BA Fashion Management is situated in the School of Management and Science, and is designed for students who are interested in business, management and the fashion industry. This industry is complex, global and highly competitive, and covers the full spectrum from luxury to value end markets. It therefore requires graduates who can respond effectively to the constantly changing challenges by defining new strategies to ensure market success. This course equips students with the relevant professional, academic, communication and business skills to achieve this. Interaction with industry is through a number of industry-led projects and the speaker programme, where eminent members of the industry visit the College and present to students on the course. In the current year, for example, there have been speakers from Topman, Jaeger, Mintel, Debenhams, Aquascutum, Li and Fung and others. Students also have the opportunity to attend relevant conferences, and to visit Paris on an optional trip in the first year.

Some students take advantage of the option of doing a placement year between the second and final year of the course. Successful completion of this year will give an additional qualification, and students will have the opportunity to make contacts and build relationships within the industry before the end of their studies. Recent placements have been with White Stuff, Hackett, Burberry, Harrods, Harvey Nichols, George at Asda, Mulberry and Asprey, as well as placements abroad in Europe, New York, Australia, India and Hong Kong, combining study and possible work experience.

Graduates from this course are employed throughout the industry, both in the UK and internationally, in a wide range of roles. This reflects the breadth and depth of the course, and the mix of transferable skills that students gain while studying. Students who have recently graduated are, for example, currently working for Marks and Spencer, House of Fraser, Harrods, BHS, Burberry, Peacocks, ASOS and Christian Louboutin.

BA Fashion Management is based at High Holborn, adjacent to Lincoln’s Inn Fields. Other green spaces in the area include Gray’s Inn Gardens and Coram’s Fields. Situated nearby are Sir John Soane’s Museum in Lincoln’s Inn Fields, the Foundling Museum in Brunswick Square, and the British Museum in Bloomsbury. Markets worth visiting are the weekday lunchtime markets in Leather Lane and Exmouth Market. Covent Garden, with its numerous shops, bars and restaurants, the Royal Opera House and many of the West End’s theatres, are a ten minute walk away. The John Prince’s Street site with the library, Oxford Street and Regent Street are two tube stops away.

UAL statement on learning and teaching

Courses in UAL span a broad range of art, design, communication, business, media, science and communication subjects. So the ways in which you learn and how your time is used will vary according to the specific course you are studying; this may be in studios, labs, classes, involve working alone, learning from peers in pairs or groups, or with external partners. Most importantly, no matter which course you enrol on, you will learn not only about your subject but also about how you learn and how to increase your knowledge base.

Our courses will guide you to take increasing responsibility and ownership of your work and your learning. We do this so that you will be ready and able to take full advantage of the full range of opportunities offered by the creative industries in the global economy.

UAL statement on assessment methods

Assessment always sounds austere and foreboding, but it is not. We see assessment as a very real part of learning, rather than just a means of looking back at past work and measuring achievement; we believe that assessment helps you plan future work and develop new ideas.

Your work will be assessed through projects or portfolios, with written papers or research journals, and, on some courses, examinations. You will be graded according to a set of marking criteria that relate to such things as research, subject knowledge, methodology, and your capacity to analyse and reflect on your achievements. So don’t be afraid of assessment - it is the way to progress.

Course Units

Year One     Stage One     Level 4     120 credits 

Term One: The Fashion Industry: The Principles of Fashion Management (20 credits); Introduction to Study in Higher Education: Introduction to Fashion Management (20 credits);

Term Two: Introduction to Cultural and Historical Studies (20 credits); Fashion Analysis (20 credits);

Term Three: Fashion Enterprise Management (40 credits);

Year Two     Stage Two     Level 5     120 credits

Term One: Cultural and Historical Studies (20 credits); Supplying the Fashion Product (20 credits);

Term Two: Managing the Fashion Brand (20 credits); Fashion Business Research (20 credits);

Term Three: Fashion Consultancy Project (40 credits);

Professional Placement Year (optional)

Diploma in Professional Studies and Diploma Supplement

Final Year        Stage Three      level 6              120 credits

Term One: The Future of Fashion: A Business Perspective (20 credits);

Terms One and Two: Strategic Fashion Management: Case Study (40 credits);

Terms Two and Three: The Dissertation (60 credits)

Course Outline

Year One

In the first term you will study two units.

Introduction to Study in Higher Education: Introduction to Fashion Management  gives you an understanding of your personal and professional development at university, with three core purposes: to introduce you to the necessary learning skills for undergraduate study; to show you where you are situated within the College and the University; and to help you understand what you will learn on your course and how you will develop your skills.

The Fashion Industry: the Principles of Fashion Management unit explores, from both practical and theoretical perspectives, the main concepts, principles and processes associated with the nature of the fashion industry and the discipline of fashion management. You will develop an understanding of the complex relationships between fashion businesses and their macro and micro environment, including ethics/corporate social responsibility (CSR), enterprise and the adoption of technology.

In the second term you will study two units.

Introduction to Cultural and Historical Studies introduces you to key concepts and ways of thinking about fashion and its context in society and culture. You will attend lectures, seminars and workshops, and do a significant amount of reading of academic texts in order to complete a formal academic essay for assessment. Completion of this unit will allow you to make an informed choice of subject for study in the second year Cultural and Historical Studies unit.

Fashion Analysis provides you with an understanding of economic concepts and theories and how these can applied to the fashion industry; in particular, you will examine market demand, supply, consumer behaviour and the nature of national, international and global competition. You will gain an understanding and appreciation of the information systems that aid the decision making process in the fashion industry.

In the third term you will undertake the Fashion Enterprise Management unit which allows you to apply a range of knowledge and skills previously acquired to the start up of a small fashion business. This unit provides the opportunity to start up and trade a small fashion business by working in a collaborative team, assuming the functional roles frequently found in small fashion businesses. You will be able to acquire techniques and skills of project management, teamwork, presentation and research to support the successful development of your business. There will be a focus on acquiring and using financial skills to develop your business plan and utilising key entrepreneurship and creative skills to formulate your brand proposition and turn your concept into tradeable products.

Year Two

In the first term you will be able to study a Cultural and Historical Studies unit of your choice that will broaden or deepen your learning of areas relating to your interests in your chosen field. You will have the opportunity to participate in lectures, seminars and workshops with students from other courses within your School, and will read relevant academic texts and complete a formal academic essay for assessment.

Also in the first term, the Supplying the Fashion Product unit examines the breadth and complexity of a modern fashion supply chain and its relevance within international fashion businesses. You will build on your skills and knowledge acquired in Stage 1 to apply and evaluate the roles and processes involved in the research, creation, sourcing and delivery of a profitable and balanced fashion product offer that is relevant to the demands of the consumer.

In the second term the Managing the Fashion Brand unit gives you the opportunity to gain an in-depth understanding of the operations that bring a fashion brand or product to the global consumer. You will explore the various techniques used by fashion companies to communicate their brands, in terms of the product ranges and the company identity. These techniques include the use of the retail environment and various forms of media, including digital media. You will understand how these various techniques are blended to create an integrated marketing campaign for a fashion brand. You will gain an understanding of the interconnections between outward, customer-facing operational activity, and those operations involved in presenting the fashion offer from concept to the consumer through the physical and digital environments.

Also in the second term, the Fashion Business Research unit gives you the opportunity to further develop your practical research skills in the context of the fashion industry. The work done on this unit will support you in your future units of study, both this year and in the final year. You will learn how to access and interrogate the secondary resources available to you through the College and the University, and how to consider the selection and design of a range of primary research methods. You will also investigate how to analyse and present the results of your primary research.

In the third term the Fashion Consultancy Project brings together the theoretical and operational fashion business management principles you have previously studied. It provides a bridge between the team work in Stage 1 and the independent study required to complete your final year. You will relate academic theory to practical business operations, and so explore different approaches to fashion management. You will source and work collaboratively on a specific negotiated project as business consultants to a fashion company.

Professional Placement Year

You can opt to undertake the Diploma in Professional Studies (the Diploma), a University of the Arts London Award for a period of industrial placement of at least 30 weeks duration. The placement is undertaken during the third year of the four-year Bachelor’s degree during which you normally will be working full-time in a company. You will be able to experience the pace, atmosphere and discipline of working in the industry through your involvement in the day-to-day activities of a fashion business. This will give you practical experience of the roles, functions and operations in the fashion industry that you have studied on your course. There is flexibility to combine a work placement overseas (minimum 20 weeks) with a period of overseas study (minimum 10 weeks). You will be required to write a negotiated report on your placement, which will focus on issues or opportunities related to the placement company. This will develop your study skills and allow you to demonstrate your research, analytical and evaluative skills. Successful completion of the year will give you the additional qualifications of a Diploma in Professional Studies and a Diploma Supplement.

Final Year

In the first term you will study The Future of Fashion: A Business Perspective unit. You will look at current issues affecting the fashion industry as a whole, and at sectors of the industry that are undergoing particular change. This unit will develop your understanding of change within the fashion industry, and how the industry responds to changes in socio-economic trends.

In the first and second terms you will undertake the Strategic Fashion Management: Case Study unit. This gives you the opportunity to integrate your knowledge and understanding of conceptual frameworks applied in industrial and commercial frameworks through a case study of an actual fashion company. You will investigate the management structure and functions, and examine the strategic problems faced by the company, analyse the background and causes of the problems, suggest solutions and make recommendations.

Alongside these units in the first term you will start to work on The Dissertation unit. This gives you the opportunity to negotiate an individual research topic on an aspect of fashion management. This will involve you in substantial study of a topic relating to a particular facet of the fashion industry. The identification of the brief, and the research, preparation and completion of the dissertation will require a disciplined and organised approach. The dissertation provides an opportunity to explore a topic of particular interest to you, and may well reflect your future career aspirations.

Learning and Teaching at UAL

Courses at UAL span a broad range of art, design, communication, business, media and science subjects. The ways in which you learn and how your time is used will vary according to the specific course you are studying; this may be in studios, labs or classes; involve working alone, learning from peers in pairs or groups, or with external partners. Most importantly, no matter which course you enrol on, you will learn not only about your subject but also about how you learn and how to increase your knowledge base. Our courses will guide you to take increasing responsibility and ownership of your work and your learning. We do this so that you will be ready and able to take full advantage of the range of opportunities offered by the creative industries in the global economy.

Assessment Methods at UAL

Assessment always sounds austere and foreboding, but it is not. We see assessment as a very real part of learning, rather than just a means of looking back at past work and measuring achievement; we believe that assessment helps you to plan future work and develop new ideas. Your work will be assessed through projects or portfolios, with written papers or research journals, and, on some courses, examinations. You will be graded according to a set of marking criteria that relate to such things as research, subject knowledge, methodology, and your capacity to analyse and reflect on your achievements. So don’t be afraid of assessment - it is the way to progress.

Developing your skills

All our undergraduate courses are concerned with the development of your personal and professional skills. On your course you will evolve from learning basic skills in your discipline through to a position where you are an independent creative thinker capable of making an effective contribution to the relevant sector of the fashion industry. PPD (Personal and Professional Development) skills are embedded in all units on every course. Speaker programmes with contributions from alumni, members of industry and others are a part of many courses, as are work placement opportunities in industry. Where relevant, students have the chance to attend trade fairs, enter industry competitions, visit exhibitions and go on field trips and visits. The central position of our John Prince’s Street site in the West End affords students easy access to all sectors of the fashion retail market. In addition, our position as a constituent College in the University of the Arts London means that our students have access to the wide range of activities and events that occur in all the Colleges and at the University’s centre. Last but not least, being in London gives every student opportunities to explore and be inspired by the cultural, intellectual and social life of one of the great capital cities of the world.

Resources

Our excellent resources for educating our students are two-fold: people and premises. People includes everyone at the College who contributes directly in some way to your education, whether as a subject tutor, a technician, an Open Access Officer, a librarian or a study support tutor. Premises include the buildings and the facilities contained in them, such as specialist machinery, design studios and workshops, lecture and seminar rooms, and the library.

The facilities at High Holborn include excellent lecture theatres, seminar and tutorial rooms and breakout spaces. The building is shared between the College and many of the central services of the University, including the Student Centre next to the Students’ Union, the Learning Zone and the Cafe and Bar.

Heather Pickard is the Course Leader for BA Fashion Management and the Programme Director for the Fashion Management courses. After graduating with a degree in Geography, she joined Top Shop as a retail management trainee and rapidly rose to senior merchandiser. She then went on to be a buying and merchandising controller for Laura Ashley, Sock Shop and River Island before moving into education and teaching on a variety of further, higher and postgraduate courses. Her teaching has drawn on her extensive experience in the fashion industry in supply chain, buying and merchandising and management roles.

Rosemary Varley is the Subject Director for the School of Management and Science and is responsible for academic curriculum development and fashion industry collaborative curriculum-embedded projects. She teaches fashion brand strategy across courses and her research interests focus on the relationship between fashion brands and their retail environment. She has authored Retail Product Management and co-authored Principles of Retail Management.

Future Careers and Graduate Prospects

Graduates who wish to continue their education at postgraduate level are encouraged to progress to suitable courses within the College, the University or elsewhere.

Many graduates prefer to seek employment as soon as they have completed their undergraduate studies. Examples of companies currently employing our recent graduates include Mulbery, John Lewis, Debenhams, Marks and Spencer, House of Fraser, Harrods, BHS, Burberry, ASOS and Christian Louboutin.

Enterprise and Employability at UAL

We know what it takes to be successful in your chosen field. Your tutors are professionals in their own right and understand what you need to help you establish your career. Staff in our dedicated Centre for Student Enterprise and Employability Service (SEE) are specialists at supporting you onto the right career path and at helping you to build up work‐relevant skills, knowledge and experience throughout your time here. You will also benefit from our many relationships with industry, which give our students exclusive opportunities and access to networks and funding.

Artists and designers tell us they value UAL’s informed engagement with their career development concerns across a whole spectrum of activities and practice interests and our ability to offer them practical advice, guidance and opportunities across the possible pathways open to them - as entrepreneurs and employees. Staff value the resources and skills UAL makes available to help them deliver effective professional and career development through the curriculum.

Showing your work

All final year students are given the opportunity to profile their work online via Showtime. London College of Fashion can make no guarantee that your work (either in sum or in part) will be shown, exhibited or profiled in any way as part of your course. All student work appearing in College organised events, catwalk shows, exhibitions and other forms of showcase, is selected by a panel of senior staff and, in some instances, external industry judges.

For details of the wide range of careers support provided for students, please visit our Careers Support page.

Opportunities for All

We are committed to making university education an achievable option for a wider range of people and seek to recruit students from diverse socio-economic, cultural and educational backgrounds. We are committed to supporting all our students in achieving their potential both during and after their courses.                 

Course Entry Requirements

Entry to this course is highly competitive: applicants are expected to achieve, or already have, the course entry requirements detailed below.

‘A’ level passes at grade C or above to total at least 280 UCAS tariff points PLUS passes in six GCSE subjects at grade B or above to include Maths and English

OR equivalent awards

Preferred subjects include History, Sociology, Religious Studies, Textiles, Business Studies, Economics, Science, Geography and a foreign language.

This course requires a minimum 280 UCAS tariff points.

Exceptionally, applicants who do not meet these course entry requirements may still be considered if the course team judges the application demonstrates additional strengths and alternative evidence. This might, for example, be demonstrated by: related academic or work experience; the quality of the personal statement; a strong academic or other professional reference; or a combination of these factors.

Applicants are expected to show evidence of work experience or placement.

This course requires selected applicants to complete a business numeracy test in a set time under test conditions. You will be allowed to use a calculator.

English Language Requirements

All classes are conducted in English. If English is not your first language you will be asked to provide evidence of your English language ability when you enrol.

The level required by the University for this course is IELTS 6.5 with a minimum of 5.5 in any one skill.

Please go to: http://www.arts.ac.uk/international/apply/englishlanguagerequirements/

read carefully and look at the relevant documents.

Student Selection Criteria

What We Look For

The course team seeks to recruit students who can demonstrate:

• A strong interest in the different roles of management within the fashion industry
• An analytical problem solving approach
• An ability to multi-task

This might, for example, be demonstrated by: related academic or work experience; the quality of the personal statement, a strong academic or other professional reference; or a combination of these factors.

Advice for applicants selected to undertake the business numeracy test

You will be asked to complete a numerical test under timed test conditions, so make sure that you have all that you need for the test, such as your favourite pen and your calculator.

Advice for applicants selected for interview

Applicants will be expected to demonstrate the following at interview: why you want to come on the course and what you will bring to the course; an understanding of the different management roles within the fashion industry; an awareness of current affairs; an awareness of fashion and the role it plays in the culture of a society; the ability to work in a team; a motivation to succeed on the course; and a motivation for working in management in the fashion industry.

Home/EU Applicants

You apply online through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) at   http://www.ucas.com 

Go to ‘Apply’ from the UCAS home page, where you will be able to register and create a password that gives you unique access as you complete your application form.

The University code is U65.

The UCAS code for this course is WN22.

The deadline for equal consideration of your application is 15 January 2013.       

Contact us on:

• Telephone: +44 (0)20 7514 7563 / 7582 / 7344
• Course enquiry form

International Applicants

For specific details on how to apply as an international applicant please click on the following link:

http://www.fashion.arts.ac.uk/lcf-international.htm

The International Recruitment Office at the London College of Fashion will help to guide you through the application process and answer any specific questions that you may have regarding our courses. This may include portfolio advice, the application process and fee advice. We offer a ‘drop-in’ facility for applicants who may be in London and wish to obtain further course and admissions information. Please contact us for further information on this facility. We can also arrange a tour of our facilities if we are given prior notice.

Our contact details are: International Recruitment Office London College of Fashion 20 John Prince’s Street London W1G 0BJ.

• Telephone: +44 (0)20 7514 7656/7678/7629
• Course enquiry form

Deferred Entry

Deferred Entry is normally only allowed in exceptional circumstances. Please contact us before you submit your application if you are considering applying for deferred entry.

What Happens Next?

All application forms, personal statements and references are read and considered by the course team against the selection criteria listed under What We Look For. Depending on the quality of your application, you may be asked to attend the College to complete a business numeracy test, which will then be marked by the course team. If the course team wish to consider your application further, you will be invited to a group interview on the same day where the course team will ask applicants questions. If you are successful at the interview stage you will be offered a place. Applicants are not guaranteed a business numeracy test or an interview.

Please note that if you are unable to attend the College may not be able to re-schedule.

If you applied through UCAS the result of your application will be communicated to you via UCAS through ucastrack. You will only receive further communication directly from the College if your application has been successful. This will be in the form of a full offer pack, sent by email, including details of accommodation, fees, and other important information.

Applicants have the right to ask for feedback if their application is unsuccessful. Requests must be made in writing to the Student Administrator, and we will respond within 20 working days. 

Additional Information

Additional Costs

Some courses charge a fee for the bulk purchase of materials and/or equipment used on the course. Further details will be supplied at a later date.

Contact us on:

T +44 (0) 20 7514 7344

Email enquiries@fashion.arts.ac.uk