MA MA Fashion Design Management

The course seeks to recruit students from diverse socio-economic and cultural backgrounds and welcomes applications from mature students.

The course team seeks to recruit students who can demonstrate:

• the potential to develop their practical and critical abilities through academic study;
• critical knowledge of a subject area;
• a capacity for intellectual enquiry and reflective thought;
• an openness to new ideas and a willingness to participate actively in their own intellectual development;
• initiative with a developed and mature attitude to independent study.

Your future employability is central to all our courses and as a student with us you’ll have access to a wealth of resources to prepare you for your future career in the fashion industry. Graduate Futures is our dedicated employability team who will work with you throughout your time with us to get you ready for employment. There are also a variety of opportunities on the course to enhance your employability.

Industry engagement

Our students engage with the industry in a variety of ways throughout the course. We have longstanding links with a wide range of fashion companies that provide valuable industry exposure through guest speaker sessions and live projects. In our Leading Design Practice unit, students have previously worked with brands such as M&S, Peachaus, Circle Collective, Cape Cove, and Tu Clothing - gaining practical experience and insights into real-world design challenges and professional practice.

Block 1 

Design Management Principles (20 credits) 

This unit will introduce you to key principles and theories of Fashion Design Management. You will explore and challenge the value of the design discipline within the current dynamic global business environment. You will be required to critically apply strategic design management tools, frameworks and theories to justify your design strategy recommendation. 

Sustainable Design Thinking (20 credits) 

This unit examines the concepts that underpin sustainable design thinking and the processes required to adopt a people-centred, innovative approach to an evolving fashion industry. You will critically explore the design thinking process within a global fashion environment to offer sustainable emergent design solutions to complex contemporary issues. 

Design and Innovation Strategy (20 credits) 

This unit explores the future direction of fashion design and innovation management in an accelerating period of consumer, technological and global change. It evaluates the potential sustainable business and new product development strategies of the future as well as exploring the knowledge and resources required by fashion organisations. 

Block 2 

Elective Units 

Students will have the opportunity to participate in an elective unit as part of this course. This is an opportunity for students to collaborate with students from other courses within the college.

The following is an example list of electives that have been previously delivered:

• Creative Decision Making for Fashion Enterprise
• Cultural Programming
• Fashion Politics and Cultures
• Fashion Practices for Social Change
• Fashion Together: Collaboration for Innovation

Please note:

• Elective unit titles and details of the unit may change year to year
• Elective units offered may change year to year, that is, unit listed above may or may not be offered in subsequent years
• Students participate in a bidding process for choosing electives and participation in any particular elective is not guaranteed

Leading Design Practice (20 credits) 

This unit examines the process and implementation of design strategies by applying project management principles in practice. The key tools and techniques of researching, designing and planning a range of fashion related products to a specified brief will be examined alongside sustainable supply chain management and enterprising fashion business models. 

Advanced Research Methods (cross-course) (20 credits)