Cape Town College of Fashion Design (CTCFD) is a private higher education institution specialising in fashion design education, with the college's own promotional material referencing over 57 years of operation (implying founding around the late 1960s). It is based in Mowbray, Cape Town, at Unit 15, Waverley Business Park, Wyecroft Road. CTCFD offers training spanning practical fashion disciplines (fashion design, pattern design, garment construction, digital fashion application) and theoretical subjects (business studies, textiles, history of design, retail management, styling and costume design). The college states it is registered with the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) as a private higher education institution under the Higher Education Act, 1977 (Registration No. 2014/HE07/005), and that its Diploma and Advanced Diploma programmes are accredited by the Council on Higher Education (CHE Reference H/PR122/E002CAN) and registered with SAQA on the NQF (Diploma NQF ID 87426; Advanced Diploma NQF ID 94947).
Qualifications & Programmes
- 3-Year Full-Time Diploma in Fashion Design (NQF Level 6, SAQA ID 87426) — core practical subjects: Fashion Design, Pattern Design, Garment Construction, Digital Fashion Application; theoretical subjects: Business Studies, Textiles, History of Design, Clothing Production, Retail Management, Branding, Styling, Costume Design
- Advanced Diploma in Fashion Design (NQF Level 7, SAQA ID 94947) — 1 year full-time / 2 years part-time, includes industry internship, research project, contextual studies and professional practice
- 1-Year Foundation Fashion Programme (30 weeks, non-NQF-credit-bearing) — covers Garment Technology (pattern design, construction, costings), Fashion Design (illustration, trend analysis), Introduction to Textiles, and Fashion Business & Marketing Principles; successful completion grants automatic entry into the 3-Year Diploma
- Short Courses (part-time, offered multiple times a year) — Garment Technology (Foundation and Advanced), Fashion Design (Illustration and Portfolio Development), Digital Fashion Application (CorelDRAW, Photoshop)