Fashion Business Management with Professional Experience BA Honours

This module provides the fundamental knowledge and skills to enable you to successfully transition to Higher Education and academic development throughout your degree. By examining the fashion industry, you'll be introduced to the essential skills such as report writing, research, presentation and the technical software packages to allow you to meet the course requirements of fashion students. The context of the fashion business will be used to develop these skills, which can then be applied to all other modules throughout the course. You'll be required to examine your own skills set measured against the marking criteria and learning outcomes.

The module will also lay the foundation for and practice of successful team work in both an academic and professional environment. The UNSDG (United Nations Sustainable Development Goals) will be introduced to give you knowledge of their relevance across the fashion industry. Through an engaging and diverse learning environment consisting of lectures, workshops and field trips, you will enhance your academic abilities, personal skill set and networking opportunities which should support you towards success at the university and employment.

The purpose of this module is to provide you with a fundamental understanding of the philosophy and concepts of marketing and the recognition of the importance of marketing in business. The module provides you with the tools to identify and apply the principal concepts and techniques of marketing to the fashion business. It also aims to develop your creative and business skills to apply these further to branding and marketing proposals. You will study how to define customer groups through segmentation analysis, measure customer needs and market change while monitoring market performance. You'll combine your business and creative specialisms in seminar activities to create a broader understanding of fashion marketing.

This module is your introduction to the world of fashion retail, its terminology, processes and issues. It depicts an overview of this global industry, in addition to identifying key retailers and influential people within it. You'll also learn about the context of the industry by exploring current trading situations and start to develop your commercial awareness. You'll also be introduced to the importance of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and their relevance to the Fashion industry. Basic Excel will be covered in a digital class, starting to prepare you for roles in the industry.

This module demonstrates the relevance of the buying and merchandising cycle within the critical path for UK fashion retail companies; it explores the role of the departmental Buyer and the Merchandiser; the sequence of processes, events and the necessary stages to take ranges and products through from the initial concept, to the consumer. The module explores the multi-faceted roles of buying and merchandising in the fashion industry, enabling you to gain an understanding of the different skills involved in the various processes; including trend forecasting, historical and pestle analysis, range planning, competitive analysis, trading and the timescales for the development of fashion ranges and seasonal products.

This module comprehensively explores fashion development processes, from fibre production to garment development. It emphasises quality assurance, consistent sizing, and the mastery of textile fundamentals. You'll analyse the suitability of various textiles for different fashion markets, considering both aesthetic appeal and functional performance. By studying product development within a retail context, you'll gain a deep understanding of fashion technology, raw materials, and their impact on product quality. You'll also learn industry-specific terminology, address sizing and fitting challenges, and navigate contemporary issues such as ethical sourcing and sustainable manufacturing. The module links to the Sustainable Development Goals SDG 12 Responsible Consumption and Production SDG 9 Industry Innovation and Infrastructure.

This module will explore the fashion industry within its social, cultural and historical context. It explores where fashions and trends come from providing an understanding of fashion as both a cycle and process. Through examining what has happened in the past you'll gain an understanding as to why and how fashion changes. The module explores how the social, cultural, technological and political climate can all contribute to future shifts in fashion direction, and through developing an understanding of what factors impact change you can start to predict what is going to happen in the future.

This module provides an essential introduction to the fashion forecasting business with specific emphasis on how this then impacts the retail marketplace. In the fashion industry inspiration, creativity and trend are vital as these will impact on organisation, strategy and management. Current Macro trends will be explored in weekly lectures and seminars and evaluated in student led debate regarding their translation into micro trends which ultimately appear in Fashion catwalks, stores and the media. Identifying new emerging trends is vital to the success of today’s retailers. Underpinning the delivery of the module is a strong focus on appropriate communication strategies. Therefore, you'll be taught various Photoshop techniques and set up and style a Blog.

This module will cover the history of London Fashion from the immediate post war period (1945) to the present day looking at the iconic names, designers and retailers associated with London Fashion. The link between culture and fashion will be explored, the significance of key designers and the role of retailers from boutique to department store in satisfying the demands of the consumer. London itself will be explored both as a trend setter and also in the context of its being the home of many iconic heritage brands including Liberty and Burberry as examples. The module will be delivered through a mixture of lectures and seminars but visiting contemporary retailers, exhibitions and galleries including the V and A and The Museum of London will be an essential component.

An understanding of consumer behaviour is relevant to all roles within the fashion retail business. This module will introduce you to theories of consumer behaviour with reference to contemporary and future trends that impact the fashion retail market. It will demonstrate how consumers are increasingly selecting products and brands that align with their personal values and fulfil deeper needs for creativity and community. Lectures in the first part of the module will explore key theories related to the wider fashion area. Seminars will synthesise theory with practice so you gain an understanding of real-world application of these theories. Case studies, market reports and academic papers will be utilised in these discussions. The second part of the module will focus on the theory and practice of primary research methods. You'll be introduced to qualitative and quantitative methods including surveys, focus groups, observations and semi-structured interviews. You will understand which methodologies are most suitable for researching different types of questions and consumer groups, the limitations of different methods and how to plan and execute a range of different methods to gain the most credible results.

Through this module, you'll gain a broader awareness of the digital fashion landscape through lectures and interactive seminars. The module critically analyses the role of digital within trading and assesses the overall business strategies of organisations operating within the fashion industry, ultimately investigating how these are changing due to digital advancements. The module offers an evolutionary and 'digital' perspective, beginning with its origins in customer relationship management, following the continuing impact of new web technologies and insight management, to the application of digital technologies and insight to analyse and drive consumer and business decisions. You'll have the opportunity to explore and evaluate various digital practices in the context of the fashion business (buying, merchandising, marketing, retail practices, store management, consumer behaviour, etc). Big data and analytics will be discussed in relation to the latest innovations in the fashion business and their implications on business performance and consumer behaviour.

In this module, you will explore the world of work, the experience of people at work and how each affects the other. In particular, examination is made of what makes teams and people effective (and personally fulfilled) at work. The scheme of work is designed to actively encourage practical scenarios and discussions regarding leadership, project management and communication within teams and the corporate environment. Topics will be supported by relevant theories. The module aims to prepare you as thoroughly as possible for entry into the world of work, both in terms of awareness of common business practices and in improving your technical (including AI in the workplace) and professional behavioural skill sets, while strengthening your soft skills. Furthermore, you are required to consider your personal and professional development through reflective practices, preparing you for PDP conversations during your placement year. The module also provides the opportunity to complete 15 hours of work-based learning including LinkedIn learning courses, Edited, Excel and UN SDG Learning Pathway. The module offers opportunities to gain insight from previous placement students.

This module provides you with specific methodology and tools used in planning, trading and analysis by buyers and merchandisers in the fashion industry. The module looks at the whole range of topics that are linked to the management of profit. Margin and profit levers are explored in detail with a focus on KPI setting and management. The module then looks at the planning /trading cycle and critical path from a buyer’s and merchandiser’s perspective from the setting of plans, the management of stock and OTB through to trading decisions and exit strategies. It allows the student to have an insight into the factors that influence decision making from the strategic plan start point, through historical sales analysis, product selection and range building. The module aims to prepare you as thoroughly as possible for entry into the world of work, both in awareness of common business practice and improvement of your skill set. This being so, sessions will be held to ensure that you are IT “ready” for the workplace, with particular emphasis on Excel, the preparation of documents and the use of the Edited tool.

This module will introduce you to the field of Fashion Promotion and its role throughout the fashion and fashion-related industries. You'll be able to examine both traditional and current forms and functions of fashion promotion and the way in which the promotional tools are designed to communicate and promote fashion and fashion-related products. It aims to develop your basic creative research skills and promotional practice and evaluation while developing your understanding of the customer profile and behaviours. Each week will examine a range of promotional methods and campaigns and you'll develop both critical skills and a creative portfolio of work developing a series of promotional tools to form a promotional campaign. The module will also further develop your technical CAD skills, which will be learned digitally, and your visual presentation skills.

This module examines and analyses the critical path and process of sourcing textiles and garments for the Fashion Business. You'll be introduced to the key criteria that underpin sourcing decisions and how sourcing options may be assessed. The module will also introduce you to the principles of cost comparisons between raw materials and labour and discuss centres of excellence in the global marketplace. You'll explore future considerations involving innovation and technology, and new strategies and opportunities for sustainable fabric and product development, with consideration of the ethical and environmental impact of Textiles and the evaluation of their use in the current market. In particular, this module will explore the UN SDGs Protect the Planet (13), Life Below Water (14) and Life on Land (15).

In this module students work together in concept development teams on a creative project to deliver a commercial proposition for a new brand or concept for an Industry partner. The teams will explore the customer profile, market positioning and competitor set of the Industry partner as well as suggest suitable marketing and branding propositions to ensure the success of the concept.

This module explores and critiques the practices of the fashion industry, enabling students to develop analytical perspectives on the sector. Drawing on a range of commercial expertise, contemporary analysis and theory for fashion and cultural studies, the module encourages students to evaluate the forces affecting the fashion system, its current methods and future challenges.

On completion of the module, students will able to confidently discuss key issues and design solutions to address these issues. The module will enable students to refine their research and analytical skills, so they can present clear and balanced arguments. Guest lecturers, exhibition visits, and webinar/conference attendance enable students to engage with fashion industry concerns as they emerge, and apply key models and theories to develop better strategies for industry futures.

This module has been designed to give you insight and experience into the commercial aspects of retailing a fashion brand from “start-up” strategy through planning and to trading. At the core of this module is the business game. This is an interactive simulation that looks at the risks and opportunities attached to business operations. It is a team exercise, and each team must make a number of decisions concerning the set-up, management and eventual profitability of “their company”. These decisions will be affected by the P.E.S.T.L.E. factors. These factors may change while the game is running. The final result of the game is relatively unimportant to the learning from the module, the essential point of running the game is to allow you to begin to make the link between your individual input to the team, the team decisions and the impact on your “business”.

So far as possible the game has been designed to replicate the real business and trading environment of a retail unit and to include the factors and decisions that have to be made on a daily basis when trading a product in the retail environment. In order to support the business game, lectures and activities will examine the key skills associated with the making of commercial decisions. The module also gives you the opportunity to reflect on your own role in the future of the fashion industry.

The Major Project is an extended piece of work of 8,000 words which builds on the proposal completed in the Research Methods module. In the course of the Major Project module, you'll have identified a topic relevant to your discipline and have embarked on a process of supervised but independent study, working to complete the final report. A distinctive feature of this research project is that it is a substantial piece of critical academic work requiring substantial research and a theoretical framework as appropriate for a dissertation while offering you some options in output format. In the course of this module, it is likely that primary research will be undertaken to confirm or extend the secondary findings, synthesis of findings and discussion of the same will be required, as will the drawing of conclusion/s and the making of recommendation or suggestion of future event or development.

In completing this module, you have the opportunity to draw on knowledge and skills gained throughout the course and to demonstrate your intellectual and practical capacity. In the pre-requisite module, you would have been encouraged to select a project topic from the fields of fashion, retail and business and to make use of material taken from the study areas covered throughout the course. In this Fashion Business Management with Professional Experience BA course you have been taught the importance of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the dynamic fashion industry. In this module you are expected to explore at least one relevant SDG as a part of your individual research area. (see https://sdgs.un.org/goals). The format might be that of a dissertation (8,000 words) but alternative formats are also possible to be negotiated and agreed as suitable with the project supervisor module leader. The alternative formats might impact the final word count and this too should be a matter of discussion between you, your supervising tutor and module leader.

Many students possess entrepreneurial characteristics such as vision, energy, confidence and self-reliance. This module will develop student’s natural abilities as entrepreneurs as well as providing a framework for exploring a viable business plan. A series of lectures will analyse the theory and practice of enterprise, the processes involved and the skills required. Industry experts will provide specialised knowledge. Case studies will also be applied to discuss success and failure in Industry. The module will discuss all elements of launching a business venture, from business plan projections, through to sales and marketing strategies and key performance indicators used to pursue strategic goals.

This module focuses on how future fashion industry managers identify opportunities and develop innovative products and services. You'll examine how trends emerge and evolve, and consider your own impact on the fashion retail landscape. You'll be challenged to explore new sources of information and to think beyond your existing experience and reference points.

The module highlights the central role of data and insight in planning fashion products, operations, marketing, and retail strategies. External speakers and field research form an integral part of the learning experience, expanding your industry awareness and professional insight. You'll have extensive opportunities to research trends, brands, and markets, with a particular focus on how industry professionals conduct research and generate new ideas.

Collaborative group work is a key component of the module, enabling you to share ideas and knowledge while developing professional self-awareness, teamwork, and communication skills. This approach reflects the way trends and insights teams operate within the fashion industry.

This module provides a comprehensive knowledge of historical, current and emerging brands and their identity, products, services and practices that go to make up luxury brands and their respective businesses. Although there is a central focus on the present, you'll analyse and learn from past examples demonstrating how luxury businesses need to be both resilient and flexible, balancing reputation and growth.

You'll also analyse how luxury brands evolve while maintaining their signature style through developing new innovative extensions, collaborations and innovations while often simultaneously commercially exploiting carefully curated and commercially exploited archives. It will show the unique course that luxury brands need to navigate to maintain their status and reflect contemporary society. This will give you a deep insight into maintaining a cohesive brand message and image while staying relevant.

This module examines the ethical behaviour of business and consumers and the environmental profit and loss in the Fashion industry. The issues will be illustrated in terms of the positive and negative effects on People, Planet and Profit and discuss the potential for sustainable practice within the fashion industry. You'll develop the knowledge to identify, develop and establish effective Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) policies and to manage and promote more sustainable approaches in product development, manufacturing and marketing.

You'll gain an understanding of how values at organisation-level affect decisions regarding equality, diversity, exclusivity and social justice. In particular this module explores the following UN SDGs. 6: Clean water sanitation; 8: Decent work economic growth; 9: Industry, innovation infrastructure; 12: Responsible consumption production; 14: Life below water 15: Life on land.