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Postgraduate

MA Fashion Marketing and Global Cultures

A colourful graphic with illustrations overlaid by a purpley-blue colour
Traces: Stories of Migration, by Lucy Orta
College
London College of Fashion
Start date
September 2024
Course length
12 months

This course is designed to develop future business and marketing leaders of the worldwide fashion industry and will support building of greater awareness of the distinctive connections between fashion, marketing, and culture.

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

  • This MA degree develops professional, personal and research skills through critical and entrepreneurial thinking and though team working activities
  • This course benefits from strong connections with the wider LCF community and the fashion industry through guest speakers, workshops and field trips and collaborative projects
  • The course Units have been designed in consideration with the Cultural and Historical Studies department
  • The degree has been developed in line with the UN’s principles of responsible management education (PRiME) and UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN SGDs), which endeavour to support greater and fairer living standard for peoples and communities across world.

Course overview

The MA Fashion Marketing and Global Cultures degree has been designed to draw greater awareness of the diversities of peoples and places that play a part on fashion marketing and the overall fashion industry. The course will present you with opportunities to learn about the fundamental elements of marketing and business practices that take place on local, national and international scales in the fashion industry. You will have the opportunity to explore and learn how fashion, creative and cultural practices are undertaken in different parts of the world, while also developing your understanding as to why fashion is one of the world’s largest and most lucrative consumer industries. In addition, you will learn about creative techniques and research practices that will enable you to develop industry-ready skillsets that showcase how contemporary marketing practices are implemented and also develop an empathetic mindset to the evolving nature of global communities across the world.

Learning on the course will involve theoretical, practice-based and research-based elements for your professional and academic development. You will be presented with key subjects that present fashion as both a cultural practice and a global commercial industry. 

You will be encouraged to take active responsibility for your academic and professional development throughout the course   and through interactions with your peers, academics and researchers, and with professionals and experts from the fashion industry. You will develop your appreciation of diverse global cultures and explore personal insights that can work to shape positive fashion practices for the future.

The course will prepare you for a wide range of careers in the areas such as: fashion marketing, brand management, social media and digital marketing, cultural and creative industries, international relations, PR and communications or for undertaking Doctoral studies in such related areas. 

What to Expect:

  • The curriculum will be contemporary, challenging and support an appreciation for the diverse range of cultures, regions and practices that feeds into the global fashion industry 
  • You will benefit from industry engagement and speaker programmes that will inform new thinking and expertise from experts in the global fashion, marketing and cultural industries including LCF alumni
  • The course has a strong international business and marketing focus due to industry collaboration projects as well as through cooperations within LCF, such as the Fashion Business Research Centre, Faith & Fashion, the Fashion Innovation Agency (FIA), the Cultural & Historical Studies (CHS) department, and with renowned international HEIs in related field of fashion and culture.

Industry experience and opportunities:

The course curriculum will be supported by live projects with purpose-led industry partners, allowing you to directly apply theory to practice. You will be encouraged to engage with extra-curricular opportunities during vacation periods, for example: mentoring sessions and work placements.  Advice of such provisions are available through teams such as Graduate Futures team. 

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

This course will run across three blocks and include shared units in Block 1 and Block 2 and completed with an independent-research unit in Block 3, which is the award bearing unit. 

The units are detailed as follows: 

Block 1

Cultural Contexts of Global Fashion Marketing 

This unit will provide you with an insight into the distinctive practices of fashion and marketing. You will explore Cultural and creative considerations such as: language, food, music, dance, crafts, and climate. You will build analytical, critical and research skills in subject areas such as economics and psychology through theories and principles that will support an understanding of global perspectives and develop your considerations of how racial and social justice practices can be encouraged in the context of global cultures and in fashion marketing.  

Brand Management and Consumer Insights (cross-course validated unit)

Developing deep consumer understanding is critical for brand success in today’s rapidly changing global fashion industry. Taking a customer-centric approach, in this unit you will identify and evaluate consumer behaviours, motivations and emotions towards fashion brands and how this impacts development, growth and equity. You will explore consumer decision making and the impact of consumer behaviours on brand strategy. Utilising a range of theories, you will investigate all aspects of fashion brand management, from brand creation to strategies for growth, survival and sustainability and ethics, from a local and global perspective. You will evaluate the customer journey and how brands create value and experience for customers.

Collaborative Challenge (cross-college validated unit)

This unit is your opportunity to innovate and explore developmental processes and engage with collaborative working practices. You will develop your professional negotiation, teamwork and networking skills that are essential in the cultural, entrepreneurial and creative industries. The emphasis of this unit is on cross- disciplinary student-led collaboration. You can engage with industry and college-based briefs. 

Block 2

Marketing Communications (cross-course validated unit)

In an increasingly digitally sophisticated and digitally-reliant society, well-designed and communicated campaigns are crucial to ensure the success and longevity of fashion businesses. This unit will enable you to build a sound theoretical and practical understanding of the formulation and management of the marketing communication process, using leading industry analytical tools. You will examine marketing communication strategies in the context of the highly competitive and fast-moving global fashion industry. The return on investment and the financial accountability and pressure to deliver business results will be considered in the context of integrated marketing communication strategies tailored for sustainability-focused businesses. 

Advanced Applied Strategy for Global Cultures

This unit provides a unique opportunity to select from one of four pathways on which to base your course of study, choosing from one of the following specialisms: 

  • International Business Development
  • Sustainability 
  • Luxury Brand Management 
  • Marketing 4.0 – Innovation & Technology

You will personalise your course of study and align your chosen specialism with the broader subject matter of global cultures and explore how they impact on fashion marketing and industry practices. Students will have the chance to explore areas such as: migration and human geography, economics and international relations. You will be encouraged to explore the relevance of your pathway choice in relational to global and cultural contexts. The four chosen pathways are distinctive and are key areas shaping the present and future of the fashion industry; thus, having an understanding will encourage the shaping of your insights for professional and industry developments. This unit can also support your interests for your research area for the Research Proposal and MAP units.  

Research Proposal (cross-course validated unit)

In this unit you will explore approaches for theoretically interrogating your practice and your discipline. Throughout this unit you will uncover your research philosophy, defining how you look at the world and your work. You will build and extend your core research capabilities, developing a robust theoretically justified research proposal that you will complete in your Masters project. In the process of developing your research proposal you will explore a range of research methodologies, methods and approaches, describing how you will utilise primary and secondary research tools in your Masters project. You will build a theoretical framework to test your ideas in order to bring you to an understanding of the relationship between theory and practice. 

Block 3

Masters Project (cross-course validated unit) 

The Masters Project is the final stage of your Masters’ course and is the culmination of your studies and provides you with a space to synthesise all the knowledge and skills you have gained on the course so far. Your project will be self-directed and you will negotiate the shape and direction of your project at the outset with your supervisor. This important final phase of your studies is where you will effectively communicate your work along with your ability to critically interrogate your practice with robust approaches to research and theoretical analysis. Upon completion of your project, you will have generated a high-level Masters’ quality piece of work that will showcase your practice, academic literacy and the professional standards that will act as a platform for your future career and professional development.

Learning and teaching methods

  • Lectures
  • Seminars
  • Workshops
  • Tutorials
  • Visiting speakers
  • Self-directed study
  • Online learning
  • Collaboration
  • Field trips

Ruth Jacob | Development lead | MA Fashion Marketing and Global Cultures

Staff

Dr Shahpar Abdollahi

Dr Shahpar Abdollahi holds a Ph.D. in Management Science from King’s College London. Her Doctoral research focused on innovation and the role of networks in the success of new product development. She holds a M.Sc. in International Business from the University of Groningen, with a specialisation in International Marketing. Before joining LCF, Shahpar held research, lecturing and supervisory positions at King’s College London, Cranfield Business School, University of Essex, London College of Fashion (LCF) and Instituto Marangoni. Given her professional background, Shahpar is particularly interested in Luxury Branding, Fashion Marketing and Fashion Management.

Dr Bethan Alexander

Dr Bethan Alexander is Senior Lecturer in Fashion Retailing and Consumer Experience. Bethan is a passionate spokesperson, senior lecturer and researcher with an expert lens on fashion business strategy, omnichannel retailing, retail futures and fashion brand management. Having spent 18 years working internationally in senior management roles with fashion brands including Converse, Elle, Kangol and establishing her own consultancy business, Brand Baker, Bethan brings the same verve to her academic role. Within Higher Education, Bethan has held senior lecturing positions at London College of Fashion, University of East London and has guest lectured at more than 15 global HE institutions. Bethan is a published author, international conference presenter and active researcher. Her research spans Multi-Sensory Fashion Retailing, Customer Brand Experiences Online and Offline and Innovative Retail Formats. Bethan holds a first-class Bachelor of Science degree in Fashion Product Management, a Master of Science degree with distinction in Fashion Marketing & Distribution and a PG Certificate in Teaching & Learning for Higher Education. Bethan is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. She successfully achieved a UAL Teaching Scholars Award in 2018 and was recognised in 2015, 2016 and 2018 by students for a Teaching Excellence Award. Read Bethan Alexander's full profile here.

Dr Francesca Bonnetti

Dr Francesca Bonetti: 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.

Dr Shuyu Lin

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.

Dr Paul Marsden

Paul is a consultant consumer psychologist. He helps brands understand what consumers want, using psychological techniques to surface consumers’ unspoken needs and hidden motivations. Paul is chartered by the British Psychological Society and has two decades experience working with the global communications group WPP and the innovation consultancy Brand Genetics. Notable clients include LVMH, TK Maxx, Fitbit, Edmiston, Google, and Porsche. He has authored several marketing books, including Connected Marketing, and The Social Commerce Handbook. Following his PhD, Paul co-founded System1 Group PLC, a tech company that uses Artificial Intelligence to mine psychological insight from online content. Paul appears on TV and radio discussing consumer trends and consumer psychology, and recently appeared as himself in the 2021 movie ‘I am Gen Z’ about teens and tech. Paul has a particular interest in virtual influencers, digital fashion, and the ethics of AI in marketing. Paul blogs at digitalwellbeing.org, sharing tips on how to have a healthier tech-life balance.

Julie Dennison

Julie Dennison is a senior lecturer and academic, having extensive experience of teaching and curriculum development at undergraduate and postgraduate level since joining UAL in 2007. Julie currently holds the role of Senior Lecturer in Fashion Business Research Methods, focusing on developing specialist research methodologies with students to enable them to complete diverse advanced level research outputs at postgraduate level. Prior to her teaching career, Julie worked for over a decade in product design and development as a Senior Fashion Buyer, specialising in CMT operations for major UK High Street brands such as River Island and Arcadia. Her published research focuses on consumer behaviour in digital environments. She holds a BA (Hons) in Textiles and Fashion, a Masters in Strategic Fashion Marketing, a PG Cert in Academic Practice and is a Fellow of the HEA.

Edwin Phiri

Edwin is a marketing expert and strategist. A senior lecturer and specialist subject leader for fashion marketing in the fashion business school at LCF. He has over 25 years experience in marketing and marketing related subjects and has an enriched portfolio career of industry, academic and consultancy roles. He is also module leader for the Applied Business and Marketing Strategy for Disability Developments on the MSc Design, Disability Innovations which is, one of a kind MSc collaboration across three UK leading universities namely, UCL, Loughborough and UAL. The course is delivered in partnership with Global Disability Innovation (GDI) Hub. With a passion for Inclusive Marketing, Edwin’s multidisciplinary research interests include responsible business model design, social purpose, branding, consumer behaviour, fashion sustainability, corporate strategy, equality, diversity and inclusion. His PhD research explores how UK physical retail could enhance access and inclusivity for wheelchair using shoppers by adopting management practices that are friendlier to their needs.

Edward Stammers

Edward Stammers is the Programme Director for the Fashion Business Programme and and Creative Director for the Fashion Business School.  Edward has an MA in Fashion Merchandise Management and a PG Cert in Education. He is a fellow of the British Display Society and has worked in the visual merchandising industry for twenty-five years, managing global visual merchandising and marketing campaigns as design and project manager for Rootstein Display Mannequins. His research interests centre on the function and perception of the mannequin form and the challenges to the mannequin that are developing from the increased use of digital technology within the fashion retail environment.

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 

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.

Find your representative

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

  • Tell us why you have applied to MA Fashion Marketing and Global Cultures and how it will help you achieve your career ambitions.

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

Masters graduates have an acknowledged advantage in the employment market, obtaining work in a wide range of vocational and academic fields related to fashion, including working as a Marketing Executive, Brand Manager, Marketing Communications Manager.

The MA also provides an excellent preparation for higher level research degrees (MPhil or PhD), with an increasing number of graduates undertaking research in fashion related subjects, in practice or theory or entering into education as lecturers.