Fashion Business and Promotion

The module offers an introductory overview of the fashion industry. Topics covered include global production, market levels, ethics, retail structure, e-commerce, social media, career pathways, sustainability, consumer perspectives and garment life-cycle. Academic writing and its requirements will also be part of the module.

The module introduces students to a range of fashion influencers such as bloggers, vloggers and high-profile celebrities. Students will engage with the creation of their own blog during several scheduled workshop sessions. Students will also learn about other important factors affecting on fashion such as, music, film, global culture, green issues, fashion design history.

The module introduces students to a range of digital software such as Illustrator and Photoshop, which are used extensively within all aspects of the fashion industry. You will engage with these software applications and become proficient in their usage during scheduled workshop sessions, and will also learn about the requirements of constructing a trend prediction package suitable for a chosen high street or online retailer, using CAD information.

This basic visual language and knowledge will be invaluable to you during your ongoing course and in potential future careers.

The module provides students with a sound understanding of basic marketing theory and principles of fashion buying. Sustainable fashion is also considered within in the context of the garment life cycle as a consumed product in global fashion production. You will produce a project on the themes of the module within the context of a mass market brand.

The module introduces students to a range of image making techniques such as fashion styling, fashion photography, editorial and video making, which are used extensively within the fashion industry. You will engage with these processes in practical sessions and acquire technical competence whilst undertaking specific, creative tasks, which will be included in the final, assessed portfolio.

This creative, visual language and technical knowledge will be invaluable to them during their ongoing course and in potential future careers.

The module addresses the changing nature of fashion consumption and considers new channels of retail. You will be asked to review future trends in shopping such as e-commerce, ethical ranges, vintage, slow fashion, clothes swapping, hiring outfits, charity shops, lifestyle branding, recycling and making clothes.

You will also review the tactics retailers use to sell products, such as website design, store layout, visual merchandising, brand identity and experiential shopping.

You will be introduced to and helped to analyse a variety of promotional campaigns and techniques – in both physical and digital environments.  You will produce a creative promotional campaign. This will involve undertaking their own fashion/creative shoots and developing the complete communications package.

Alongside this, you will put forward a concept for the retail design and visual merchandising for the brand in a flagship store, pop-up shop and/or website.

The module requires you to work in teams and to produce a project – which may include still or moving images, text, data visualisation, business proposal, costings etc. Each team will develop a creative, fashion orientated product or service and prepare a well-researched and professionally presented portfolio to support it.

The type of artefacts/services developed can be very diverse and the concept must be fully researched, developed and be ‘pitch-ready’ for the presentation. The finished portfolio will include a start-up business plan and financial predictions for trading.

The project will provide opportunities for students to identify and examine in more detail an aspect of fashion business and promotion that they may want to focus on in terms of career development.

You will develop a proposal for a small business, such as e-retail, offering creative services, product development scenarios, freelance employment, working with charities and other commercial, fashion activities. This can also be used as an initial platform for you to develop your ideas for your major project in year three.

The module requires you to either organise a work placement (that you source yourself) and/or undertake live brief(s) or competition(s).

Those that undertake the six week placement will be out of the University, working with fashion companies locally, nationally or internationally. Students who do not gain a work placement will undertake a live project which will be equivalent to working in a placement for six weeks. You will have tutorials with staff to gain feedback on your project.

This module provides you with a thorough understanding of e-marketing theory, principles of branding strategy and channels of communication to the consumer, as utilised within the fashion industry. The project will require you to reflect on your creative work in relation to such things as fashion E-marketing and communication theories.

The module looks at the implications of global fashion production in terms of sustainability and ethical interactions between producers and consumers at all levels. These issues are at the core of fashion manufacture and mass global production, providing a fundamental paradox for all professionals working in fashion today.

The module looks at the processes of global fashion buying and production and considers issues of sustainability and ethical interactions between producers and buyers.

You are required to present a product or product range suitable for a selected retailer. This involves producing spec drawings, range planning, fabric and colour predictions and theme boards for a selected retailer. The project will also analyse the processes of buying and production in relation to sustainability and the product/product range they present.

The module allows you the opportunity to conduct an extended personal study in an area of fashion business and promotion that interests you professionally.

In negotiation with staff, you will write your own brief which will reflect the 60 credit value of the module and will reflect your desired future career direction.

Each student will write a statement of intent which will be agreed with the staff team. You will produce a project that shows your research within the area, which will inform the production of a creative prototype. For example, this may take the form of a website, blog, e-magazine, business plan, new brand, product, service or retail concept.

It is expected that this module has, at its core, creative innovation which you may use to guide your future career direction or even as a basis for future enterprise.