Fashion Communication and Styling

In the global fashion industry, the fashion stylist and communicator creates visual stories, employs technologies and exploits promotional platforms. You’ll learn how to engage with audiences and tell ‘style stories’ to transform fashion products from just objects into modern must-have trends.

You’ll become proficient in visual research, illustration and storyboarding, and project management. Through your studies, you’ll work collaboratively with peers and industry experts and foster a network of future career contacts and opportunities.

• Learn about the technical elements of successful event styling and production – including the creation of image, film and graphics.

• Gain the skills and confidence you’ll need to act as a consultant to industry partners, including fashion brands, fashion media and event organisations.

• Study a wide and practical range of topics including computer-aided design (CAD), photography and video for fashion, concept building, and fashion illustration.

• Cover areas including visual research, illustration, story boarding, audience analysis, styling, photography, fashion graphics and film, editorial development, event styling and production, freelance/self-employment skills and project management.

• Take part in international competitions and work with big brands on live briefs. Recent briefs have been set by Mint Velvet, Ted Baker, DAA (Designers Against AIDS), Graduate Fashion Foundation, Sue Ryder, Lee Jeans and Shelter.

• Benefit from block teaching, where most students study one subject at a time. A simple timetable will allow you to really engage with your learning, receive regular feedback and assessments, get to know your course mates and enjoy a better study-life balance.

First year
Block 1: Fashion Styling
Block 2: Fashion Image Creation
Block 3: Communication Creation
Block 4: Fashion Film Cultures

Second year
Block 1: Concept to Consumer
Block 2: The Fashion Client: Campaign with Film
Block 3: Fashion Event Styling
Block 4: Futures: Professional and Promotional Identity

Third year
Block 1: Fashion Communication and Styling Consultancy
Block 2: Fashion Communication and Styling Portfolio
Block 3 and Block 4: Final Major Project

We want to ensure you have the best learning experience possible and a supportive and nurturing learning community. That’s why we’re introducing a new block model for delivering the majority of our courses, known as Education 2030. This means a more simplified timetable where you will study one subject at a time instead of several at once. You will have more time to engage with your learning and get to know the teaching team and course mates. You will receive faster feedback through more regular assessment, and have a better study-life balance to enjoy other important aspects of university life.

Structure
A variety of learning and teaching strategies are utilised within the degree programme. New concepts and methodologies are introduced via lecture and seminar discussion, technical processes and skills and demonstrated and then practically developed by you in workshops and media studios. Throughout the three years of study you will receive formative feedback on projects, either from tutor led, group stage reviews or from individual formative assessments. At each of these, you will receive written feedback to support and guide your development before carrying out future work. Part of this feedback will focus on areas to improve work already carried out and students are afforded the opportunity to address feedback and revisit of work to address current problem areas before the summative assessment. Both formative and summative feedback, will on your development and the achievement of the modules learning outcomes.

A summative assessment of all work carried out will take place at the conclusion of the module and is accompanied by written and verbal feedback. Assessment can be varied but generally will take the form of a visual presentation, static display and or portfolio creation.

Contact hours
You will be taught through a combination of lectures, tutorials, seminars, workshops, practical activities, group work and self-directed study. Assessment is through coursework (presentations, essays and portfolio/event outcomes). Your precise timetable will depend on the modules of study in each term however, in your first year you will normally attend around 15 hours of timetabled taught sessions (lectures, tutorials and practical workshops) each week, and we expect you to undertake at least 24 further hours of independent study to progress and complete research and project outcomes.