LCF welcomes Professor Roni Brown as Pro Vice-Chancellor and Head of London College of Fashion
LCF is delighted to announce that Professor Roni Brown has been appointed UAL Pro Vice-Chancellor and Head of College at London College of Fashion.
BA (Hons) Fashion Visual Merchandising and Branding
College
LCF
Start date
September 2020
Course length
3 years / 4 years (with placement year in industry)
UCAS code
5P60
This course is now closed for international applications for entry in September 2020. Home EU applications remain open.
BA (Hons) Fashion Visual Merchandising and Branding is for students who want to become brand managers and visual merchandising managers within the fashion industry, learning how to harness the relationship between brand and consumer.
Why choose this course at London College of Fashion?
- Diverse career options: our graduates work across a wide spectrum of careers in visual merchandising, digital visual merchandising, experiential visual design, set design, spatial design, visual branding and brand development.
- Placement opportunity: students can choose to undertake an optional placement year and gain an additional Diploma in Professional Studies.
- Industry links: students will have the opportunity to take part in live and collaborative briefs with clients and project partners developing a professional network.
Location
The course is based at High Holborn and John Prince’s Street. Find out about the local area, including Lincoln’s Inn Fields and Clerkenwell, in our local area guides on the Student Life pages.
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 Lime Grove 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.
BRITISH DISPLAY SOCIETY ACCREDITED
BA (Hons) Fashion Visual Merchandising and Branding is recognised by the British Display Society as a UK ‘Centre of Excellence’: graduates may receive the award of ProDip.BDS upon successful completion of the course and have the opportunity of membership of the British Display Society whilst studying at LCF.
What's it like to study BA (Hons) Fashion Visual Merchandising and Branding at LCF?
Find out more about the BA (Hons) in Fashion Visual Merchandising and Branding in the Fashion Business School at London College of Fashion
BA (Hons) Visual Merchandising and Branding talk about their window displays
Collaborative Student Project with ASOS - Fashion Business School
Fashion Business School Summit 2016
Portfolio gallery
Latest news from this course
Nostalgic Replay x FILA: a Fashion Visual Merchandising and Branding project by Jasmeen Hayer
BA Fashion Visual Merchandising and Branding graduate explores the concept of nostalgia for her Final Major Project
LCF: Class of 2019 Graduation Ceremony
London College of Fashion celebrated it's Class of 2019 at the official graduation ceremony last week.
Facilities
LCF Library and Archives
Take a tour of LCF's world renowned fashion library, ideal for research and study.
Footwear, Accessories and Jewellery Facilities
Take a tour of Golden Lane's workshops and leather room.
LCF Social Spaces
Explore our social spaces, for collaborative study and breaks, across our six sites in London.
Course overview
Introduction
BA (Hons) Fashion Visual Merchandising and Branding equips students for the industry by reflecting the current demands through a contemporary curriculum. Today’s marketplace requires multidisciplinary visual merchandising and branding experience and students will master a wide array of design skills that include all aspects of visual retail display and fashion spaces.
What to expect
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Students develop expertise in visual merchandising, digital visual merchandising, spatial design and branding practices through a curriculum that explores the design process from conceptualisation through fabrication.
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The course covers trend research, design development, store design and online visual merchandising which will give students the necessary understanding and professional skills to become confident visual merchandisers across an omni-channel environment.
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The strategic contribution of visual merchandising and branding to the long-term development of a retail business is emphasised by studying internationalism, sustainability, innovation, strategy and entrepreneurship.
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National and international professionals interact with the course on projects, as visiting speakers, and through industrial visits.
Work experience and opportunities
There are opportunities for collaborative projects where students will gain industry relevant knowledge and practice by working with a prestigious company. There is an opportunity to undertake an optional industry placement year between the second and final year of the course which will enhance the employability of students by offering valuable experience and contacts within the industry as well as earning an additional Diploma in Professional Studies qualification.
Mode of study
BA (Hons) Fashion Visual Merchandising and Branding runs for 90 weeks in full time mode. It is divided into 3 stages over 3 academic years. Each stage lasts 30 weeks.
Course units
The units you will study in Year 1, Stage 1, Level 4 are as follows:
• Introduction to Visual Merchandising & Branding; 20 credits
• Principles of Fashion Visual Merchandising; 20 credits
• Fashion Branding for the Physical Environment; 20 credits
• Fashion Cultures and Histories; 20 credits
• Better Lives; 20 credits
• Fashion Branding for the Digital Environment; 20 credits
The units you will study in Year 2, Stage 2, Level 5 are as follows:
• Cultural and Historical Studies option; 20 credits
• Consumer Insight for Visual Brand Communications; 40 credits
• Brand Development: Fashion Store Design; 40 credits
• Work Experience Based Learning; 20 credits
The units you will study in Year 3, Stage 3, Level 6 are as follows:
• Futures and Innovation; 20 credits
• Fashion Visual Merchandising and Branding Strategy; 40 credits
• Final Major Project; 60 credits
A 20-credit unit is approximately equivalent to 200 hours of learning time, which includes a mixture of taught time, independent study and assessment.
All students are entitled to a tutorial package that consists of:
• one tutorial per stage for the duration for their course of study at LCF;
• group tutorials as required
• an appropriate level of confidentiality
Learning and teaching methods
The following teaching and learning methods are employed to support the integrated achievement of the course outcomes:
- Academic skills, design thinking for textiles and other workshops
- Brainstorming sessions
- Briefings, tutorials and feedback
- Collaborative group project work
- Lectures and seminars
- Library and workshop inductions
- Museum, gallery and other visits
- Online learning
- Presentations
- Research methods
- Studio teaching
Assessment methods
The following assessment methods are employed to support the integrated achievement of the course outcomes:
- Blogs
- Essays, reports and dissertation
- Final show examination
- Mid-year reviews
- Peer assessment
- Portfolio of work
- Presentation
- Student self-evaluation
- Tutorials
Staff
Demetra Kolakis is the Course Leader for BA (Hons) Fashion Visual Merchandising and Branding at the University of the Arts London.She holds a BA from Columbia University, a BFA from Concordia University, and a MA from UAL and is currently pursuing a PhD at UAL. Research interests include the interplay between consumption, production and experience in relation to contemporary fashion, modernism, visual culture and cultural processes. Her current research interests are the sensory characteristics and atmospheric qualities of the built fashion environment and their relationship to behaviour.Her work has been exhibited at pop ups, galleries, and international shows including Project, Premiere Vision NYC, Trunk, Atelier, Who’s Next, Ideal Berlin, Best Shop Berlin, Designers Against Aids, and Premium Berlin. She has been a speaker at international conferences and a visiting lecturer in universities worldwide teaching fashion spatial design literacy and practices. In 2018, she received the UAL Teaching Award for excellence in teaching. In 2019, received a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
Edward Stammers is the programme director for the Fashion Business Programme and 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.
Jonathan Baker is a senior lecturer. He is also a freelance industry consultant, writer and blogger and former Chief world Expert in Visual Merchandising for Worldskills.org. Jonathan previously worked within the retail and visual merchandising industry across 18 high street brands, including Topman, Topshop, Burtons, and has taught for 19 years.He studied MA’s in Design at Central St. Martin’s and Art in Architecture (UEL), has also taught Visual Merchandising at several international universities and presented as a guest speaker at conferences in New York, Moscow, Beijing, Herfei, Shanghai, Amsterdam, London, Dubai, Rome, Panama, Guatemala and Lisbon. Jonathon is the Author of Fashion Visual Merchandising published by Bloomsbury Press in 2014.
Sarah Bailey is a senior lecturer and has a BA (Hons) in Design Arts and Media, and a PG Cert in Academic Practice in Teaching and Learning in Arts, Design and Communication. She is a freelance visual merchandising consultant for a number of individual fashion retail clients and brand consultancies, and has over fifteen years of industry experience working with some of the biggest UK fashion and interiors blue-chip retailers. Sarah also teaches short courses in her subject at London College of Fashion and Central Saint Martins, and has written a fashion visual merchandising book, published by Bloomsbury Press in 2014.
Rob Lakin is the creative director for the School of Science and Management, and started his career designing fashion menswear, womenswear and childrenswear, working for a number of brands within Coats Viyella plc and the Sears Group plc. He has extensive experience of Far East product development, manufacturing, sourcing, and CMT operations. From 2008 to 2013 Rob headed up London College of Fashion’s Flexible Programme: a unique specialist portfolio of part time undergraduate courses representing Fashion Business, Fashion Media, and Fashion Design. He has been responsible for enhancing the student experience through the development of a creative curriculum, with a variety of live industry collaborative projects including CoolBrands, Brands Incorporated, and Amnesty International. Rob continues to make a major contribution to the creative identity of the School through the design and development of new courses aimed at international students allowing them to successfully prepare for an exciting academic undergraduate career at London College of Fashion.
Associate lecturers
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 minimum entry requirements for this course are:
One or a combination of the following accepted full level 3 qualifications.
- A Level Passes at Grade C or above (preferred subjects include English, Maths, Art, Business Studies, Media Studies and Languages);
- Merit, Merit, Merit at BTEC Extended Diploma;
- Merit at Foundation Diploma in Art and Design;
- Merit at UAL Extended Diploma;
- Access Diploma or 96 new UCAS tariff points from the Access to HE Diploma;
- 96 new UCAS tariff points (equivalent to 220 old UCAS tariff points) from a combination of the above qualifications or an equivalent full Level 3 qualification;
- or equivalent EU or non-EU qualifications such as International Baccalaureate Diploma
- and Six GCSE passes at grade A*-C or grade 9-4, with a grade C or 4 for Maths.
Entry to this course will also be determined by assessment of your portfolio.
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 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in reading, writing, listening and speaking. Please check our main English Language Requirements
Selection criteria
The course team seeks to recruit students who can demonstrate:
- A strong interest in and understanding of retail branding and visual merchandising
- The potential for creating original visual merchandising concepts
- Fashion industry experience
- An ability to work as part of a team
- An ability to undertake self-directed study
- A motivation to succeed on the course
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.
You should apply though UCAS – Universities and Colleges Admissions Service – and you will need the following information:
University code: U65
UCAS Code: 5P60
London College of Fashion does not accept applications for deferred entry. You should therefore apply in the year you wish to study.
External Student Transfer Policy
If you are currently studying at another institution and if you have successfully completed 120 credits (year 1) or 240 credits (years 1 and 2) in the equivalent units/modules on a degree course and wish to continue your studies at London College of Fashion, you can apply to transfer to year 2 or year 3 respectively. The Admissions Tutor will consider applicants for entry to year 2 and 3 on a case by case basis, subject to places being available on the course. You must apply through UCAS and indicate POE 2 for entry to year 2 or POE 3 for entry to year 3 on your application. Further information can be found in our UAL External Student Transfer Policy.
Application deadline
We recommend you apply by 15th January for equal consideration. However this course will consider applications after that date, subject to places being available.
What happens next
All application forms, personal statements and references are read and considered by the course team against the selection criteria listed in the Entry Requirements and Selection Criteria sections.
If you have achieved or expect to achieve the standard entry requirements we will invite you to submit a mini portfolio which should include a number of images of your work. For this course your portfolio should show evidence of: ability to present ideas through visual communication; a level of research, experimentation and development; technical and practical abilities; and effective presentation techniques. The mini portfolio is assessed by Academic Reviewers who will select applicants to attend an interview. Please note that not all applicants are invited to attend interview.
Rich Mix Interview week
If you are selected for interview, these will take place at the Rich Mix Arts venue in Shoreditch from February 17th to 21st 2020. Please see here for a map of the location; nearest stations are Liverpool Street (Central, Circle, Metropolitan, Hammersmith and City and TFL Rail), Shoreditch High Street (Overground) and Bethnal Green (Central). Local buses also serve the venue – please see the Richmix website for further details.
Should you be unable to attend your interview, you must notify us as soon as you can. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to reschedule so you should make every effort to attend the scheduled interview.
How we notify you of the outcome of your application
If you applied through UCAS the result of your application will be communicated to you via UCAS through UCAS Track. You will only receive further communication directly from the College if your application has been successful. This will be in the form of a full offer pack including details of accommodation, fees, and other important information.
This course is now closed for international applications for entry in September 2020. Home EU applications remain open.
How we assess your application
Your application form is reviewed when you apply to the University. If you have achieved or expect to achieve the standard entry requirements you will be invited to submit a portfolio of no more than 45 images. Your portfolio is assessed by our academic team who will select applicants to attend an interview. Please note that not all applicants are invited to attend interview. When you have attended your interview we will advise you of your outcome.
There are three ways international students can apply to an undergraduate course at London College of Fashion:
- UCAS online application system.
- Through one of our official representatives in your country
- A direct application.
If you choose to apply though UCAS – Universities and Colleges Admissions Service – you will need the following information:
University code: U65
UCAS Code: 5P60
Campus code: There is no Campus Code for this course
You can only apply to the same course once per year whether you are applying via UCAS, UAL Representative or using the UAL online application system. Any duplicate application will be withdrawn.
For further advice on how to apply please visit the UAL International Application page.
London College of Fashion does not accept applications for deferred entry. You should therefore apply in the year you wish to study.
External Student Transfer Policy
If you are currently studying at another institution and if you have successfully completed 120 credits (year 1) or 240 credits (years 1 and 2) in the equivalent units/modules on a degree course and wish to continue your studies at London College of Fashion, you can apply to transfer to year 2 or year 3 respectively. The Admissions Tutor will consider applicants for entry to year 2 and 3 on a case by case basis, subject to places being available on the course. You must apply through UCAS and indicate POE 2 for entry to year 2 or POE 3 for entry to year 3 on your application. Further information can be found in our UAL External Student Transfer Policy.
Application deadline
We recommend you apply by 15th January for equal consideration. However this course will consider applications after that date, subject to places being available.
What happens next
Immigration History Check
Whether you are applying online via UCAS or through a UAL representative or direct application 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 references are read and considered by the course team against the selection criteria listed in the Entry Requirements and Selection Criteria sections.
Depending on the quality of your application, you may be asked to submit a number of images of your work. For this course your portfolio should show evidence of: ability to present ideas through visual communication; a level of research, experimentation and development; technical and practical abilities; and effective presentation techniques.
If the academic team wish to consider your application further, you will be invited to attend an interview either in person or via telephone where an international academic will look at your portfolio and ask questions to establish your suitability for the course. Applicants will be expected to demonstrate the following at interview: an interest in fashion visual merchandising and branding; an awareness of and interest in contemporary retail environments; an understanding of research, design, design development and realisation; a motivation for working in fashion visual merchandising and branding and a motivation to succeed on the course.
If you are successful at the interview stage you will be offered a place. Applicants are not guaranteed to be asked to upload work, nor are they 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
If you applied through UCAS the result of your application will be communicated to you via UCAS through UCAS Track. If you have applied directly or through an agent, we will notify you through the UAL portal. You will only receive further communication directly from the College if your application has been successful. This will be in the form of a full offer pack including details of accommodation, fees, and other important information.
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 UCAS Track or the UAL Portal to let you know whether your application has been successful.
Potential changes to course structure
Please note: the information outlined is an indicative structure of the course. Whilst we will aim to deliver the course as described on this page, there may be situations where it is desirable or necessary for the University to make changes in course provision, for example because of regulatory requirements or operational efficiencies, before or after enrolment. If this occurs, we will communicate all major changes to all applicants and students who have either applied or enrolled on the course. Please note that due to staff research agreements or availability, not all of the optional modules listed may be available every year. In addition, the provision of course options which depend upon the availability of specialist teaching, or on a placement at another institution, cannot be guaranteed. Please check this element of the course with the course team before making a decision to apply.
Webpage updates
We will update this webpage from time to time with new information as it becomes available. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please use the register your interest form above.
Fees & Funding
Home / EU fee
£9,250
This applies for the 2020/21 academic year.
Tuition fees for undergraduate degree courses have been set at £9,250 per year for full-time study, subject to changes in the law. Tuition fees may increase in future years for new and continuing students, in line with an inflationary amount determined by government. Please visit our Undergraduate tuition fees page for more information.
International fee
£22,920
This applies for the 2020/21 academic year.
Additional costs
In addition to tuition fees you are very likely to incur additional costs such as travel expenses and the cost of materials. Please read the information on our additional costs page.
Charges may be made for special clothing or equipment which students may need in order to participate in certain activities which form part of the course but which they retain. However, where such clothing or equipment is necessary for the student’s health or safety a charge may only be made for clothing and equipment which the student retains if the student also has the option of borrowing the clothing or equipment free of charge.
Accommodation
Find out about the accommodation options available and how much they will cost.
Careers and alumni
All of our undergraduate 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:
- An on-course work experience or placement year. Please note, this is not available on every course; please see the Course Details section for information about work placement opportunities.
- 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.
Graduates who wish to continue their education at postgraduate level can progress to suitable courses within the College, the University or elsewhere.
Career paths
Graduates from this course have gone on to work in a number of interesting roles including: Digital Visual Merchandiser, Junior Retail Space and Installation Designer, Retail Space and Events Designer, and Senior Store Planning Project Manager. Graduates have found employment with notable brands such as: Burberry, Axel Arigato and Alexander McQueen.
Alumni
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