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Postgraduate

Graduate Diploma Fashion Management

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Still life shoot by London College of Fashion. ©University of Arts London
College
London College of Fashion Start date
September 2021 Course length
1 year

This full-time Graduate Diploma in Fashion Management offers an intensive learning experience to equip students with the skills to enter the competitive and complex fashion business environment.

Please note we are reviewing delivery options for this course, exploring a blended model to enhance the student experience. During this review there may be some changes to the course content displayed on this page. Please contact us if you have any questions about the course.

Why choose this course at London College of Fashion

    • Specialist knowledge: being taught at UK level 6 in the specialist knowledge required in the field of fashion management, studying with peers who will provide you with an international network for your future career
    • Career opportunities: graduates enter careers in retailing, marketing, brand and design management, or progress to MA study.
    • Key skills: development of technological and employability skills, that are embedded within the course from tutors with relevant industrial experience

Location

The course is based at High Holborn and John Princes Street. Find out about the local area, including Lincoln’s Inn Fields and Clerkenwell, in our local area guides on the Student Life pages.

LCF's move

London College of Fashion is planning to move to a new single campus on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in 2023. This is part of a new development for London, prioritising culture, education and innovation, known as East Bank. Some students studying this course from September 2021 may start their studies in High Holborn and transfer to LCF’s new site in East London to complete them. Please see LCF’s move to the Olympic Park for more information about the College’s relocation.

Retail Futures presented in association with Shaftesbury PLC: Fashion Business School Summit 17

Topics include immersive experiential experiences, the consumer desire for greater transparency, data democracy and radical openness.

Fashion Business School Summit 2016

LCF Facilities

  • Library, John Princes Street
    Library, John Princes Street Photography by: Ideal Insight
    LCF archives and library

    Take a tour of LCF's world renowned fashion library, ideal for research and study.

  • Business facilities at JPS and High Holborn

    Fashion Business facilities  

    Take a tour of lecture theatres and tutorial rooms across our central London sites.

  • Mare Street Canteen

    LCF's social spaces

    Explore our social spaces, for collaborative study and breaks, across our six sites in London.

Course overview

Introduction 

The course provides an approach to learning that encourages autonomous and creative work to build confidence in becoming a reflective and independent learner. 

We aim to make you a strategic thinker and decision maker together with developing your creative attributes through your Professional Portfolio. 

What to expect 

  • A one-year conversion course for students who have a 2:2 or higher first degree; we welcome students who may have a previous degree outside the area of fashion management. 

  • The course emphasises the importance of sustainability and ethics within the fashion industry when responding to consumer behaviour and demand. 

  • Business and management theories are explored and combined with practical applications. 

  • The course is taught by a range of specialist academics with knowledge and experience relevant to the disciplines of the course.  

  • Throughout the course your personal and professional development is informed through the UAL Creative Attributes Framework (CAF), this culminates in the creation your Professional Portfolio produced as part of your Final Major Project. This framework emphasises the transformative education that we are committed to provide, to develop your creative employability and enterprise attributes, supporting your ambitions in the competitive fashion environment. 

  • The course is divided into two blocks of 15 weeks. After an induction week, the first block of the course will take you through an understanding of the fashion consumer and their relationship to fashion business organisations with the internal and external facing operations of these businesses. 

  • The course culminates in the second block with your Final Major Project, which requires you to produce a body of work through independent study that demonstrates research through advanced critical and analytical skills together with an innovative approach to problem solving in your specific field of ambition and practice. 

  • It will be expected that the students make industry and academic connections using the resources available at LCF and UAL throughout the course 

  • This final project enables students to prepare for the next stage of their career, whether that be an MA in a related field a personal entrepreneurial project or moving into industry. 

Work experience and opportunities 

It will be expected that the students make industry and academic connections using the resources available at LCF and UAL for their Final Major Project. This final project enables students to prepare for the next stage of their career, whether that be an MA in a related field or a personal entrepreneurial project. 

Mode of study 

Undergraduate (Level 6) full time. 

The academic year for this course is divided into Block 1 and Block 2. For term and holiday dates please see the University timetable available here: https://www.arts.ac.uk/students/term-dates 

If you have a tier 4 visa you will be expected to be in attendance in the UK during these times.  

Course units

Block One:

For the first 15 weeks of the course there is focus on providing an understanding of the fashion industry through theoretical frameworks.

Unit 1: Fashion Contexts (Weeks 1- 5) 20 Credits

This unit focuses on the consumer of fashion in a cultural and commercial context. It is delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars and formative assessment. This unit provides the academic framework to develop curiosity, the enthusiasm to seek out new perspectives and to create and build on existing knowledge through systematic academic enquiry. Within this unit there will be an individual essay and a team presentation on which you will be marked separately.

Unit 2 : Fashion Organisations (Weeks 7 – 16) 20 Credits

This unit looks at the internal operations of a fashion organisations; including its business structure, supply chain and issues of sustainability. It will also look at the various roles within the fashion organisation such as the role of the buyer and designer. The unit shows the fashion organisation as one that can accommodate constant change, how a business must be open to encouraging openness and agility. This unit is delivered through a series of lectures, seminars and formative assessment opportunities.

Unit 3: Fashion Communications (Weeks 7 – 16) 20 Credits

This unit looks at the outward facing communications of a fashion company; its ability to fulfil customers’ demands. This unit will also develop your ability to collaborate with others, create networks and contribute to communities of practice. This is contextualised through team work and the understanding of how companies segment, target and position themselves and communicate with their customers.

All three units are linked; the second two units run concurrently and refer to the types of consumer identified in the first unit.

Block Two:

Graduate Diploma: Final Major Project (60 Credits)

In this Block you will complete your Final Major Project (FMP). You will be given the opportunity to choose between either a dissertation or a business report. Both options will give you a valuable body of work to present to either a prospective employer, or as part of an application for future study. Both options allow you to demonstrate proactivity, initiative, hard work and passion through the investigation or study of an emerging issue or new proposal. You are expected to demonstrate resourcefulness in pursuing these opportunities for an ethical and sustainable outcome and will be given the opportunity to present your work to a panel for formative feedback.

As part of this unit you will also submit a professional portfolio, which will include a personal statement reflecting on your experience of the course and demonstrating how this has informed future career aspirations. Your Professional Portfolio will allow you to demonstrate academic and personal skills in your chosen field.

The Final Major Project and the Professional Portfolio are submitted marked seperately.

Showing your work:

All students are advised to set up a profile on the Graduate Showcase UAL’s 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.

Learning and teaching methods

The following teaching and learning methods are employed to support the integrated aims of the course outcomes:

The following learning and teaching methods are employed to support the integrated achievement of the course outcomes:

Following the lectures, which will also be available online, there will be interactive seminars, you will be expected to make short presentations in small teams discussing points and applications of the ideas presented in the lecture.

Full use is made of online interactive tools such as the ‘teams’ and other online sharing platforms to allow you to interact and share with peers. The course Virtual learning Environment (VLE) has links to a repository of key information, academic texts, websites of interest, and key e-books. Links to this information are put into the lecture slides.

There is a high proportion of self-directed study on this full-time course, during which time we expect you to make full use of the facilities available to both online and in our college library. The libraries on all the main UAL sites are also available to you, most of which have extended opening hours.

Your personal and professional development is accomplished through our Creative Attributes Framework. Using this framework, you will be asked to reflect critically on your achievements and developments throughout the course, this reflection will be in the form of writing as well as the creation of a professional portfolio to demonstrate your abilities to future employers or for further academic study.

Throughout the academic year there will be tutorials, these can range from small group to personal tutorials to discuss pastoral matters. For the final major project, you will be assigned a supervisor who will work with you on a one-to-one basis.

All assessment is through coursework, this allows you to demonstrate your interpretation of the brief, make your own judgement of the most relevant knowledge and use appropriate analysis within the prescribed word count. Integral to coursework is academic referencing, through which you will acknowledge the work of others and underpin arguments and proposals on a firm academic foundation.

Assessment methods

The following assessment methods are employed to support the integrated aims of the course outcomes:

A wide variety of methods are employed including essays, reports, case study analysis, reflections, team and individual presentations, online and in class.

Assessment takes two forms:

  • Formative assessment, this can be marked or taken in the form of verbal feedback from which you would be expected to take notes. If it is marked the marks do not contribute to your final grade, it provides an opportunity for you to receive feedback from an academic, your fellow students and in the case of the Final Major Project through a presentation that will be made in a business and/or academic context.
  • Summative assessment is marked, and is contributes to your final classification.

Staff

Tim Williams is course leader on the Graduate Diploma Fashion Management.

Tim worked for fashion companies such as Sir Hardy Amies, River Island, Conran Design group, and Debenhams, specialising in fashion design and offshore manufacturing. He later started his own designer manufacturing company making high fashion ladies’ lingerie for Luella Bartley and worked with Joe Corre in the early days of Agent Provocateur. He later had a concession in Selfridges and sold to Le Bon Marche in Paris. Tim has been working for the Fashion Business School for eleven years, teaching across a wide variety of fashion business courses and supervising final year dissertations.

Negroes Dube has worked for LCF for 12 years. He is an internationally experienced Chartered Marketer who is has worked extensively in Africa and the UK He has consultancy experience on Chinese trade in Africa and on SME start-ups. Negroes holds an MBA and a PGCE, and a Professional Diploma in Marketing as well as postgraduate qualifications in business research methods. He has studied postal research in Japan and speaks several languages, including Japanese. He is Chair of the Diaspora for African Development. Negroes’ research interests are branding strategy and brand management.

Frances Ross has extensive creative industry experience as a design manager, art buyer and stylist. Her more recent experience in Higher Education has included the role of Program Director for Fashion Management in the Graduate School of London College of Fashion and Course Leader on MA Fashion Design Management. Frances has given many International keynote speeches and written/presented conference papers on the Fashion Industry in the USA, Australia, China and Europe. She is an active researcher with many academic publications. Her speciality is research methods and dissertation supervision on this course.

Helen Hindley is a lecturer in Fashion Buying & Merchandising and strategic supply chain management. In her 20 year career she has worked for a number of retailers, House of Fraser, Nike, Debenhams and Disney, across, menswear, womenswear and accessories. For over 8 years she also had the opportunity to own her own SME, a lifestyle boutique on the Isle of Wight. She has extensive experience of planning, trading, supply chain management from a buying and merchandising perspective. She has been heavily involved in change management within businesses to effectively prepare for strategic redirection.

Ronit Zilkha studied fashion design in London, after which she launched her eponymous collection. Her unique designs have been worn by members of the Royal family, celebrities, stars and fashion editors the world over. Ronit showcased at London Fashion Week between 1990 and 2007 under her label where she achieved international recognition and success. With 25 years of experience, Ronit Zilkha acts as a freelance fashion consultant to various companies creating exciting new concepts

Milly Patrzalek After Graduating from LCF Milly went onto work for Katherine Hamnett and Vivienne Westwood. She then went onto work for Hussein Chalayan for 17 years as General Managerand Director of Special Projects.As well as teaching on this course she is presently working as an industry consultant. Milly's specialism is developing a collection from concept to consumer, knowing the practical challenges of complex luxury supply chains.

Ayshen Ali is an early graduate of the London College of Fashion BA (Hons) Fashion Management course. After which, she went on to work in buying, within companies such as Burberry, Harrods and ASOS. She worked on Selecting ranges for the customers and dealing with many luxury brands such as Ralph Lauren, Missoni, D&G, Paul Smith and Moschino, to name a few. She completed the PGCE 2013 and has recently completed her MA Creative Arts Education, with a research focus on graduate employability.

Emma Baxter Wright studied fashion at St Martins School of Art, and later History of Art at Bristol University. Emma worked as a fashion editor and freelance stylist for teenage publications ‘Looks’ and ‘Just Seventeen’, Emma has also contributed to many other publications including Cosmopolitan, The Face, Marie Claire, The Lady and the New York Observer. More recently she has written two books on the iconic British photographer Duffy, as well as Little Book histories on fashion rivals Schiaparelli and Chanel. Emma works on the Communications unit on this course as well as delivering specialist lectures in fashion visual culture.

How to apply

Opportunities for all

We are committed to making university education an achievable option for a wider range of people and to supporting all of our students in achieving their potential both during and after their courses.

We welcome applications from people with disabilities. If you have a disability (e.g. mobility difficulties, sensory impairments, medical or mental health conditions or Asperger’s syndrome) we strongly encourage you to contact us on disability@arts.ac.uk or +44 (0)20 7514 6156 so that we can plan the right support for you. All enquiries are treated confidentially. To find out more, visit our Disability & Dyslexia webpages.

Entry requirements

The standard entry requirements for this course are as follows:

  • First degree (2:2 or above) or FDA with a merit/distinction profile in any discipline, or equivalent qualifications / awards.

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
  • 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 each case.

English Language Requirements

IELTS level 6.5 with a minimum of 5.5 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:

  • Creativity
  • An understanding of the benefits of organisational and management skills in the workplace
  • A mature study commitment, which is essential as entering the fashion management industry is highly competitive

Extra information required for applications to this course

When you are submitting your application form, you will also need to provide the following pieces of documentation in support of your application:

Curriculum Vitae

You will be required to submit a Curriculum Vitae (C.V.) in support of your application. This should include your full education and employment history.

Personal statement

The personal statement is your opportunity to tell us about yourself and your suitability for the course that you intend to study.

Some key points to consider:

  • Make sure that personal statement is your own work and is about you.
  • Why you want to study the course you are applying to.
  • Try to link your skills and experience required to the course.
  • Demonstrate your interest and enthusiasm for the course and link these with your personality.
  • Make sure it is organised and literate (grammar, spelling, punctuation check).

Making your application

This section includes all the information you need on how to apply and how your application is considered, and what happens next.

UK/EU students can apply to a postgraduate course at LCF by completing a direct application.

Deferring your place

This course allows offer holders to defer. If you have an offer of a place, but you would like to defer starting for a year, please contact our Admissions Service as soon as possible via your UAL Portal. Make sure you check our Admissions Policy before requesting a deferral.

If you are an EU offer holder, it is important to consider that, from 2021-22, you may be charged International fees, which are higher. Read our Coronavirus guidance for prospective students for details.

External Student Transfer Policy

If you are currently studying at another institution and if you have successfully completed 60 credits in the equivalent units/modules on your current PG course and wish to continue your studies at London College of Fashion, you can apply to transfer. The Admissions Tutor will consider applications on a case by case basis, subject to places being available. You must apply directly to the course via the course webpage as early as possible.

Please check our Student Transfer Policy for more important information and be ready to provide us with your current course handbook and transcripts.

Please be ready to provide an official document (translated into English if necessary) from your current university, explaining the learning outcomes of the units you have completed.

What happens next

All application forms, personal statements and relevant documents are read and considered by the course team against the selection criteria listed in the Entry requirements and Selection Criteria sections. The course team will select applicants to attend an interview.

If you are selected for interview, these will take place online using Teams from Microsoft – please ensure that you download this software prior to the interview date; this is available as a free download from the Microsoft website. We will send you further details at a later point about how we will connect with you for your interview.

If you are successful at the interview stage you will be offered a place. Please note that applicants are not guaranteed an interview.

Please note that if you are unable to attend, the College may not be able to re-schedule.

How we notify you of the outcome of your application

The result of your application will be communicated to you through your UAL Portal. If your application has been successful, you will receive a full offer pack including details of accommodation, fees, and other important information.

Application deadline

15 March 2021

We recommend you apply as soon as possible before this date, for equal consideration. We may still be able to accept applications after this date, depending on availability.

When you’ll hear from us

Once you’ve sent in your application, this will be sent through to our course teams for review. We’ll be in touch shortly after you apply with information about next steps. Find out more about what happens after you apply.

How we assess your application

If you have achieved or expect to achieve the standard entry requirements, then your application will be reviewed by the course team who will select applicants to attend an interview. Interviews may be conducted in person, via telephone or via Skype. Please note that not all applicants are invited to attend interview. When you have attended your interview we will advise you of your outcome through your UAL portal.

There are two ways international students can apply to a postgraduate course at LCF:

For further advice on how to apply please visit the UAL International Application page.

Deferring your place

This course allows offer holders to defer. If you have an offer of a place, but you would like to defer starting for a year, please contact our Admissions Service as soon as possible via your UAL Portal. Make sure you check our Admissions Policy before requesting a deferral.

External Student Transfer Policy

If you are currently studying at another institution and if you have successfully completed 60 credits in the equivalent units/modules on your current PG course and wish to continue your studies at London College of Fashion, you can apply to transfer. The Admissions Tutor will consider applications on a case by case basis, subject to places being available. You must apply directly to the course via the course webpage as early as possible.

Please check our Student Transfer Policy for more important information and be ready to provide us with your current course handbook and transcripts.

Please be ready to provide an official document (translated into English if necessary) from your current university, explaining the learning outcomes of the units you have completed.

What happens next

Immigration History Check

After you have applied, you will need to complete an Immigration History Check to identify whether you are eligible to study at UAL. Do be aware, if you do not complete the Immigration History Check we will not be able to proceed with your application.

Initial application check

All application forms, personal statements and relevant documents are read and considered by the course team against the selection criteria listed in the Entry requirements and Selection Criteria sections. The course team will select applicants to attend an interview.

If you are selected for interview, these will take place online using Teams from Microsoft – please ensure that you download this software prior to the interview date; this is available as a free download from the Microsoft website. We will send you further details at a later point about how we will connect with you for your interview.

If you are successful at the interview stage you will be offered a place. Please note that applicants are not guaranteed an interview.

Please note that if you are unable to attend, the College may not be able to re-schedule.

How we notify you of the outcome of your application

The result of your application will be communicated to you through your UAL Portal. If your application has been successful, you will receive a full offer pack including details of accommodation, fees, and other important information.

Application deadline

15 March 2021

We recommend you apply as soon as possible before this date, for equal consideration. We may still be able to accept applications after this date, depending on availability.

When you’ll hear from us

Once you’ve sent in your application, this will be sent through to our course teams for review. We’ll be in touch shortly after you apply with information about next steps. Find out more about what happens after you apply.


After you apply

After you’ve submitted your application, you’ll receive a confirmation email providing you with your login details for the UAL Portal. We’ll use this Portal to contact you to request any additional information, including inviting you to upload documents or book an interview, so please check it regularly.

Once we’ve reviewed and assessed your application, we’ll contact you via the UAL Portal to let you know whether your application has been successful.

Fees and funding

Home fee

£11,220 per year

This fee is correct for 2021/22 entry and is subject to change for 2022/23 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.

Home fees are currently charged to UK resident nationals. However, the rules are complex and you can find out more on our tuition fees pages.

From 2021/22 entry, most EU students will be charged the International tuition fee rate, although this may depend on your individual circumstances. If you started your course in October 2020 or earlier, you’ll continue to pay Home (UK) fees for the duration of your course. Read more advice for EU students on our Brexit information webpage

International fee

£22,920 per year

This fee is correct for 2021/22 entry and is subject to change for 2022/23 entry. Tuition fees for international students may increase by up to 5% in each future year of your course. For this course, you can pay tuition fees in instalments.

International fees are currently charged to students from countries outside of the UK. However, the rules are complex and more information can be found on our tuition fees pages.

From 2021/22 entry, most EU students will be charged the International tuition fee rate, although this may depend on your individual circumstances. If you started your course in October 2020 or earlier, you’ll continue to pay Home (UK) fees for the duration of your course. Read more advice for EU students on our Brexit information webpage

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Careers and alumni

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

Our students mainly go onto managerial positions within the fashion industry, these can be in the following areas:

  • Digital marketing and communications
  • Product management and sustainability
  • Retail operations and omni channel strategy

Graduates of this course have gone on to work in a number of roles within the industry, at companies including Burberry and Salvatore Ferragamo. Graduates from this course are also equipped to develop and further their academic lives through Masters courses, and some to continue on to Research Degrees and PhDs.

With support from LCF Careers and the Centre for Fashion Enterprise, students are supported throughout the course to progress into the fashion industry or onto further postgraduate study.

Alumni

London College of Fashion

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Contact

Telephone

+44 (0)20 7514 7400
Address
20 John Prince's Street
London

W1G 0BJ