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Introduction

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Location

Institution code: D26

Course Length

UCAS course code: W23A
Duration: Three years full-time, four years full-time with a placement. Six years part-time.

Why choose this course?

Key features

 We are recognised as one of the country’s most sustainable fashion and textiles schools (Green Gown Awards, 2021) and one of the best fashion schools in the world for 2022 (CEOWORLD, 2022).
 Learn what you’ll need – including communication and an understanding of fashion business – for a career in today’s fashion and buying industries.
 Draw upon the expertise of fashion industry insiders to build your knowledge and ready yourself for a career in merchandising, or a related role.
 Understand the figures in fashion finance – the budgets, trading forecasts, effective sales analysis and planning.
 Develop industry-recognised merchandising expertise through an understanding of range building, sales forecasting, critical path management and presentation skills.
 Take part in our international experience programme, DMU Global. Students have benefited from trips to Porto, Antwerp, Amsterdam, Hong Kong and New York, meeting key influencers at top fashion brands.
 Take up a one-year placement opportunity within or outside the UK. Our students have experienced life at Tommy Hilfiger, O'Neill, Next, Marks & Spencer, Reiss, George, Selfridges, River Island, Joules, G-Star, Mamas & Papas, and at several supply bases. Many go on to work for these big brands, or are now running their own successful businesses.
 Utilise an award-winning design space – the Vijay Patel Building – containing specialist facilities to foster fresh ideas and creativity.
 Benefit from Education 2030, where a simplified ‘block learning’ timetable means you will study one subject at a time and have more time to engage with your learning, receive faster feedback and enjoy a better study-life balance.

Overview

Learn about the diverse roles and responsibilities of a fashion buyer and merchandiser, and explore the associated roles that are key within the modern fashion industry.

You’ll develop in-depth knowledge of the buying cycle and the critical path, and key activities around trading the range, reacting to sales and managing sales promotions. The merchandising pathway focuses on the numbers behind buying a fashion range, its selection process and strategic stock management.

We will nurture your professional practice through personal development planning, as well as guided research and critical reasoning. We place strong emphasis on sustainability and social responsibility, ensuring that you will graduate with the tools to drive innovation at all stages of the buying process.

The fashion industry is evolving with the shift in fashion retailing from high street to commerce. We work alongside industry professionals to put your learning into context and will equip you with the skills and adaptability to take on the challenges of our rapidly changing industry.

Modules

First year

 Block 1: Fashion Consumer and Marketplace
 Block 2: Fashion Business
 Block 3: Fashion Lifecycle
 Block 4 Sustainable Futures

Second year

 Block 1: Buying and Professional Practice
 Block 2: Design Innovation and Sustainable Futures
 Block 3: Fashion Buying Professional Practice
 Block 4: Fashion Merchandising

Third year

 Block 1 and 2: Sustainable Sourcing and Supply Management, and Strategic Fashion Merchandising
 Block 3 and 4: Major Research Project

Entry Criteria

ENTRY REQUIRED DOCUMENTS
Home Office Share Code
For EU students only.

IF no Qualification
Please provide CV with at least 2 years of work experience, and employee reference letter.
Entry criteria

Typical entry requirements

We welcome applicants from a range of backgrounds.

 Art and Design Foundation or
 112 points from at least 2 A ‘levels
 BTEC Extended Diploma DMM
 International Baccalaureate: 26+ Points or
 T Levels Merit

Plus five GCSEs grades 9-4 including English Language or Literature at grade 4 or above.

 Pass Access with 30 Level 3 credits at Merit and GCSE English (Language or Literature) at grade 4 or above

We will normally require students to have had a break from full time education before undertaking the Access course.

 We also accept the BTEC First Diploma plus two GCSEs including English Language or Literature at grade 4 or above

English language requirements

If English is not your first language an IELTS score of 6.0 overall with 5.5 in each band (or equivalent) when you start the course is essential.

English language tuition, delivered by our British Council-accredited Centre for English Language Learning, is available both before and throughout the course if you need it.

Assessment

ASSESSMENT METHODS

1. INTERNAL ENGLISH TEST if you don't have an English accredited certificate
2. Academic Interview
Teaching and assessments

Structure

This includes design studio practice, formal lectures, group seminars, tutorials, lab work and practical workshops. There are regular tutorials and reviews which allow you to reflect and develop your work ready for your final presentation at the end of the year.

Contact hours

You will be taught through a combination of lectures, tutorials, seminars, group work and self-directed study. Assessment is through coursework (presentations, essays and reports) Your precise timetable will depend on the optional modules you choose to take, however, in your first year you will normally attend around 15 hours of timetabled taught sessions (lectures and tutorials) each week, and we expect you to undertake at least 25 further hours of independent study to complete project work and research.

Awards and memberships

Ranked as one of the best fashion schools in the world for 2022 (CEOWORLD, 2022) and in the top 10 in the UK for 'career after 15 months' (The Guardian University Guide 2022), our innovative and widely-respected courses help prepare students for fulfilling futures in this fast-paced industry.

Green Gown Award

The School of Fashion and Textiles won the Next Generation Learning and Skills Award in the Green Gowns Awards 2021 and received global recognition in the International Green Gown Awards 2022. These awards are the gold standard for sustainability in universities around the world and this puts DMU at the forefront of sustainable fashion and textiles education in the UK. Sustainability is at the heart of our curriculum and teaching, empowering our students to be agents of change within the industry.

UK Fashion and Textiles Association

We are members of the UK Fashion and Textile Association which ensures our teaching stays up to date with the latest developments in the sector and provides valuable industry links that enhance our courses.

Career Opportunities

Placements

This course gives you the option to enhance and build your professional skills to progress within your chosen career, through a placement. Our dedicated team offers a range of careers resources and opportunities so you can start planning your future.

We have excellent links with the fashion industry, ensuring you work on industry relevant projects and client briefs to gain more experience and build your external reputation before you graduate. This invaluable experience can enrich student capabilities and their final-year projects. Students have gone to big brands including Reiss, Boohoo, ASOS, George at Asda, Ralph Lauren, Timberland, Matalan, and O’Neill (Amsterdam).

DMU Global

Our innovative international experience programme DMU Global aims to enrich studies, broaden cultural horizons and develop key skills valued by employers.

Through DMU Global, we offer an exciting mix of overseas, on-campus and online international experiences, including the opportunity to study or work abroad for up to a year.

Students on this course have recently been to Porto, where they learnt about the fashion manufacturing cycle by visiting spinners, knitters, dye houses and manufacturers – culminating in a simulated design and negotiation task with suppliers. New York trips have involved visits to local museums, colleges, suppliers, product data management head offices, and a tour and talk at Gap’s head office.

Graduate careers

Our graduates go on to work in a variety of areas within fashion buying. Recent employers include ASOS, Selfridges, Next, Reiss, Marks & Spencer, River Island, and Joules, among many others.

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