International Fashion Business BA (Hons)

In Year 2 you will have the chance to develop your entrepreneurial skills and look at how the very latest innovations can be taken out of laboratories into the hands of consumers. You will be introduced to the global buying cycle, sourcing routes and production management, and the relationship of ethics and sustainability to this, all essential skills for future Fashion business managers. You will have the chance to undertake ‘live projects’ on a national and international level, and take part in networking, digital campaign launches and online marketing strategies.

Modules

• Marketing Futures 2

  This module builds upon all learning from the first year of the course, including Personal Development Planning. It focuses on planning ahead and considering career and personal ambitions.

  You will start to identify and explore your preferred area of the industry and formulate aims for your own future. You are expected to evidence awareness of steps required to achieve your aims; this should include reference to opportunities offered within the course (including placement, and/or study abroad options*) as well as extra-curricular prospects to improve your professional outlook.

  The lecture programme is designed to introduce you to practical methods of preparing you for external opportunities, and asking you to prepare proactively for your personal, academic and career aspirations. Lectures aim to introduce you to a variety of external opportunities, and explore ideas around employability, enterprise, social enterprise, volunteering, placements, funding for overseas opportunities, freelancing and live projects*.

  Optional

• International Fashion Enterprise

  Those involved in building the future fashion industry will need to understand the importance of cross-industry collaboration and innovative developments, and how the implementation of such developments creates global opportunity. Technological advancements in the areas of 3D printing, artificial intelligence and biomaterials have catered to both industry and consumer demand for more circularity; opening the industry to responsible change.

  The aim of this module is to provide you with an overview of the global marketplace and an insight into how to identify new opportunities within emerging markets in order to develop their entrepreneurial skills

  The module covers global trend predictions, focusing on ‘innovation rich’ and ‘innovation poor’ definitions in order to identify new opportunities. You will be challenged to develop a business concept (this could be for a fashion related service, product or organisation) and to identify the unique selling point that gives it the advantage over competitors (this could be a new product, or a new way of marketing or delivering an existing product).

  Optional

• Global Campaign Communication Strategies

  
  In an increasingly digitally sophisticated and digitally demanding society, strategically communicated global campaigns are crucial to successful fashion businesses; future fashion brands increasingly use social media to market their products to consumer groups from Generation Y onwards. Digital marketing spans the globe and tomorrow’s digital brands and entrepreneurs will not be held back by physical location.

  This module aims to develop your critical and creative practice in the field of global campaign communication through the integration of theory and practice. You will have the chance to analyse marketing, advertising and branding campaign case studies, and strategic pre-production promotion in order to engage with ‘live project’ networking, digital campaign launches and online marketing strategies.

  You will also research and explore the link between ‘bricks and mortar’ and the online experience, and how to maximise a campaign’s potential to a target audience. You will have the opportunity to be involved in project management in order to produce an integrated online and offline launch and will explore apps, social media and a range of software in order to learn to use channels effectively and professionally for promotional purposes. You will be encouraged to take risks and innovate as a core aspect of their practice.

  The module also aims to develop your ability to differentiate productively between consumer and business campaign communications. Future business managers will need to be aware of how consumers in different areas of the globe engage with social media. You will review cases of how a successful brand has been damaged in the media or online via ill-judged communications that have caused consumer backlash and will explore the infectious potency of viral social media.

  Optional

• Global Sourcing and Production Management

  This module aims to introduce you to existing models of the international buying cycle, sourcing routes and production management. It considers how these have evolved over the last 20 years in constantly changing political, economic and social environments that have forced companies to shift sourcing and production around the globe in order to remain viable businesses.

  This module should explain how the size of the organization – from independent designer, to multi-store chains – impacts upon sourcing options and production management. Sustainability and ethics are growing areas of the industry in their own right, with traceability and transparency of sourcing and manufacturing practices in a digital age impacting on any companies misjudging consumer expectation. You will analyse how innovation and technology are changing traditional views on raw materials in terms of sustainability. You will be challenged to rethink the traditional supply chain, and to address the product lifecycle with the aim of reducing the environmental footprint.

  We regularly review our course content, to make it relevant and current for the benefit of our students. For these reasons, course modules may be updated.

  Optional

After the second year, the course offers an optional International Enhancement or Professional Enhancement year.

Students can opt to take a Professional Enhancement Year or International Enhancement Year module which runs for a full academic year between years 2 and 3. Students can progress onto the relevant Professional Enhancement Year or International Enhancement Year module if they successfully complete the first two years of the course (i.e. having accumulated 240 credits). Students confirm they are undertaking this option at the end of their second year, typically in August. They might choose one of:

• An International Study placement
• an approved professional work placement separately and independently organised that is international
• an approved professional work placement separately and independently organised within the UK.

Students opting for either the International Enhancement or Professional Enhancement year will be registered on one of the specific modules listed below. Such modules are non-credit bearing but will appear on a student’s final academic transcript if completed. No additional tuition fees apply to such modules. If you complete the optional International Enhancement year or Professional Enhancement year, your degree award title will also provide the additional suffix of “With Professional Enhancement” if you’ve gone on placement and “With International Enhancement” if you’ve gone on a study abroad or International placement programme for a year.

Please note that the university cannot guarantee any placement and/or study abroad opportunities and that all such opportunities may be subject to additional costs (e.g. travel, accommodation, visas etc.), application, availability and/or meeting any applicable visa requirements. To ensure that you fully understand the requirements in this regard, please contact the International Office for further details if you are an EU or International student.

In Year 3 you will be encouraged to develop a personal brand that communicates your style, ethics, skills, potential and personality to take you beyond Graduation into the global Fashion industry. You will have the opportunity to work on ‘live projects’ and competitions and will be able to develop personal projects such as a business launch, fashion event or public relations campaign which will enable you to analyse the effectiveness of your leadership, communication and team working skills in preparation for graduation.

Throughout the course you will reflect on your skills and experience to help you aim towards achieving your future ambitions.

Modules

• Future Fashion Innovators

  The module requires forward thinking in the development and communication of ideas. Building upon your previous years of study, and or a professional/ international experience. This module is set to enhance your confidence in decision making, project management and delivery. You will have the chance to respond to an industry-linked brief and will be encouraged to network on a global, national and local community scale to produce innovative and creative outcome to projects.

  Optional

• Marketing Futures 3

  In this module you will consider the concept of Personal Branding and will use skills developed in previous modules to enable you to present yourself to the Fashion Industry as an International Fashion Business Graduate. Self-branding is essential in the digital creative age and you will consider personal branding as a holistic package that represents you as an individual.

  This module aims to equip you with key industry knowledge, understanding and practices that will assist you in your search for employment. You will be expected to take part in live scenarios and problem-solving tasks and will be introduced to data analytics; understanding the important role this plays within the fashion industry regarding its impact on customer engagement.

  Optional

• Future Fashion Leaders

  It is envisaged that the module will stimulate greater awareness of the contemporary and global fashion industries, providing you with the opportunity to explore an area of the fashion industry which you may have not previously considered. You will be expected to evaluate the commercial and intellectual contexts that affect the fashion industry and demand effective leadership, communication, team working, and strategic thinking in order to innovate in new fashion marketplaces.

  Optional

• Future Fashion Project

  Offers you the opportunity through negotiation with staff and mentors from the fashion industry, where appropriate, to select a suitable format in which to produce a body of work forming the basis of your professional potential. You will be expected to evidence your engagement with business and understand the needs, desires and demands of the market place. You may choose to exhibit their work in the form of a business launch, fashion event, public relations campaign or other negotiated forms of presentation. You may also select to work within a professional environment.

  This module enables you to express and evaluate your full potential in terms of the knowledge and insight gained throughout the course.

  Optional