MA Fashion Entrepreneurship and Innovation

Course detail

MA Fashion Entrepreneurship and Innovation equips fashion creatives and entrepreneurs with the essential skills and toolkit to launch and scale new businesses effectively, and offers unrivalled networks across all sectors of the fashion industry.

In-depth studies of innovative emerging designers in the UK provide an understanding of the British fashion industry while extra-curricular international study tours provide valuable insights into the global fashion market. Industry presentations and factory tours have taken place previously in Paris, Milan and Shanghai and have explored everything from French Haute Couture to Italian craftsmanship and Asia’s luxury fashion boom.

MA Fashion Entrepreneurship and Innovation is a dynamic and interactive learning experience that is built through key collaborative relationships in education (such as IFM in Paris) and industry. Through a supported and structured programme that includes entrepreneurial practice, new business models and planning and management of creative enterprise, participants are encouraged to develop new thinking and innovative concepts. Former alumni have launched their own fashion businesses or taken on entrepreneurial roles in fields such as buying, corporate sustainable responsibility and international brand building for perse fashion companies that span luxury to high street.

Course structure

12 months -  3 terms -  level 7 -  180 credits 

Term one

Fashion Branding (20 credits)

Entrepreneurship and Innovation (20 credits)

Research Methods (20 credits)

Term two

Managing Creative Enterprise (20 credits)

Business Development and Planning (20 credits)

Collaborative Unit (20 credits) - find out more

Term three

Masters Project (60 credits)

Travelling across London

The renowned London College of Fashion library is at our John Prince’s Street site, and you will need to travel to this site, and possibly others, during your course to use the library, which is open seven days a week in term time, and for tuition and special events.

Course structure

The information outlined is an indicative structure of the course. Whilst we will aim to deliver the course as described on this page, there may be situations where it is desirable or necessary for the University to make changes in course provision, for example because of regulatory requirements or operational efficiencies, before or after enrolment. If this occurs, we will communicate all major changes to all applicants and students who have either applied or enrolled on the course.

Please note that due to staff research agreements or availability, not all of the optional modules listed may be available every year.

In addition, the provision of course options which depend upon the availability of specialist teaching, or on a placement at another institution, cannot be guaranteed. Please check this element of the course with the course team before making a decision to apply.

Webpage updates

We will update this webpage from time to time with new information as it becomes available. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please contact a member of the course team.

Course units

The international fashion consumer increasingly seeks the tangible and intangible benefits of a wide variety of local and international fashion brands. Fashion brands and their associated marketing communications have now reached revered status throughout the global economy. The design, development, marketing and retailing (DDMR) of fashion brands have now become an increasingly important and integrated part of many fashion businesses. In Fashion Branding you will investigate and examine all aspects of international fashion brand marketing and look at its significant modern growth from both a European and global perspective. This will enable you to acquire a sound theoretical and practical understanding of strategic fashion brand development and management.

In a highly competitive global fashion marketplace, entrepreneurs generate new business models and seek disruptive ways to offer value through products and services in the fashion industry. Small and medium sized enterprises are the catalysts for economic growth and employment and require managers who are skilled at understanding market and business trends, handling uncertainty, measuring progress and building sustainable businesses through continuous innovation.The Entrepreneurship and Innovation unit explores theories of business modelling, innovation and opportunity analysis and examines their application to fashion start-ups, SMEs and established companies. The skills of critical thinking, analytical evaluation and real-time decision-making will be explored and applied where possible through live projects with fashion companies to enhance the development of your entrepreneurial mindset through experiential learning.

The purpose of this unit is to introduce you to the range of research methods, approaches and tools that are available to you in order to conduct your post graduate project. The Research Methods unit will cover philosophy and ethics in research, primary and secondary research methods, including quantitative, qualitative and visual research methods, and how to analyse, evaluate and disseminate research findings. The unit will consider research in a range of contexts relevant to the cultural and creative industries and enable you to understand the relationship between theory and practice.

The management of a fashion enterprise requires knowledge of business and project management, competencies in digital communication and online platforms as well as leadership and collaborative team working skills. The ability to define, create and run a successful enterprise in fashion is linked to the effective management of creativity and continuous innovation and the development of a proactive organisational environment. The Managing Creative Enterprise unit investigates the capabilities, conditions and resources that sustain entrepreneurial strategies and harvests creative and innovative solutions in fashion companies. You will begin to build knowledge and understanding of the diverse creative and sustainable enterprise business models, and identify the organisational and funding models for enterprise creation that are particular to the sector.

The Business Development and Planning unit encourages you to explore the commercial parameters, techniques and tools of business development and entrepreneurial strategic planning in theory and in practice. You will be able to acquire a focused understanding of an innovation within a particular fashion industry context and explore the concept of feasibility including forecasting, financial planning and resource management as tactics that support the implementation of an entrepreneurial strategy in fashion. You will begin to build a sound theoretical and practical understanding of benchmarking for business development and the techniques of planning for the survival and growth of new and existing businesses.

This Collaborative Unit is designed to enable you to innovate, engage in developmental processes and participate in collaborative working practices. You will be encouraged to develop the professional negotiating and networking skills that you will need in order to be successful in the cultural and creative industries.

The nature of this collaboration may be within your own course, with students on other courses or with industry. The project that you undertake will depend upon your discipline and the specific requirements of your course. Further details will be available in your unit handbook.

The Masters Project is an important piece of work central to achieving the course aims, which will provide an opportunity for you to demonstrate your knowledge and skills in relation to the course learning outcomes. Throughout the Masters Project, you are guided and supported by tutorials and peer and staff evaluation at interim stages. You will be allocated a supervisor for your project and will complete a learning contract outlining how you intend to develop and deliver your project. The Masters Project may take a variety of forms by negotiation and is assessed by presentation in an agreed format.

Showing your work

All students are advised to set up a profile on portfolio.arts.ac.uk, UAL’s new portfolio platform, which can be done at any point during your time at LCF and will last for up to 12 months after graduation. This platform is often used to source student work for promotional use on the website, social media and for print and can be a great way of getting your work seen. You may also be asked to have a portfolio profile for the selection process when it comes to degree shows.

Fees and funding

Home / EU fee

£9,500

This applies for the 2018/19 academic year.

UAL Home/EU alumni receive a £1,000 discount.

Course fees may be paid in instalments.

ELQ

Home/EU students whose chosen course is at a level equivalent to, or lower than, a qualification that they already hold, will be charged the fees shown above, plus an additional £1,100 (called the 'ELQ' fee). Students in receipt of Disabled Students' Allowances (DSAs) are exempt from ELQ fees and will pay the original fee, regardless of the highest qualification held. For enquiries relating to ELQ fees, please complete the course enquiry form.

International fee

£19,350

This applies for the 2018/19 academic year.

UAL International alumni receive a £1,000 discount.

Course fees may be paid in instalments.

Additional costs

In addition to tuition fees you are very likely to incur additional costs such as travel expenses and the cost of materials. Please read the information on our additional costs page.

Accommodation

Find out about the accommodation options available and how much they will cost.

Scholarships and awards

There are a number of scholarships and awards available to students on this course. Use our search tool to find out more information.