Fashion Communication and Branding [with Foundation Year]

Forge an international career in the £1.5 trillion fashion industry. Learn the fundamentals of fashion business and marketing, before developing all the necessary commercial skills to get you ready to start your own business or work for a fashion house.

• Learn the fundamentals of fashion business and marketing, and develop the necessary commercial skills to start your own business or work for a fashion house.

• Gain a broad understanding of the fields of fashion, branding, journalism, PR, marketing and management in a global context.

• Develop an understanding of the complex issues surrounding sustainable fashion and environmental impact.

• Work closely with students from across our University, including the Faculty of Business and Law on marketing and events, to create eye-catching campaigns and digital content.

• Attend talks from visiting lecturers and take part in live briefs from industry partners on areas including event management, brand identity, entrepreneurship, sustainability, marketing and promotion.

In an increasingly competitive, commercial and technological environment, communication and branding professionals have never played such a central role in buying, retail, import and export, digital marketing and more.

Study on our BA (Hons) Fashion Communication and Branding degree in Cambridge, and develop the skills, understanding and knowledge that are critical to international fashion design and business functions.
Perhaps most importantly, you’ll get time, guidance and support from our experienced staff who, as well as launching and managing their own brands, have worked with companies such as Chloe, Alexander McQueen, Warner Bros Records, and London Records.

We'll encourage you to build your profile by entering national and international competitions, as well our as own competitions such as the Sustainability Art Prize. You'll have the chance to develop a business plan and pitch for start-up funding, and you can get involved in our Student Creative Careers Conference too.

You'll also have opportunities to find placements and internships, and visit trade fairs and conferences.

Fashion communication or fashion design?

At ARU we offer degree courses in Fashion Communication and Branding, and Fashion Design. Our Fashion Design degree will help you develop as a designer of womenswear or menswear. You'll create your own fashion designs from day one. Meanwhile, our Fashion Communication and Branding course focuses on fashion journalism and PR, marketing and management, and luxury branding.

With our Fashion Communication and Branding degree, you’ll have access to all our facilities including:

Dedicated fashion workshops with a variety of industrial sewing machines
Ruskin Gallery, a professional digital art gallery
Mac and PC suites equipped with the latest software including Adobe Creative suite
Specialist printmaking workshop including etching, screen-printing and lithography
3D workshops for physical media including wood, plastic, metal and clay
Photography and media facilities including darkrooms; studios; film processing; digital printing suite; video editing; and professional equipment loans
Life drawing studio

Careers

The global apparel market is projected to grow in value from £1 trillion in 2020 to about £1.6 trillion by 2025, showing that the consumer demand is on the rise across the world (Statista, 2021). As a BA (Hons) Fashion Communication and Branding graduate, you could consider career opportunities as a creative director; brand manager; retail manager; account manager (wholesale); branding consultant; global supply chain manager; fashion buyer; fashion PR; journalist; fashion editor; stylist; visual merchandiser; trend forecaster; studio manager; product developer; colour developer.

You might also consider the areas of fashion marketing, and promotions and events management – or branch out on your own as an entrepreneur.

Year 1 core modules: Interactive Learning Skills and Communication; Information and Communication Technology; Creative Workshops 1; Approach to Design; Critical and Contextual Studies; Creative Workshops 2; Specialist Project; Composition and Style. Year 2: Fundamentals of Fashion Business; Fashion History and Contexts; Fundamentals of Fashion Marketing; Creative Direction; Fundamentals of Fashion Communication. Year 3: Commercial Context and Employability for the Creative Industries; Advanced Integrated Fashion Communication; Retail and Experiential Marketing; Critical Issues and Debates; Ruskin Module. Year 3 Optional modules: Digital Media Theory: Social Media, AI, and the Cultures of the Internet; Online Journalism; Teenage Kicks: Youth Culture and Media; Anglia Language Programme. Year 4 core modules: Sensorial Marketing; Personal Enterprise: Inspiration and Commercialisation; Major Project. Year 4 optional modules: Working in the Creative Industries; Research Project. Modules are subject to change and availability.

Your progress will be continually evaluated throughout each year in group critiques and presentations, where your practical and theoretical research is reviewed in relation to each project proposal. The Personal Development Plan will also give you a critical tool for self-evaluation.

You will submit coursework at the end of each module, which will include both your completed project work as well as your developmental visual and contextual research, while your critical and contextual studies will be assessed through essays, seminars, visual presentations, and stand-alone contextual modules.

Specific forms of assessment will include research and translation; design/product development and realisation, portfolio/visual communication; critical and contextual studies; market, consumer, and research analysis; and placement reports.