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Postgraduate

MA Fashion Futures

Female working in makeshift lab. Dark blue and neon lighting.
MA Fashion Futures Student, Aniela Fidler Wieruszewska, 2019
College
London College of Fashion
Start date
September 2024
Course length
15 months

MA Fashion Futures places sustainability at the heart of fashion practice to help shape the next generation of sustainable brands and fashion pioneers.

Applying for more than 1 course

You can apply for more than 1 postgraduate course at UAL but we recommend that you apply for no more than 3. Find out more in the Apply Now section.

Why choose this course at London College of Fashion

  • Forward-thinking: critique the status quo of the fashion system through exploration and experimentation with fashion thinking, design futuring and speculative design.
  • Sustainable links: benefit from strong relationships with the Centre for Sustainable Fashion at LCF providing unique access to resources, events and research facilities.
  • Facilities: links to technical facilities and staff expertise which support sustainable values.
  • Career opportunities: pursue career options at various levels of the industry in design and strategy positions for brands and organisations in the fashion industry and beyond.

Course overview

MA Fashion Futures places sustainability at the heart of fashion practice to help shape the next generation of fashion practitioners who prioritise environmental, social, economic and cultural criteria. Students are encouraged to critique the nature and purpose of design in a rapidly changing world, imagining and envisioning alternative ways in which fashion will be created and experienced in the future, whilst grounding their research in an understanding of the immense challenges that face the industry and wider society today.

In this ground-breaking course, you are encouraged to explore and develop experimental fashion practice and theoretical perspectives in parallel in order to conceptualise a transformed fashion system, one that values nature first and creates economic prosperity in service to this goal. Using your own knowledge, practice and experience as a starting point, you will identify new territories for fashion and work in new spaces with novel technologies, to communicate ideas in relation to design for sustainability to varied audiences. 

Through a combination of taught content and independent study, you will examine a diverse range of methodologies and forms of communication, including film, digital platforms, garment and artefact prototyping, publishing, events and performance. Key to MA Fashion Futures is critical fashion practice and reflexive thinking to test, reframe and make responses to existing paradigms. This will enable you to develop a very personal response to, and a critique of, the current paradigm and the role and activities of fashion in a changing world.

Through a systems thinking approach, the course has been developed to connect fashion’s social, cultural, environmental and economic aspects, examining perspectives from local to global scales and embracing fashion practice from both traditional and technological spheres. MA Fashion Futures offers a space to experiment with new ideas and physical/digital prototyping to challenge existing narratives as well as being a place to put principles into action in a manner that aligns with each student’s individual strengths, interests and future aspirations. 
Students are encouraged to read widely, attend internal and external lectures, events and symposia, engage with UAL research hubs and researchers, and collaborate both across other postgraduate courses and across the wider University of the Arts community. 

Aligned to the Centre for Sustainable Fashion, the course involves research and knowledge exchange led teaching, with contribution from a range of the Centre’s members. Further specialist technical teaching and support is provided by the Digital Learning Lab.

Climate, Social and Racial Justice

The course is committed to embedding UAL’s Principles for Climate, Social and Racial Justice. 

Course units

Course structure

15 months, level 7, 180 credits
September to February:
New Fashion Perspectives (40 credits)
Collaborative Challenge (20 credits)

February to June
Re-Imagining Fashion (40 units)
Research Methods (20 credits)

June to November
Masters Project (60 credits)

Types of learning and teaching methods include lectures, seminars, masterclasses, workshops, small group presentations and tutorials. Learning hours per week vary, but typically students can expect up to 10 hours contact time per week. Students will also have regular opportunities for individual tutorials with the course leader throughout the course, including three 30-minute tutorials in block one, and six 30-minute tutorials in block two. Students will be allocated a supervisor for their Masters Project including 6 hours of support.

Learning and teaching methods

​The following blended teaching and learning methods are employed to support the integrated achievement of the course outcomes. There will be a combination of physical and virtual online delivery:

  • Lectures
  • Seminars 
  • Peer review and critique
  • Studio-based practical workshops
  • Individual and group tutorials
  • Group work
  • Group presentations
  • Formative feedback
  • Summative feedback

UAL Showcase

Explore work by our recent students on the UAL Showcase

MA Fashion Futures at the Design Museum

Student and graduate work

  • Abhinov-Asokan.jpg
    MA Fashion Futures student work by Abhinov Asokan.
  • Anustha-Kishor.jpg
    MA Fashion Futures student work by Anustha Kishor.
  • Deborah-de-Mello.jpg
    MA Fashion Futures student work by Deborah de Mello. 'Untold stories about unseen bodies.'
  • Diane-Wallinger-2.jpg
    MA Fashion Futures student work by Diane Wallinger.
  • Silvia-Martinez-Cerezo.jpg
    MA Fashion Futures student work by Silvia Martinez Cerezo.
  • Danica-Dsouza-1.jpg
    MA Fashion Futures student work by Danica Dsouza.

Latest news from this course

Staff

Julia Crew, Course leader

Julia Crew has been working as a designer, entrepreneur, educator, and researcher in the area of fashion and sustainability for more than a decade. Since 2018 Julia has worked across the School of Design and Technology at LCF to develop and support sustainability content and delivery, working towards the college’s goals of a transformed fashion education system.

With a background in design practice, Julia has worked on sustainable design and research projects with Centre for Sustainable Fashion, Oxfam, Channel 4 and the United Nations group Responsible Ecosystems Sourcing Platform. In 2010 she co-founded the fair trade accessories and knitwear brand Here Today Here Tomorrow, working with producer groups in Nepal and supplying fashion boutiques throughout the UK and Europe.

Her research interests focus on the role of education to enable creative and critical thinking, to drive change in industry and society. She has contributed towards the Erasmus+ project FashionSEEDS, which has the intention to develop a holistic framework to embed sustainability into higher education fashion design. Julia is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Alex Pollman, Subject leader in Wearable Technology

Alexa Pollmann runs the Peut-Porter Design Collective – leading on projects, which speculate and present the public with possible fashion futures and apply practice based research using performance, fashion, technology and interaction to create participatory and inclusive experiences. Currently, she is directing DAZZLE, an experience combining fashion, dance and mixed reality technologies ranging from motion-capture and VR to open-source zero-waste garment production and generative print creation. The work of Peut-Porter has been shown internationally and was exhibited in the Design Museum London, Sadler’s Wells Theatre, the Museum of London and the BFI amongst others.

Alexa Pollmann previously worked with Burberry (Creative Media Department), Royal College of Art, and Barbara I Gongini (Copenhagen).

Katelyn Toth-Fejel, Lecturer in Fashion and Sustainability

Katelyn is a researcher, artist, designer and lecturer working across the School of Design and Technology to design and deliver curriculum at the intersection of fashion, design and sustainability. Her PhD research project, Fashion-in-Residence, brings together methods of ethnography, co-design and participatory art to map how sustainable fashion behaviours and cultures are linked to place.

She was previously co-director of the knitwear and accessories brand, Here Today Here Tomorrow and worked with Kate Fletcher on the international research project, Local Wisdom, which explored the ‘craft of use’.

Recent academic papers include ‘Clothing landscapes: interdisciplinary mapmaking methods to understand fashion behaviours and place’ and ‘ Here Today Here Tomorrow: experimental socially engaged business ’, co-authored with Julia Crew and Anna-Maria Hesse.

Dr Francesco Mazzarella, Senior Lecturer in Fashion and Design for Social Change

Francesco teaches on a number of courses across London College of Fashion. He works at Centre for Sustainable Fashion, exploring ways in which design activism can be used to create counter-narratives towards sustainability in fashion. Francesco's research spans the fields of design activism, fashion and textile artisanship, design for sustainability, social innovation, and place-making.

Francesco is currently the lead researcher on the ‘ReGo’ project, on the 'Fashion Values' KE project, and a Co-Investigator on the AHRC-funded project 'Digital, Regeneration and Experience Economy modelling'.

Fees and funding

Home fee

£13,330

This fee is correct for 2024/25 entry and is subject to change for 2025/26 entry.

Tuition fees may increase in future years for new and continuing students on courses lasting more than one year. For this course, you can pay tuition fees in instalments.

Students from countries outside of the UK will generally be charged international fees. The rules are complex so read more about tuition fees and determining your fee status.

International fee

£28,570

This fee is correct for 2024/25 entry and is subject to change for 2025/26 entry.

Tuition fees may increase in future years for new and continuing students on courses lasting more than one year. For this course, you can pay tuition fees in instalments.

Students from countries outside of the UK will generally be charged international fees. The rules are complex so read more about tuition fees and determining your fee status.

Scholarship search

Entry requirements

Entry to this course is highly competitive: applicants are expected to achieve, or already have, the course entry requirements detailed below.

  • An Honours degree at 2.1 or above in a related discipline. Applicants with a degree in another subject may be considered, depending on the strength of the application;

OR

  • Equivalent qualifications;

OR

  • Relevant and quantitative industrial experience for a minimum of three years.

English language requirements

All classes are conducted in English. The level required by the University for this course is IELTS 7.0 with a minimum of 6.0 in each skill.

Admissions Procedures

The course seeks to recruit students from diverse socio-economic and cultural backgrounds and welcomes applications from mature students. The selection procedures for the course fully comply with the Equal Opportunities Policy of UAL. 

Selection criteria

The course seeks to recruit students from diverse socio-economic and cultural backgrounds and welcomes applications from mature students.

The course seeks to recruit students who can demonstrate:

  • Interest in the environmental, social, cultural and political context of fashion;
  • Strong commitment and motivation towards a career in an aspect of the fashion industry;
  • Awareness and relevant experience of fashion;
  • Appropriate knowledge and skills commensurate with planned entry into the course.

Apply now

Application deadline

Deadline

Round 1:

13 December 2023 at 1pm (UK time)

Round 2:

3 April 2024 at 1pm (UK time)

Digital portfolio and video task deadline

Round 1:

16 January 2024

Round 2:

16 April 2024

Decision outcome

Round 1:

End of March 2024

Round 2:

End of June 2024

Round 1
Round 2
Deadline
13 December 2023 at 1pm (UK time)
3 April 2024 at 1pm (UK time)
Digital portfolio and video task deadline
16 January 2024
16 April 2024
Decision outcome
End of March 2024
End of June 2024

All applications received by 3 April will be treated equally. If there are places available after this date, the course will remain open to applications until places have been filled.

Read more about deadlines

Apply now

Application deadline

Deadline

Round 1:

13 December 2023 at 1pm (UK time)

Round 2:

3 April 2024 at 1pm (UK time)

Digital portfolio and video task deadline

Round 1:

16 January 2024

Round 2:

16 April 2024

Decision outcome

Round 1:

End of March 2024

Round 2:

End of June 2024

Round 1
Round 2
Deadline
13 December 2023 at 1pm (UK time)
3 April 2024 at 1pm (UK time)
Digital portfolio and video task deadline
16 January 2024
16 April 2024
Decision outcome
End of March 2024
End of June 2024

All applications received by 3 April will be treated equally. If there are places available after this date, the course will remain open to applications until places have been filled.

Read more about deadlines

Apply to UAL

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How to apply

Follow this step-by-step guide to apply for this course

Step 1: Initial application

You will need to submit an initial application including your personal statement, CV, written task and study proposal.

Personal statement advice

Your personal statement should be maximum 500 words and include:

  • your reasons for choosing the course
  • your current creative practice and how this course will help you achieve your future plans
  • any relevant education and experience, especially if you do not have any formal academic qualifications.

Visit our personal statement page for more advice.

CV advice

Please provide a CV detailing your education, qualifications and any relevant work or voluntary experience. If you have any web projects or other media that you would like to share, please include links in your CV. If English is not your first language, please also include your most recent English language test score.

Written task advice

In 1000-1500 words, please respond to the following discussion:

“Envisage a world where you would like to live. What place does fashion have in this world and what does it look like?”

Use this essay to demonstrate your analytical skills as well as your skills in creative and critical thinking. Make sure to reference any key academic texts, designer’s work or other examples of creative practitioners which have influenced your thinking. If you’re including a bibliography, this will not be included in the word count.

Study proposal advice

Please provide a summary of your study proposal (500 words).

It should:

  • outline the subject matter that you would like to focus on for your project proposal. This must focus on the perspective of either the designer, buyer, maker, communicator or wearer.
  • demonstrate your contextual knowledge of the cultural, ecological and social significance of your proposal
  • set out the project aims and methods
  • demonstrate your practical and creative skills
  • highlight any critical ideas or theories that may underpin your research
  • include any relevant texts or images to support your proposal
  • include a bibliography7 if necessary. This is not included in the word count.

Please note, your proposal serves to inform your application and we understand that your ideas will inevitably develop and change throughout your studies.

Step 2: Video task and Digital portfolio

We will review your initial application. If you have met the standard entry requirements, we will ask you to submit a video task and a digital portfolio.

You’ll need to submit these via PebblePad, our online portfolio tool. Please submit your video task on the first page followed by your portfolio.

Video task advice

We’d like you to submit a 2-3 minute video to help us learn more about you. When recording your task, please face the camera and speak in English.

What to include in your video task

  • Choose 1 project from your portfolio and explain how it challenged you and your understanding of fashion design and sustainability
  • Tell us how this experience inspired you to apply to MA Fashion Futures at London College of Fashion.
  • We encourage you to speak informally rather than read from a script.

Read our guidance for how to submit your video task and which file types we accept.

Digital portfolio advice

Your portfolio should consist of recent work that reflects your creative strengths.

It should:

  • be maximum 30 pages, including your video task
  • include an edit selection of your work and research to demonstrate your creative practice
  • feature projects that push the boundaries of contemporary fashion and address social and environmental issues
  • demonstrate your clear progression and development of ideas throughout each project
  • include descriptions of the physical construction or technical development of each piece.
  • include reflections for each project, explaining what went right and what went wrong and how you resolved it. We also want to understand how you think your work can contribute to the wider world.

For more support, see our Portfolio advice and PebblePad advice.

Step 3: Interview

You may be invited to an interview following our review of your application. All interviews are held online and last 15 to 20 minutes.

For top tips, see our Interview advice.

You also need to know

Communicating with you

Once you have submitted your initial application, we will email you with your login details for our Applicant portal.

Requests for supplementary documents like qualifications and English language tests will be made through the applicant portal. You can also use it to ask questions regarding your application. Visit our After you apply page for more information.

Applying to more than 1 course

You can apply for more than 1 postgraduate course at UAL but we recommend that you apply for no more than 3 courses. You need to tailor your application, supporting documents and portfolio to each course, so applying for many different courses could risk the overall quality of your application. If you receive offers for multiple courses, you'll only be able to accept 1 offer. UAL doesn't accept repeat applications to the same course in the same academic year.

Visas and immigration history check

All non-UK nationals must complete an immigration history check. Your application may be considered by our course teams before this check takes place. This means that we may request your portfolio and/or video task before we identify any issues arising from your immigration history check. Sometimes your history may mean that we are not able to continue considering your application. Visit our Immigration and visas advice page for more information.

External student transfer policy

UAL accepts transfers from other institutions on a case-by-case basis. Read our Student transfer policy for more information.

Alternative offers

If your application is really strong, but we believe your strengths and skillset are better suited to a different course, we may make you an alternative offer. This means you will be offered a place on a different course or at a different UAL College.

Deferring your place

We do not accept any deferral requests for our postgraduate courses. This means that you must apply in the year that you plan to start your course and you will not be able to defer your place to start at a later date.

Application deadlines

For postgraduate courses at UAL there are 2 equal consideration deadlines to ensure fairness for all our applicants. If you apply ahead of either of these deadlines, your application will be considered on an equal basis with all other applications in that round. If there are places available after the second deadline, the course will remain open to applications until places have been filled.

Careers

All our postgraduate courses offer career development, so that you become a creative thinker, making effective contributions to your relevant sector of the fashion industry.

LCF offers students the opportunity to develop Personal and Professional Development (PPD) skills while studying through:

* Access to to speaker programmes and events featuring alumni and industry.

* Access to careers activities, such as CV clinics and one-to-one advice sessions.

* Access to a graduate careers service

* Access to a live jobsboard for all years.

* Advice on setting up your own brand or company.

Career paths

MA Fashion Futures graduates apply their skills in a multitude of ways and pursue diverse career paths. These might include the following:

  • Attaining a position within a brand, for example as a designer, and building sustainability from within the role, something that employers are increasingly looking for;
  • Attaining a specific sustainability related role within a company or brand, for example an MA Fashion Futures graduate was the Sustainability Manager at Alexander McQueen;
  • Setting up their own brand and fashion enterprise, recent examples include Trashion Factory and Post-Carbon Lab;
  • Embarking upon further research such as PhD, or a career in education.

Graduates from the course have achieved recognition through competitions and awards including the Kering Awards, Redress Design Awards, Proctor and Gamble Award, the Deutsche Bank Award, the Earth Awards and the Observer Ethical Awards.