Year one

The Introduction to Psychology of Fashion unit aims to introduce you to your course and its subject specialism, as well as to effective learning and studentship at undergraduate level. It will orientate you to the practices and knowledge base needed to understand your discipline and help you to develop your skills for independent & collaborative learning, reflection and your own self development.  Students come from many diverse educational backgrounds and a part of this unit will enable to reflect on your own background and how that shapes the way you approach your course.

The Applications of Psychology in Fashion unit will consider how the application of psychology can make a positive difference in the fashion industries in general and in fashion business in particular. You will study theories and concepts from the core areas of psychology including individual differences, biological, cognitive, emotional, social, lifespan psychology, and discuss their application to develop solutions to real life issues in fashion.

Philosophy and Ethics in Research unit acknowledges the study and application of ethics is a fundamental component of any psychology programme. You will learn the fundamental elements of conducting research with human participants from philosophical and ethical perspectives. In doing so, you will understand how to adopt an ethical approach to conducting research in fashion business, and why a particular method of data analysis is preferable to another as a tool to interpret your results.

The Better Lives unit will provide you with a solid understanding of LCF’s core values and how they connect to your practice. As part of this unit you will explore diversity, social responsibility and sustainability. Themes which you will then apply to a selected project. At this stage, the emphasis is on how you apply your thinking across these important themes to your practice. Your thinking is more important than a finished piece of work at this point. Fashion can change lives. Through teaching, specialist research, and collaborative work, this unit will get you thinking differently. We want you to use fashion to examine the past, build a sustainable future and improve the way we live. That’s why we call this unit Better Lives.

The Collaborative Project unit introduces you to the research skills needed to understand human behaviour within the context of fashion and business. This unit will give you the opportunity to work collaboratively to identify an area of fashion business that interests you, and to investigate the links between your chosen topic and psychology.  This will allow you to consolidate the knowledge and skills that you have already acquired, give you the opportunity to conduct research, and develop working relationships that are essential for employability.

Year two

Cognition in Design and Innovation unit looks at cognitive psychology, which is concerned with how we make sense of the world from sensation, through perception, emotion, creativity, memory, thinking and reasoning, and communication. In this unit you will learn about the influence of cognitive processes on design and innovation using the concept of design thinking, which applies empathy and creativity to generate potential solutions to a given problem. You will gain understanding of how the processes and methods used in design to solve problems can lead to enhanced design practice and improved communication with designers.

The Fashion and Wellbeing unit is concerned with the concepts and theories of psychological wellbeing as applied in the context of fashion. It explores individual, societal and global issues including identity and body image, appearance and judgement, fashion and the environment, and the impact of technology. You will develop a strategy for enhancing your own wellbeing.

The Cultural & Historical Studies Option will be able to study a Cultural and Historical Studies option of your choice that will broaden and deepen your learning of areas relating to your interests in your chosen field. You will have the opportunity to participate in lectures, seminars and workshops with students from other courses within your School, and will read relevant academic texts and complete a formal academic essay for assessment.

The Consumer Psychology unit introduces you to concepts of consumer behaviour and psychology through investigation of how and why we buy fashion goods and services. You will investigate how consumer identity is formed, and develop your understanding of fashion psychographics and cross-cultural values and how these may inform fashion marketing practices. You will apply market research methods and evaluate consumer behaviour in different parts of the world.

In the Consultancy Project you will learn how to make effective decisions regarding which research methodologies are most appropriate given a particular research question. You will develop practical analysis skills through designing an investigation, collecting, exploring, analysing and interpreting data appropriately using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), or qualitative methods of analysis and interpretation. You will then carry out and write up a negotiated consultancy project in the context of fashion business.

Year three

In Future Thinking unit you will apply the knowledge and skills from Years 1 and 2 to critically appraise current fashion business in the context of product development and marketing, including cost-benefit analysis, affordances and the human/technology interface. You will apply strategic thinking to propose feasible future scenarios for an ethical and sustainable fashion industry.

Social Sustainability and Business Psychology unit explores how human resources need to be sustained and used effectively in the same way as other tangible and intangible organisational resources. You will examine the links between employee psychological wellbeing and motivation, productivity and innovation. You will learn how to prioritise employee wellbeing through workplace initiatives, and how to evaluate their effectiveness. In addition, you will study the role of psychology in the workplace including group and team behaviour, theories of leadership and management, communication and performance management.

The Final Major Project is a major piece of work and the culmination of your degree. It provides you with the opportunity to demonstrate the knowledge and skills acquired through your work on the course. Although this is an independent piece of work, you will be allocated a supervisor who will support and guide you through tutorials.

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.