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Postgraduate

MA Global Fashion Retailing

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MA Fashion Global Retail Management © University of Arts London
College
London College of Fashion
Start date
September 2024
Course length
12 months

This dynamic global fashion retailing course is for students aspiring to enter a  career  in omnichannel fashion retailing, to shape current and future international fashion retailing strategy and operations.

Re-approval

Please note that this course is undergoing re-approval. This is the process by which we ensure the course continues to provide a high quality academic experience. During re-approval there may be some changes to the course content displayed on this page. Please contact us if you have any questions about the course.

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

  • Specialist course: this is one of the very few specialist Fashion Retail Management Masters courses available.
  • Balanced curriculum: this course bridges the gap between management and creativity, and balances academic theory with practice.
  • Industry links: the industry integration drives relevancy and dynamism.
  • Employability opportunities: the course has strong employability opportunities on graduation, and an industry reputation for relevance.

Course overview

MA Global Fashion Retailing is a dynamic and academically rigorous course, equipping you with the knowledge, skills and capabilities demanded by fashion retailers operating in an increasingly competitive, complex and unpredictable global environment. 

You will apply curiosity, inquiry, creativity and criticality through the synthesis of theoretical and practical approaches to learning. You will demonstrate the ability, knowledge and competencies to be effective and responsible leaders in the rapidly changing global fashion retail industry. Throughout the course you will develop skills in teamwork, communication, problem-solving and decision-making through independent judgment and critical self-awareness, working effectively both individually and collaboratively as a team.

With rigorous research underpinning the curriculum, you will explore and examine retail strategy and operations, internationalisation, brand management, consumer insights, responsible retailing, retail analytics, omnichannel retailing and creative retail futures, with a focus on sustainability, innovation and disruption within the retail business. 

The course structure provides you with the opportunity to personalise your learning. The specialisms are tailored to your interests and career aspirations.  The course is industry anchored, with guest speakers, and live projects embedded into the teaching and learning, ensuring course saliency whilst enhancing your employability. 

Climate, Social and Racial Justice

We are committed to developing ethical Fashion Business practices. To achieve this, we are working to embed UAL’s Principles for Climate, Social and Racial Justice into the course.

Course units

  1. Collaborative Challenge (20 credits)
  2. Retail Strategy and Operations (20 credits)
  3. Brand Management and Consumer Insights (20 credits)
  4. Research Proposal (20 credits)
  5. Creative Retail Futures (20 credits)
  6. Advanced Retail Business (20 credits)
  7. Masters Project (60 credits)

Learning and teaching methods

The use of a range of case studies, simulations, role play, industry projects, debates, discussions, presentations, peer learning and reflexive practice are used throughout the course to encourage criticality and self-directedness. 

The range of blended learning methods include:

  • Action learning – students learn from each other and interactions with academics and experts, and engage in shared learning through reflection and effective questioning
  • Online forum discussions and other forms of digital communication tools through Moodle
  • Project-based learning – through industry projects, simulations, role play, scenarios and case studies
  • Alumni and industry engagement to provide relevant industry insights
  • Collaborative group projects and team activities using blogs and cloud technologies to capture the team working activities
  • Peer critiques to enhance resilience, confidence, interpersonal skills and team learning
  • Activities like Hackathons and Symposiums, to scaffold students’ Master level academic study skills, learning and networks

These learning methods are delivered through a combination of teaching approaches: both face-to-face and online, lectures, seminars, workshops, group and individual tutorials. In addition to the course team, the teaching and learning aligns with LCF’s research centres, leveraging their expertise in aspects of curriculum delivery.

Course trips

Course projects gallery

Bethan Alexander | Course leader | MA Global Fashion Retailing

Postgraduate Mentoring Network

Student Ben Butling | MA Global Fashion Retailing

Student Hannah Chiwenda | MA Global Fashion Retailing

Student Ishita Jain | MA Global Fashion Retailing

Student Uma De | MA Fashion Global Retailing

Latest news from this course

Staff

Shushan Karapetyan is the Course Leader for MA Global Fashion Retailing, and lectures on the MA Global Fashion Retailing, LCF MBA as well as MA Fashion Marketing and Sustainability courses.
Prior to joining LCF, Shushan was a Marketing Lecturer and Course Coordinator at the John Molson School of Business, Concordia University, Montreal, Canada, where she taught Marketing Management, Retailing, International Business and Business Communications.Prior to embarking on an academic career, Shushan held leadership roles in a wide range of retail organisations from innovative start-ups to heritage brands and multinational conglomerates. Shushan has created collections for iconic Canadian brands such as Birks Jewellers and Buffalo David Bitton (part of Li & Fung group) and developed licensed products for international household name brands such as Prada, New Balance, Victoria’s Secret and Skechers.Shushan has also worked in the mass market sector developing and managing products for Costco worldwide, Walmart and even Dollarama. Her management experience spans from mass market Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) to luxury made-to-measure (MTM) and bespoke tailoring – from Walmart to Costco to Prada to Savile Row.Throughout her career, Shushan has managed offshore production and partners in more than 20 countries across 6 continents.Her specialties are Product Development, Merchandising, Supply Chain Management, Branding and Luxury Marketing.


Ruth Jacob is an academic with over 15 years of experience within the education sector.  She has taught at institutions including, London South Bank University, the University of Law, the University of East London and the Fashion Retail Academy as well as within FE and earlier stages of education.
Along with her work in education, Ruth is also a practitioner in fashion, having founded her menswear line BIGGER BOY in 2013.  Her industry experience also includes working with UAL fashion design alumni, fashion editorials, PR, media, communications, and marketing organisations, such as: Karla Otto, and with brands including Celine, Givenchy, Craig Green, David Koma, & Other Stories, Arket; LOVE Magazine; Sky News; ITV; City AM and the Geneva-based UN Conference for Trade & Development.
She is establishing herself in the area of research and editorial work and is actively involved in publishing scholarly articles based on her interests in subjects ranging from: fashion, culture, globalisation, EDI, music and the creative industries though to marketing, business enterprise, economics, developing and emerging markets and technology.  She has also appeared as a research panellist for institutes in London and Rwanda.

Ruth holds qualifications in BA (Hons) in Journalism with Economics, MA Broadcast Journalism, MA Fashion, PGCE in Post Compulsory Education and is a Senior Fellow of the HEA.

Dr Bethan Alexander is a senior lecturer in Retail, Marketing and Management at London College of Fashion, University of the Arts, London, UK. Her first career was in the global fashion, sports and lifestyle industry, working at leading brands including Converse EMEA, Elle Europe and Kangol International in senior management roles spanning product, brand and marketing. In her second career of academia, Bethan has held senior lecturing roles at London College of Fashion, University of East London, and Visiting Lecturer at universities across Europe, the USA and Asia. She pioneers research informed teaching and leverages her extensive industry network in championing multiple knowledge exchange partnerships. Bethan is a published author and active researcher. Her scholarly research interests span Multi-Sensory Fashion Retailing, Customer Experiences Online and Offline, Innovative Retail Formats, Retail technologies and Future Retailing. She is co-chair of The Academy of Marketing’s Fashion Marketing Consumption Special Interest Group, Regional Editor for Bloomsbury Fashion Business Cases, Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts Read Bethan Alexander's full profile here.

Lily James is a Lecturer in Fashion Retail Marketing and Management at both the undergraduate and postgraduate level at London College of Fashion. She is also a PhD candidate at London College of Fashion, where her research concerns sustainable business models within the fashion industry. She holds a MA in Management (The University of Melbourne), a BSc in Psychology (The University of Melbourne) and AS in Fashion and Textiles Merchandising (RMIT University).

Lily has international teaching experience and research expertise in fashion branding and communications, digital marketing and sustainable fashion strategies, having held positions at The University of Glasgow, RMIT University Australia and The University of Melbourne, Australia.

Dr Shuyu Lin’s expertise lies in value creation and appropriation in the fashion ecosystem. Her research aims to extend the application of network-based strategic management and social capital theories to the discipline of aesthetic innovation. Exploring both structural and relational mechanism in open innovation has been at the centre of her research interest. Following a BA in Journalism, Shuyu pursued her career in the fashion industry as a PR consultant and fashion editor. She then received the degree of MSc in Management with Marketing and PhD in Management from the University of Bath. Shuyu delivers across a number of courses in the Fashion Business School, including MA Global Fashion Retailing. Specialisms include business strategy, retail internationalisation and Masters project.

Rosemary Varley is a Visiting Lecturer, teaching on several units on MA Global Fashion Retailing, specifically Retail Strategies and Operations, Brand Management and Consumer Insights, Advanced Retail Business and the Masters Project. Rosemary has 20 years' experience in Higher Education and has taught broadly in the areas of retailing and fashion management, including marketing strategy and supply chain management. She is also interested in sustainable fashion. Read Rosemary Varley's full profile here.

Julie O’Sullivan is course leader for LCF MBA and has extensive cross-sector industry senior management experience, including the luxury sector as the merchandise manager for Gucci in the UK. She was a partner in an award-winning commercial photography business. She has an MBA. Her career in higher education began as the business development manager for the Creative Industries at Brighton University. She developed knowledge exchange opportunities with SME’s and business entrepreneurs across fashion, e-marketing, photography and digital television. She has over 14 years of higher education course leader and teaching experience, developing and delivering fashion business curriculum. She delivers across a number of courses in the Fashion Business School, including MA Global Fashion Retailing. Specialisms include Buying and Merchandising, Sourcing and Supply Chain Management, Business Strategy and Strategic Market Development. Julie is a senior fellow of the Higher Education Academy and was nominated in 2016 by students for a Teaching Award – Highly Recommended. View Julie O'Sullivan's full profile here.

Dr Francesca Bonetti is a Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in Marketing at the London College of Fashion, University of the Arts London, London, UK, and a Visiting Lecturer at universities across Europe, the USA and Asia. She is currently a Visiting Scholar at USC Marshall School of Business, conducting a research project on technological innovation in the fashion and creative industries across the USA West Coasts (Los Angeles area), UK (London area) and Europe. 
Her research interests focus on business technological innovation across cultures in the fashion and creative industries, and the digital transformation of retailing. Her PhD (University of Manchester, UK, 2020) explored the adoption of consumer-facing technologies in fashion retail settings from a managerial perspective. Her interests also include luxury fashion retailing in China and the consumption of fashion goods by Asian consumers. Her work is published in academic journals such as the Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services and the International Journal of Technology Marketing, among others, and in a number of books. She has international industry experience in marketing communications and retail and business development in the fashion and apparel sector. She currently consult for fashion brands, retailers and startup companies on distribution strategies, communications strategies and the use of consumer-facing technology.

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

The standard entry requirements for this course are as follows: 

  • An Honours degree at 2.1 or above in a related discipline 
  • OR Equivalent qualifications; 

APEL (Accreditation of Prior (Experiential) Learning) 

Applicants who do not meet these course entry requirements may still be considered in exceptional cases. The course team will consider each application that demonstrates additional strengths and alternative evidence. This might, for example, be demonstrated by: 

  • Related academic or work experience (minimum of three years) 
  • The quality of the personal statement 
  • A strong academic or other professional reference 
  • OR a combination of these factors 

Each application will be considered on its own merit but we cannot guarantee an offer in every case. 

English Language Requirements 

IELTS level 7.0 with a minimum of 6.0 in reading, writing, listening and speaking. Please check our main English Language Requirements.

Selection criteria

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

The course team seeks to recruit students who can demonstrate: 

  • the potential to develop their practical and critical abilities through academic study; 
  • critical knowledge of a subject area; 
  • a capacity for intellectual enquiry and reflective thought; 
  • an openness to new ideas and a willingness to participate actively in their own intellectual development; 
  • initiative with a developed and mature attitude to independent study. 

Apply now

Application deadline

Deadline

Round 1:

13 December 2023 at 1pm (UK time)

Round 2:

3 April 2024 at 1pm (UK time)

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)
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)

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)
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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Based across the world, our local UAL representatives can support you with your application from your home country. Check to see if there is a representative available in your country currently.

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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 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.

Study proposal advice

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

It should:

  • state the background for your proposal, including a working title
  • determine the precise area of study
  • set out the aims and objects for your proposal within the course structure
  • refer to critical discourses that may underpin your practice and how your work may contribute to these
  • outline your intended methodology including how you intend to conduct your project and who you intend to address
  • include any research sources as well as details or any libraries, exhibitions museums etc. that you have visited as part of your research
  • include a bibliography using Harvard referencing and an appendix for any additional material if necessary. This will not be included in the word count.

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

Step 2: Video task

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

You’ll need to submit this via PebblePad, our online portfolio tool.

Video task advice

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

What to include in your video task

  • Introduce your study proposal project and explain why you have chosen to focus on this subject area.

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

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

On successful completion of the MA Fashion Retail Management, graduates actively contribute to the development of retail management, whether that be in international development, brand management, buying and merchandising, store operations, research or creative direction. They will be equipped with the critical, professional and creative skills required to flourish in a range of different sectors within the retail industry from start-up businesses to multinational fashion retailers and luxury brands.

Possible graduate jobs include:

  • Buying and merchandising
  • Retail analyst
  • Retail strategy and insight
  • Business development
  • CRM analyst

Graduate destinations include Yoox Net A Porter, Stylus, ASOS, Burberry, Ralph Lauren, Tom Ford, Debenhams, Marks & Spencer, Harrods, Monsoon, TM Lewin, H&M, Fendi, Coach, Louis Vuitton, LVMH, Mood Media, L’Oreal Luxe, Kering Group, Christian Dior, Fenwick, Michael Kors, Zara, Inditex, Karen Millen, John Lewis & Partners, Accessorize, May Concepts, COS, Zalando, Ebeltoft Group Retail Consultancy, King Power, Stone Gaming Platform, Trendy International Group, Hudson Holdings, Hudson’s Bay Company, Harvey Nichols, Bloomingdales, Ounass, Design Republic, JW Anderson, Longchamp, Calvin Klein, 5xThinking digital consultancy, The Fashion B.A.R.N., Cartier, Fred Perry, Gaysorn Group, Toppy, Diesel, Liverpool, Jack Wills, Brush Agency, Kanjana, Selfridges, Nakama Global, G2000, Salvatore Ferragamo, C&A, The MySale Group, Stylus, American Eagle Outfitters, Comprador, Pivot Marketing Group, Global Fashion Group, More & More, American Eagle, plus entrepreneurs of own retail business start-up.

The MA also provides an excellent preparation for higher level research degrees (MPhil or PhD) in fashion related subjects, in theory or practice.