Fashion Promotion and Communication with Foundation Year

This course is offered as a four-year programme. The Foundation Year will allow you to develop your academic study skills and build confidence in your abilities, identifying your own strengths and development needs for progression onto an undergraduate programme.

Top-ranked
Our fashion and textiles programmes are ranked 3rd best in the UK (The Guardian University Guide 2023). Throughout your time on the course you will have the opportunity to show off your work through international competitions and shows, including British Fashion Council reviews and the BNU Summer Show.

Taught by industry
Led by a dedicated and experienced course team, you’ll benefit from their industry knowledge and the industry links they bring to the course. You’ll get direct access to guest lectures, who are specialists in the sector, and can benefit from live project briefs, master classes, and networking opportunities.

Previous industry projects include visual merchandising for international fashion retailer AllSaints, social media marketing for London based social enterprise brand Pivot, Visual Merchandising for the Lone Design Club’s London Fashion Week pop-up store and graphic packaging design competition for Graphic Design Agency JDO Global.

Relevance
With the rise of social media, and platforms such as TikTok, the way we consume fashion has transformed. Whilst consumers want all the latest looks at their fingertips, they are also conscious of the cost fast fashion has on our planet. Getting this balance right is key when we explore the fashion industry. The modules on this course will explore this balance and other key contextual theories and cultural themes.

Facilities
We’ve spent a lot of love and care making the Fashion and Textile Studios the perfect creative space and one of the best-equipped workshops in the country.

Using our industry-standard photography and film studios, Mac computer suites and dedicated print area, you’ll develop knowledge, skills and techniques, whilst creating a portfolio to impress future employers.

In our professional-working studio you’ll have you own workspace which you’ll be able to turn into your own personal area, where you can bring your designs to life and surround yourself with inspiration. We also have specialist technicians and demonstrators on site to support and share their knowledge with you, when and if you need it.

What will I study?
At the core of the BA (Hons) Fashion Promotion and Communication course is the key themes of creativity, multi-disciplinary practice and innovation.

Looking at key areas, including photography, styling, illustration, film, the use of digital platforms, trend analysis, marketing, branding and P.R. This course fuses theory with creative practice, allowing you to develop intellectual, technical and professional skills and knowledge to succeed professionally upon graduation.

Starting with the fundamentals, you’ll start to explore this creative practice through technical workshops, masterclasses and seminars. You’ll also gain an understanding of the historical development of fashion promotion including the impact of globalisation and introduction of new technologies, as well as the ethical responsibilities of fashion media. We encourage you to research and develop individual approaches to fashion promotion and communication.

As you progress on the course you experiment and explore more individual creative responses to a series of industry-led projects. You’ll also start to build your final degree project, using innovation and creativity to create a portfolio of eye-catching work.

You’ll also have the opportunity to work on live briefs with fashion industry brands, which will challenge and enhance your skills, knowledge and approaches. Our collaborations with industry will foster professional working practices, further preparing you for employment once you’ve graduated.

Foundation year
Research and Development in Art and Design
Collaboration in Creative Practice
Visual Experimentation
Contextual Studies: Ideas, Concepts, Intro to research & writing
Portfolio
Project - Creative Realisation

Year one
Core Modules
Visual Narratives 1: Stock and Page
Fashion Styling
Contextual Studies (Fashion)
Marketing Strategies
Digital Art Direction and Film

Year two
Core Modules
Contextual Studies 2: Research Strategies
Photography for Design: Editorial
Collaboration
Industry Brief
Digital Fashion

Year three
Core Modules
Research and Development
Creative and Professional Development
Professional Practice
Contextual Report on Practice
Final Major Project

The BA (Hons) Fashion Promotion and Communication degree encompasses a wide variety of teaching and learning methods. Most of this degree is studio-practice based, here we aim to create the ethos of a professional real-world environment.

The course sits within a creative community and draws from close collaborations with the Fashion Design course, to encourage an awareness and an experience of working in the industry. You'll be able to gain a holistic view of the fashion industry and will acquire first-hand insight into the fashion process, from original concept to design through to the promotion of the final project. This will help give you the edge in a competitive market.

You’ll also have the opportunity to work on live briefs with fashion industry brands, which will challenge and enhance your skills, knowledge and approaches. Our collaborations with industry will foster professional working practices, further preparing you for employment once you’ve graduated.

You’ll also be assessed though; 1:1 or small group tutorials, lectures and seminars, portfolio and presentations, written assessments, sketchbooks, group critiques and self-directed study.