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Postgraduate

MA Fashion Marketing and Sustainability

Colourful flag installation in London.
Bethany Williams, 'All our Stories' Collection | Flag Installation at Coal Drops Yard, London | Making or Change Poplar Works | London College of Fashion | University of Arts London
College
London College of Fashion
Start date
September 2024
Course length
12 months

This specialist Master’s course targets the next generation of purpose-first business leaders who seek to drive transformative innovation for necessary change, thus shaping the future of the fashion industry and our perception of consciousness.

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 is currently the only Master’s programme in the UK to apply strategic fashion marketing with sustainability.
  • This course develops analytical, communicative, and entrepreneurial skills and knowledge to enable graduates to create a positive impact on communities and the environment through fashion marketing.
  • This course showcases our strong partnerships with a wide range of fashion organisations through live project briefs, industry visits, workshops and speakers
  • Course units are aligned with LCF's expert innovation and research centres, including the Centre for Sustainable Fashion, giving students the opportunity to focus on academic depth and rigour.
  • Through a commitment to UN’s PRiME (Principles of Responsible Management Education) this course provides an in-depth appreciation of the complexity and dynamics of sustainable and ethical marketing management issues in the contemporary global fashion industry.

Course overview

When prioritising people, planet, as well as responsible profit, the global fashion industry holds unique potential to positively transform local interconnected communities as well as wider society. MA Fashion Marketing and Sustainability is intended for the next generation of highly motivated, purpose-led business leaders who not only respond to the growing consumer demand for sustainability but also seek to drive the transformative innovation for necessary change.

This unique course critically explores fashion marketing tools through a global lens and applies them to implement and support sustainable business practices. Sustainability, social equity, and regenerative practices are embedded throughout teaching and coursework, within each taught unit. Additionally, the course seeks to examine, analyse and challenge current fashion business practices and explore alternative solutions in the complex global fashion supply chain, emphasising marketing communications and sustainable business practices. You will be encouraged to develop a deep understanding of the complexity of integrating and communicating transformational solutions.

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.

What to Expect:

  • Cutting edge research: Learn directly from academic and business leaders at the forefront of sustainable strategies and circular economy 
  • In-demand skills and knowledge: Increase your understanding of Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) foundations and marketing techniques
  • Industry informed curriculum: Academic content is continuously revised to adapt to current developments in industry 
  • Knowledge Exchange: Take part in industry-led workshops, expert speaker series, and work together with students across LCF
  • Enterprise: Proactively engage in innovative problem-solving to tackle real-world challenges

Industry experience and opportunities:

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, for example: mentoring sessions and work placements. 

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 including shared units in Block 1 and Block 2 and completed with an independent-research unit in Block 3. The final award classification is based upon the Masters Project only. 

The units are detailed as follows: 

Block 1  

Regenerative Fashion in Practice

This unit explores how circular businesses are shaping, creating, and communicating alternative modes of fashion consumption and production. You will explore contemporary challenges and opportunities affecting the global fashion industry and examine potential solutions within marketing through the lens of regenerative practices. This unit will provide you with a foundation of information and analytical skills required to critically reflect and respond to some of today’s most pressing environmental issues which pose challenges to business managers and organizational leaders in the modern world. It also offers opportunities for industry collaboration and creative knowledge exchange.

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 behaviour 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 Sustainability

As we enter the Fourth Industrial Revolution, a wide array of disruptive technologies have the potential to transform the fashion industry by opening up a range of new and improved possibilities. This unit allows you to situate strategic fashion strategies in such times, and advance current tools and techniques through adopting an integrated and holistic view of creating and executing successful strategies. The unit will challenge you to extend the depth of knowledge of fashion market analysis, strategy and programmes. It will refine your ability to make business decisions when faced with challenges and uncertainty and to take advantage of market opportunities in response to tactical/short term imperatives.  A range of specialisms/ projects will be introduced to you, exploring areas of strategic relevance for sustainability. 

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 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
  • Online learning 
  • Self-directed study
  • Collaboration 
  • Field trips

Nina Van Volkinburg | Development lead | MA Fashion Marketing and Sustainability

Trousers mage of sustainable material floating in the sky.
Joao Marachin, TRUTH FICTION collection | @joaomaraschin | London College of Fashion | University of Arts London

Staff

Dr Nina Van Volkinburg

She is passionate about circular economy and fashion’s transformation towards sustainable strategies through emerging technologies. She is an ethnographer by training with her research focusing on value co-creation and service ecosystems and has written multiple published case studies. Additionally, Nina has consulted for various organisations focused on sustainable practice including The Sustainable Angle and Fashion4Development (amongst others). She regularly comments on the wider fashion industry for platforms including BBC World News, as well as fashion-focused press including Elle, Showstudio, Achtung, and Wardrobe Crisis. Her work within fashion sustainability has been featured in Vogue, Textilwirtschaft, Tank Magazine, and The Telegraph. Moreover, Nina is the co-founder of the world’s first B2C fashion upcycling platform, RETURE, which grew a global community of fashion designers to revive and transform customers’ garments from old to new. Within 1 year of launching, the company welcomed over 60 designers to the platform, collaborated with sustainable organisations including Fashion Revolution, and were invited to take part in in-person pop-ups including Selfridges & Co. and Westfield.  She holds a BA and PhD in Marketing from the University of Exeter, as well as a MA in Strategic Fashion Marketing from London College of Fashion.

Kelly Darcy

Kelly Darcy has worked as a fashion business consultant in the fashion industry for 10 years as a researcher, coach and experienced facilitator. She is a Lecturer in Management: Retail Strategy, Innovation and Operations and an Associate Lecturer in the areas of Fashion Business, Psychology, Sustainability, Marketing, Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the London College of Fashion and London Southbank University. Kelly is currently part of an MBA programme in Sustainability Leadership where she campaigns for policy change, bringing sustainable practices into her own life and consumer behaviours, and is also an Associate Fellow with the Higher Education Academy (AFHEA) and a Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts (FRSA). Alongside her academic work, Kelly is an entrepreneurship coach, runs wellbeing workshops in fashion and body positivity, and in 2020, began running her own courses on starting a sustainable fashion business.

Sabinna Rachimova

Featured in such publications as Forbes, VOGUE, Huffington Post, ELLE, WWD, Eco-Age and more, Sabinna Rachimova, is a forward-thinking designer with a brand that constantly challenges the status quo of the industry. Sabinna is a graduate of Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, and before launching her eponymous label, she worked for the leading Parisian Fashion house Christian Dior and London brand Mary Katrantzou. In 2017 Sabinna’s brand won the Fashion Futures award presented by Decoded Fashion and the British Fashion Council for the project in collaboration with FIA and Reactive Reality. In 2020 the label was part of RYOT's 'The Fabric of Reality', a first-of-its-kind VR fashion show where we had the opportunity to create a ‘storyworld’ in collaboration with a VR artist. In 2019, Sabinna was named one of Forbes 30under30 DACH. As an immigrant woman, Sabinna is incredibly passionate about inclusivity, equal opportunities and being an opinion leader for the future generation of creatives. She also works as a public speaker, spreading the word about both FashTech and sustainable fashion, as well as a consultant with a focus on fashion start-ups and education.

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 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.

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.

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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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 Sustainability 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.