What to know about Temasek Polytechnic’s Diploma in Fashion Management & Design

SINGAPORE – After being offered a place in an engineering course – her second choice – at Temasek Polytechnic (TP) during the Joint Admissions Exercise in 2022, Ms Lim Jia Zhen decided to take another shot at getting into her top-choice course of fashion management and design.

Ms Lim, then 17, applied for a course transfer through the Direct Admissions Exercise (DAE) before the first semester began.

The DAE caters to students with various qualifications such as O levels, A levels, Integrated Programme Year 4, International Baccalaureate Year 6 and ITE Nitec and Higher Nitec.

This pathway also caters to working adults, international students and homeschooled students with relevant qualifications for polytechnic diplomas.

Applicants need to present a portfolio of their past works, and attend interviews as part of the selection process.

Unlike the DAE, the Joint Admissions Exercise is for O-level graduates applying to polytechnic courses based on their results, and does not require a portfolio or interview.

Ms Lim was eventually accepted into her dream course and went on to win gold in the WorldSkills ASEAN 2025, where she showcased her technical skills like drafting and sewing.

She has since graduated, and is now doing an internship under a local fashion brand.

Temasek Polytechnic is the only school to offer the Diploma in Fashion Management and Design course at the polytechnic level.

“The students learn about the whole fashion life cycle,” said lecturer Eve Tan, 40.

“Our curriculum is designed in a way where... it staggers your learning, so the learning curve will eventually lead you to a point where you’re able to head your own final-year project.”

For students who want to study fashion, TL;DR rounds up what Ms Lim and Ms Tan shared about the course.

1. It is not all about sewing

Contrary to popular belief, the course is not just about making garments – it also covers the business side of fashion.

Said Ms Tan: “Our course is a lot more than sewing. (It’s) about creating a unique product, all the way to branding, working with actual manufacturers for their outcomes, and then... marketing the product and actually bringing it to launch.”

She added that the course is split into two specialisations, allowing students to focus on the area that interests them.

Fashion management covers trend research, branding and supply chain management. It is a good fit if you are interested in the commercial side of things, such as branding, marketing and understanding what the audience wants.

If you enjoy designing and making clothes as art pieces, and hands-on classes, the design specialisation may be a better fit. Classes like drafting techniques and fashion construction help students hone their design and technical skills.

2. Different career paths

Beyond becoming fashion designers, graduates can pursue other jobs in areas such as purchasing, where you buy clothing pieces for a store that match consumers’ tastes, or visual merchandising, where you design and arrange retail spaces to make shopping a visually appealing experience.

Said Ms Tan: “This (merchandising) skillset can actually cross into many different (industries), if you don’t go into fashion.”

Ms Lim, who is now 21 and is planning to further her studies, said she would consider working for factories in China to draft patterns after she graduates.

3. Explaining your design ideas is vital

When applying for admission through DAE, Ms Lim said that the work you present does not have to be fashion-related, but linking it back to fashion is key.

“Some people might have an interest in fashion, but they don’t know how to express it in a garment form, and might express it in a different art style. It will be nice for them to also include it and explain how they see it (translating into) a garment,” she added.

Said lecturer Ms Tan: “What I find useful is when the students are able to analyse and share the narrative behind the design outcomes.”

Demonstrating an understanding of the fashion industry and attempting to sketch a garment could also help an applicant during the selection process, she said.

4. Learn new trends in fashion

With growing focus on sustainability and technological advances, students will learn how to create garments using CLO3D, a 3D design software that helps designers draft and visualise their designs, reducing fabric waste from physical prototypes.

Students will also get to learn about zero-waste patternmaking techniques, such as jigsaw cutting, during the creative pattern-making class in year two.

“Students are encouraged to think responsibly, explore new technologies and design with both creativity and commercial viability in mind,” said Ms Tan.

5. Showcase design and skills on different platforms

In TP, students have opportunities to showcase their skills and works at various events and competitions.

Notable ones include the annual Open House Fashion Show, planned and executed by the students to showcase the works of course alumni, and TP Design Show 2026, where graduating students present their final-year project capsule collections during the opening ceremony.

This year’s Open House Fashion Show had the theme Dusk Till Dawn, and clothes from light to dark hues were showcased, signifying the flux and transformation of the soul as the world falls asleep.

The fashion management and design course has collaborated with the Association for Persons with Special Needs, where first-year students make outfits for members of the association to wear and model during its charity fashion gala.

In addition, TP sends its students to competitions like WorldSkills ASEAN, where students specialising in fashion design showcase their skills in garment-making, and the Crowbar awards, a prestigious competition where students submit creative works under various categories like film and photography.

For more information on the course and what students do, check out

@tp.des.fmd on Instagram.