Course summary

MA International Fashion Brand Management: Fashion Visual Merchandising is the first postgraduate course in the UK focusing on fashion visual merchandising. The course is part of our exciting MA International Fashion Brand Management (MA IFBM) suite which offers six innovative pathways: MA International Fashion Brand Management: Fashion Visual Merchandising MA International Fashion Brand Management: Phygital Luxury Fashion MA International Fashion Brand Management: Circular Fashion MA International Fashion Brand Management: Fashion Buying & Merchandising MA Fashion Brand Management: Fashion Insight & Strategy MA International Fashion Brand Management: Fashion PR & Communication The role of a fashion visual merchandiser combines research into fashion trends with architecture and product design practice. This course will teach you how to create fashion retail experiences that balance brand values and identity with retail space and windows of an assigned store/showroom. You will learn how to shape and reshape a physical and/or online space to effectively convey the brand DNA whilst promoting the commercial success of products. This pathway puts an emphasis on digital developments and sustainable strategies for fashion visual merchandising. You will be introduced to a rigorous appraisal methodology to analyse fashion brand, retail and visual communication strategies to identify existing gaps and new opportunities. You will then develop concrete visual display projects that consider materials, colours, styling and lighting within a set budget. You will work on live-industry projects that can involve retail make-over, original in-store layouts, window concepts and displays or visual merchandising ideas. Collaborative learning You will collaborate with fellow students from other pathways and/or other MA courses within our school in your projects and gain invaluable industry experience. These collaborations are carefully designed to provide a microcosm of the professional fashion business world. Compulsory residential international field trips The MA International Fashion Brand Management is the first postgraduate fashion course in the UK that formally integrates international residential trips into its curriculum. During these trips, you will meet industry professionals, attend master lectures, view collaborative work, and engage in personal growth. The compulsory trips throughout the 2021 academic year will be: FT1: European Fashion Capitals Trip (Paris, Milan and Florence): 8 to 10 days (Semester 1). FT2: New York Fashion Field Trip: 7-8 days (Semester 2). Optional international residential field trips Students studying on this pathway will be able to attend Trip 3 and Trip 4 as optional trips. You may wish to attend only one or none: FT3: Copenhagen Fashion Summit: 3 to 4 days (Semester 3). FT4: Berlin Circular Fashion Trip: 3 to 4 days (Semester 2). Internships This course has an optional 80 hours internship integrated into the curriculum. An internship will enhance your employability by offering valuable experience and professional contacts within the industry and put your skills to use in the real world of fashion. It is possible to do your internship digitally. Learning through social action Instead of an internship, you may participate in a cross-pathway social action industry mentorship projects for which we have teamed up with Justice in Fashion - a global alliance of like-minded and skilled individuals endeavouring to create positive change in the fashion industry. Digital skills On this pathway, you will work on your creative media and digital skills and learn to use a range of pathway specific industry-standard software. Our facilities include: 3D design studio PC/Mac labs film/motion capture studios photography studios digital print bureau knitting studio sewing studio pattern making studio