Fashion Communication BA (Hons)

In this module, you will delve into experimental design processes that are directly applicable to your future role in the ever-changing field of design. The boundaries between established design disciplines are continually shifting due to the ongoing collaborative nature of design projects calling on multiple skill sets, technological advancements, evolving design trends and societal needs.

The main objective is to provide you with the opportunity to explore making practice through different media, by acquire new skills or gaining experience in areas that are unfamiliar to you. For example, different briefs might explore 3D printing, upcycling, narrative storytelling and illustration or coding for designers. You will be encouraged to experiment and will be rewarded for taking creative risks. Throughout this process, you will develop into a more competent and self-assured designer, essential for a professional design career.

In this module you will receive an introduction to the world of Fashion Communication, exploring the wide scope of the sector, its importance to the industry and elements of its history which have subsequently shaped contemporary fashion and design. Content will be delivered which will consider significant shifts in fashion, focusing on aspects of production, promotion and consumption with reference to movements, styles, and influences which have formed the basis of innovation in fashion communication and styling.



The cultural, societal and political influences impacting the discipline will form a significant aspect of the module content and subsequent discussion, reflecting the changing shape of fashion across time and focusing on contemporary considerations. This will align to current debate questioning the role of fashion within society and the potential of the industry to have a positive (or potentially negative) impact on the World at large.



You will select a topic related to the module themes to explore within your essay, making connections to factors which have shaped the sector. This will also map to your own drive and desire to gain insight into aspects of the fashion industry and its history which may shape your future studies and beyond.

In the open brief module, students are given the autonomy to self-direct their work . This is an opportunity to evidence and develop their interests within the fashion communication sector. Students will select a subject that has driven them towards the programme which represents an area of fashion that they are passionate about. They will then be tasked with fully immersing themselves in researching these subjects, gaining significant knowledge to disseminate across summative submissions.



The module will further focus on developing your communication and teamwork skills, considering subjects such as narrative structure, effective articulation of concepts and ideas, and delivering to an audience. Your submission will include an initial team presentation linked to an assigned topic/area reflected within contemporary fashion communication. This will seek to inspire your final portfolio piece, where you will document and disseminate a key area of the sector that is of interest to you, and which is relevant to the wider industry. This will also allos you to simultaneously make use of traditional and emerging methods and technologies of effective communication.



This module is taught alongside further modules which will chart specific and significant influences and shifts impacting Fashion design and Fashion Communication practices, and should provide a further basis for information and inspiration.

This module introduces you to the discipline of styling and its influence within fashion communication. You will gain insight into aspects of a stylist’s practice, including storytelling, creative vision and the practicalities of image creation.



Your work will be informed by research that encompasses cultural considerations and market awareness, using directed and self-sourced secondary materials to focus on factors that influence styling decisions. This will demonstrate how styling is, and can be, inspired by actions shaping society, culture and politics, further considering communities, (sub)cultures and past/present events.



You will create a 1000 word analysis of your styling story, to be incorporated across your practice. This will enhance your ability to reflect on practice, encouraging independent decision-making underpinned by cultural awareness and sensitivity.



Your final, captured styling decisions will form a curated editorial portfolio/lookbook. Workshops, tutorials and technical sessions will help you to develop a practical understanding of art direction from initial research, to storyboard, shoot production management and final imagery.

This module teaches you the fundamentals of branding, promotion and public relations (PR), an area of fashion communication that devises communication campaigns and generates content delivering key messages to a range of stakeholders on behalf of a brand. You will specifically consider a small, emerging, grassroots brand, which may represent a diverse and/or global outlook on the fashion sector.

The main aim of the module is to build a foundational understanding of what promotion and PR is, where to find it, what agencies and in-house PRs and brand strategists/promoters do, and what multi-channel activities are conceived, implemented and activated in this area of industry. Through a series of workshops, you will be shown a diverse range of case-studies focused on how fashion is promoted through public, promotional and commercial endeavours in the context of various brands of differing size and influence.

You will be introduced to basic research and analysis tools that help you to ascertain the value, function and role of PR in fashion. You will learn core formal and tacit communication skills of a practitioner in industry, such as how to prepare a client-facing document, promotional planning, how to recognise and influence audiences, and be given opportunities to converse in public and pitch your work so that you develop a confident presentation style that is a step towards client-facing skills.

This module requires students to consider the nature of content creation and its value to the contemporary fashion sector. You will develop your communication skills across the module, while considering the characteristics of different platforms and the nuances of communicative practices across each area. You will also learn to consider which media channels are appropriate in engaging defined audiences, and reflect on how content can reach these individuals effectively. You will enhance your communicative abilities through developing narratives around themes outlined in initial briefing sessions. These themes will be based on contemporary and emerging trends and topics of interest to the fashion industry, asking students to ‘report’ their findings through relevant media platforms.

Hard and soft skills will be developed as you engage with technology and individuals in the development of your final editorial piece. You will be required to gain audience insights, potentially recording and directing interviews with relevant parties to generate content which contributes to the conceptual development of final submissions. You will receive direction and supervision linked to creating practical outputs recognised by industry practitioners, which will include digital facing editorial content, visual supporting materials and/or oral/aural content (e.g. podcast, social media). Students will produce further social content supporting and promoting their long form feature piece.