of Fashion and Beckmans College of Design in Stockholm, she has held senior design positions at H&M, working across womenswear, denim, knitwear, outerwear, and jersey. Today, she works as an independent senior design consultant for brands including H&M Studio, H&M Guest Design, and & Other Stories.

Alongside her industry practice, Magda teaches Material Experimentation and Fashion Theory at Beckmans Evening School. She also holds a BA in Art History from Uppsala University.

Magda is co-founder and creative director of Matsson Marnell, a multidisciplinary design studio working across furniture, objects, and interiors, with a focus on materials, craft, and experimentation. The studio has exhibited at Stockholm Furniture Fair and TräArt, and its work has been featured internationally in publications including Dezeen, Architectural Digest, Sight Unseen, and ELLE Decoration.

Readings

• Barnard, Malcolm. 2002 (reprinted 2008). Fashion as Communication. Second Edition. Oxon and New York: Routledge: 72 - 101
• Kollnitz, Andrea and Pecorari Marco (red) 2022. Fashion, Performance and Performativity - the complex space of fashion. Bloomsbury: 27 - 41
•  Julie Sommerlund, Ideological design,
• Recycling from waste in Fashion and textiles, Pandit, Pintu, Ahmed, Shakeel, Singa etc
• Fletcher, Kate. 2014. Sustainable Fashion and Textiles: Design Journeys. Second edition. London & New York,  Routledge: 139 - 161
• Svendsen, Lars. 2006. Fashion: A philosophy. London, Reaktion Books: 90 - 110

Field Studies

A vital portion of our learning will take place outside the classroom visiting museums, exhibitions, The Royal Swedish Opera and Stockholm Slow Fashion District. 

Guest Lecturers

Contemporary designers, upcyclers etc. 

Approach to Teaching & Expectations of the Students

Be prepared to participate, contribute, ask and answer questions, in other words, to explore:

• Are you willing to test new ideas and new ways of thinking?
• Do you promote an environment where everyone feels free to express their ideas and stretch their thinking?
• Do you contribute to the learning environment of the class as a whole by sharing your thoughts and experiences?

There will be about three hours of class time a week and you are expected to work an average of six hours per week outside of class (this includes time spent on individual urban explorations, activity on the discussion board, the development of your journal/lookbook, and the design of the moodboards).

Evaluation

Engagement: Be engaged in class and on field studies. Be inquisitive, daring, open-minded. Be patient to allow those who are not so keen on talking in class to gather their thoughts - depth is shaped by thought, not speed. Our guest speakers and people we go to meet are smart and busy people giving us their time. Prepare and respond with all you’ve got.

Designer Presentation: In pairs of two you will explore the work and creative universe of a given Scandinavian Fashion Designer. You will be asked to find references to the designer's work in the Stockholm fashion picture. Will be presented through written reflections and photo documentation.

Personal Collection Project: In this final and individual assignment you will present a fashion collection from initial idea to final presentation with sketches/moodboard/lineup/mock-ups/colour and fabric swatches and target description. Presentation in class with visual material. 

The Moodboard - an initial definition: A mood board is a type of visual presentation or 'collage' consisting of images, text, and samples of objects in a composition. A mood board can be used to convey a general idea or feeling about a particular topic. They may be physical or digital, and can be effective presentation tools.

Grading

Assignment	Percent
Engagement in class and on field studies (Individual)	20%
Assignment 1 - Designer Presentation (Pairs)	20%
Assignment 2 - Personal Collection Project - Process (Individual)	30%
Assignment 3 - Personal Collection Project - Presentation (Individual)	30%

Individual grades for team assignments may be applied. The course policy is that late assignments are not accepted