BA (Hons)

Fashion Marketing

Develop the creative, strategic, and ethical skills to succeed in the global fashion industry. Through live projects, employer collaboration, and real-world challenges, you will learn how fashion marketing shapes culture, drives innovation, and builds powerful brands in a fast-moving digital world.

How to apply Apply through UCAS Book an Open Day Chat to Us

Key Course Details

  • UCAS Code

    WN45

  • Start Date

    September

  • Location

    Cardiff

  • Campus Code

    B

Fees

  • Home students

    £9,790*

  • International students

    £16,800*

  • Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits.

  • UCAS Code

    WF45

  • Start Date

    September

  • Location

    Cardiff

  • Campus Code

    B

Fees

  • Home students

    £9,790*

  • International students

    £16,800*

  • Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits.
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BA (Hons) Fashion Marketing teaches you how fashion brands connect with audiences and influence culture. Through creative and practical learning, you will explore branding, digital marketing, and consumer insight, giving you the upper hand for a career in fashion marketing.

DESIGNED FOR

BA (Hons) Fashion Marketing is for creative, curious thinkers who want to understand how fashion brands connect, grow, and influence culture. You don’t need a fashion background, just ambition and ideas. If you want to combine creativity with business, strategy and turn insight into impact, this course is for you.

Career Paths

  • Fashion Marketing Manager
  • Social Media Manager
  • Public Relations (PR) Specialist
  • Fashion Buyer
  • Fashion Merchandiser

Skills taught

  • Strategic Brand Management
  • Consumer and Trend Analysis
  • Creative Digital Communication
  • Commercial and Buying Insight
  • Professional and Leadership Skills

Course Highlights

Live Industry Projects

Work on employer-led briefs and real fashion marketing challenges from day one.

Think Creative. Act Strategic.

Build expertise in branding, consumer insight, digital marketing, and campaign strategy.

Define your path

Focus on areas such as brand management, communications, buying, merchandising, or entrepreneurship.

Career-Focused Learning

Gain practical experience, industry connections, and the confidence to enter fashion marketing roles.

Collaboration with industry

Partners include SIZE?, NEXT, Oxfam Cymru, Unify Brand Partnerships and Hiut Denim.

fashion-marketing-video-thumbnail

Module Overview

In your first year, you will explore how the fashion industry works collaborating with fashion design to work on live industry projects from day one. From branding and consumer insight to buying and merchandising. You will develop creative, commercial, and communication skills. You will also build your network and find a home on the course here at USW.

Product Launch: Fashion that Makes a Difference  
This introductory module helps you settle into university while exploring how the fashion industry works. You will learn the foundations of research, consumer insight, branding, and marketing through workshops and a live brief. 

Styling the Self: Fashion, Trends, and Cultural Signals  
Explore how identity, culture, and society shape fashion. You will study consumer psychology, trends, and visual language, combining marketing and design to develop purposeful, research-led creative solutions. 

 

Brand Remix: Create, Collaborate, Innovate  
Collaborate across several courses to respond to a live brief. Using design thinking and teamwork, you will develop branding ideas, creative confidence, and professional skills for industry.

Add to Cart: Fashion, Forecasts and Profit 
This module introduces fashion buying and merchandising. You will learn how products are sourced, priced, and sold, while exploring AI, data analytics, and supply chains shaping today’s digital fashion marketplace. 

 

In your second year, you will deepen your digital, creative, and commercial expertise. You will design data-driven campaigns, respond to interdisciplinary challenges, and apply your skills through e-commerce projects. You can explore either sustainable product development or media & communications. At the end of this year you also have the option to take an industry placement year where you will gain valuable experience.

The Grid: Digital Marketing and Social Media  
This module develops your digital marketing expertise. You will design data-driven fashion campaigns using AI and emerging technologies, applying theory to practice while considering sustainability, ethics, and evolving consumer experiences. 

The Drop: Product Development for Fashion (Option 1) 
Explore product development from concept to market, connecting design with commercial strategy. You will use sustainable approaches, blockchain transparency, and 3D prototyping tools to make informed, responsible buying decisions. 

Have you seen my Stories? (Option 2) 
Find your creative direction, visual storytelling, fashion media, and emerging technologies including generative AI. Through workshops and projects, you will create compelling visual and written content, producing a final media piece that showcases your creative strategy and communication skills. 

 

Runway to Change  
Work across teams from a variety of courses to tackle a live strategic brief. You will develop transferable skills, strengthen problem-solving, and collaborate across subject areas to deliver a project-based solution. 

Swipe To Buy  
Apply your marketing knowledge to the world of digital fashion retail. Using analytics, AI tools, and customer journey mapping, you will design a data-driven e-commerce concept through a live industry brief, building a professional portfolio that strengthens your employability. 

Industry Experience Year  
You will have the opportunity to complete a year-long industry or international placement, gaining valuable professional experience in the UK or abroad. With university support throughout the application process, you will build your CV and reflect on your growth as a future industry professional. 

In your final year, you will shape your own career direction. You will develop strategic brand proposals, explore future innovations, and build a professional portfolio, graduating with confidence, commercial insight, and industry-ready expertise.

The Brand Pivot   
Analyse a fashion brand’s strategy through a detailed audit and market research. You will develop a forward-thinking proposal, choosing from marketing, campaigns, product innovation, collaborations, or digital solutions, and present your strategy through a professional report and pitch. 

Style Disruptors
Research about the future of fashion marketing by analysing emerging technologies, product innovation, and cultural change. You will choose brands aligned with your career goals and develop forward-thinking strategies that challenge convention and shape the industry’s next evolution. 

 

 

Statement Piece
Collaborate with other USW students to respond to a live or future-focused industry challenge. Working with an external partner and a USW Accelerator, you will use design thinking and agile methods to prototype bold, market-ready creative solutions. 

Style Your Success: Portfolio and Networking Essentials
Take ownership of your professional future by building your portfolio, personal brand, and job application materials. Through industry engagement, networking, and interview preparation, you will graduate with confidence, adaptability, and entrepreneurial skills for fashion marketing careers or further study. 

 

Course Highlights

How you’ll learn

At USW Fashion our students learn through immersive, challenge-based projects that reflect real fashion industry practice. Live briefs, employer collaborations, and interdisciplinary teamwork help you build creative confidence and strategic skills. Teaching is workshop-led, interactive, and student-centred, combining guided study with digital learning. As you progress, you will move from foundational knowledge to independent, professional practice, developing industry networks, bilingual communication skills, and career-ready confidence.

How you'll be assessed

Assessment is based on real-world, industry-focused projects that reflect fashion marketing practice. You will pitch campaigns, analyse consumer data, develop brand strategies, and respond to live briefs, both independently and in teams. As you progress, expectations increase, with more independence and professional-level outcomes. Regular feedback and reflection help you understand what’s required and improve your work. Sustainability and ethical thinking are built into every stage. You will also use AI responsibly as a creative and research tool, making sure your work shows clear thinking and originality, and prepares you for employment, enterprise, or further study. 

Placements

Build real-world fashion experience while you study. Through live industry projects, internships and self-initiated placements, you’ll step beyond the classroom and into professional practice. We work with established brand partners to offer meaningful opportunities, while our dedicated Careers team actively supports you in securing wider industry experience aligned with your ambitions. Whether your interests lie in buying, marketing, merchandising, retail or creative roles, you’ll gain hands-on insight in fast-paced, commercial environments. With tailored career guidance, collaborative briefs and professional mentoring, you’ll grow your network, sharpen your CV and graduate industry-ready, confident and connected.

Facilities

Study at the heart of Cardiff city centre, immersed in the capital’s creative energy. Our specialist studios mirror real industry environments, giving you access to Fashion Design Studios, Fashion Photography Studios and a professional Media Loans service stocked with industry-standard cameras and lighting. Work with CLO 3D and Adobe Design Software while drawing inspiration from monthly fashion magazines, a massive specialist library, consumer reports and academic journals. These professional facilities and resources support content creation, campaign development and trend forecasting, making sure you graduate with future-ready digital skills and hands-on experience aligned with industry expectations.

Student Stories

Dylan sits at a desk, dressed in stylish attire, with a bright yellow wall in the background.
From selling vintage clothes to university success

Dylan Williams

Fashion Marketing student

Fashion design student working on a piece of clothing, using a sewing machine in a fashion studio
Designing my future as a fashion student

Michalina Zukowska

Fashion Design student

Fashion graduate, Sam, stands in front of sign to her copywriting event
Studying Fashion Promotion at USW was one of the best experiences of my life

Sam Ball

Fashion Promotion graduate

Fashion student, Paige, adjusts a models outfit during her time as an intern with Givenchy
My placement at Givenchy would not have been possible without USW

Paige Leach

Fashion Design student

Student smiling into camera, in the background there is a mirror and tailors mannequin.
Preparing for the future with thanks to placements

Ananya Dcruz

Fashion Promotion student

Fashion students Elisedd and Anna pose for a photo during their placement at couture designer Randi Rahm in New York
Breaking into the Fashion industry in New York

Elisedd Howells

Fashion Design student

features-charlotte-carr.jpg
Growing with global brands through my digital marketing internship

Charlotte Carr

Fashion graduate

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

UCAS points: 104 (or above)

Typical qualification requirements:

  • A Level: BCC
  • BTEC: BTEC Extended Diploma Distinction Merit Merit
  • Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate: Grade C/B in the Skills Challenge Certificate and BC - CC at A Level
  • Access to HE: Pass the Access to HE Diploma with a minimum of 104 UCAS tariff points.
  • T Level: Pass (C and above)

Additional requirements include:

The University normally requires a minimum 5 GCSEs including Mathematics/Numeracy and English at Grade C or Grade 4 or above, or their equivalent, but consideration is given to individual circumstances.

Selection for this course is based on a suitable application. If you do not meet the entry criteria you may also be required to attend an interview to help us assess your suitability for the course.

International applications welcomed:

We welcome international applications with equivalent qualifications of our entry requirements. For more details related to your country of residence, please view our dedicated country pages.

English language requirements

International applicants will need to have achieved an overall of IELTS 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each component/TOEFL 4 overall and a minimum of 4 in each component or equivalent.

Equivalents can be located on our English Language pages.

If you have previously studied through the medium of English, IELTS might not be required, please visit our country specific page for further details. If your country is not featured, please contact us.

If you do not meet the English entry criteria, please visit our Pre-Sessional course pages.

Contextual offers

We may make you a lower offer based on a range of factors, including your background (where you live and the school or college that you attended, for example), your experiences and individual circumstances (as a care leaver, for example). This is referred to as a contextual offer, and we receive data from UCAS to support us in making these decisions.

USW prides itself on its student experience and we support our students to achieve their goals and become a successful graduate. This approach helps us to support students who have the potential to succeed and who may have faced barriers that make it more difficult to access university.

 

We're here to help

Whether you a have a question about your course, fees and funding, the application process or anything else, there are plenty of ways you can get in touch, and we'd love to talk to you. You can contact our friendly admissions team by phone, email or chat to us online.

 

Fees and Funding

UK Full-time Fee

£9,790

per year*
International Full-time Fee

£16,800

per year*
International Full-time Fee

£16,800

per year*

Further Information

Studying at university is one of the most significant investments you'll ever make. Whilst you’re studying, you’ll have two main financial obligations – tuition fees and living costs. There’s lots of financial help available from the University of South Wales and external funding sources, that may provide loans (which have to be paid back) and grants, scholarships and bursaries (that don't).

*Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits. Once enrolled, the fee is anticipated to remain at the same rate throughout the duration of your study on this course except as described below.

Please be aware that we may increase the maximum fee for home students on full-time undergraduate courses only where the Welsh Government increases the permitted level of inflation of fees. Fees for all students (including part-time, postgraduate and international students) may be amended in accordance with our applicable Fees and Debt Management Policy.  We will ensure that students are given clear, intelligible, unambiguous and timely information about our courses and costs in good time, ahead of the next academic year.

 

Fees and Funding Scholarships and Bursaries Cost of Living Support

Additional Costs

Laptop

PC or Apple. Powerful enough for design and creative marketing software.         

£500-£1000

Textbooks and reference books

Typically - Marketing, Buying, Branding, Promotion

£20 each

Printing and binding costs

Projects, Reports, Graduation Event

£100

Project and study materials

Garments and Accessories for Styling, Sketchbooks, Markers, External Hard Drive, Stationary             

£100

Study Trips

Exhibitions, Industry Visits, Museums

£100

Careers and Employability

Graduate careers

You will graduate with the skills and confidence to succeed across the fashion and creative industries. Typical career paths include Marketing Manager, Social Media Manager, PR Specialist, Fashion Buyer, Merchandiser, Visual Merchandiser, Stylist, Creative Director, Content Creator, Producer, Entrepreneur, Educator, or Trainer. 

Throughout your studies, you will develop highly valued professional skills including commercial awareness, innovative problem-solving, leadership, project management, adaptable communication, and digital confidence. By the time you graduate, you will be able to think strategically, respond creatively to change, and deliver professional outcomes in fast-moving, technology-driven environments. 

Industry partners

Engage with local, national, and international fashion brands including NEXT, SIZE?, Cotopaxi, Palladium, Teva, LUSH, Ellesse, Hiut Denim, Green Man Festival, BBC, S4C, and Cowshed Communications. 

Through live briefs, competitions, guest talks, mentorship, internships, and placement opportunities, you will gain direct insight into professional practice. These industry connections give you valuable experience, exposure to real commercial challenges, and opportunities to build networks that support your future career in fashion marketing. 

Careers support

You will be supported throughout your studies and beyond by dedicated careers advisers with experience in fashion marketing. You will have access to one-to-one guidance, CV and portfolio support, interview preparation, career assessments, and an employer database of over 2,000 organisations, plus regular job alerts. 

University Quality Assurance

At USW, we regularly review our courses in response to changing patterns of employment and skills demand to ensure we offer learning designed to reflect today’s student needs and tomorrow’s employer demands.

If during a review process course content is significantly changed, we’ll write to inform you and talk you through the changes for the coming year. But whatever the outcome, we aim to equip our students with the skillset and the mindset to succeed whatever tomorrow may bring. Your future, future-proofed.

Life at USW

Halls are a big part of your student experience and there’s accommodation at all three of our locations. If you don’t want to live near the campus, there are great transport links to keep you connected.

A student sat smiling and talking to friends off camera in Treforest Student's Union
Student Life
Exterior view of the University's Cardiff Campus.
Cardiff Campus
A double room at our Pontypridd accommodation featuring a large window.
Accommodation

Working within the E-Commerce team I was able to continue assisting with brands like Cotopaxi, Reef and Feetures as well as getting introduced a few of their newer brands such as Kizik and Ipanema.

Charlotte Carr

Fashion graduate and former intern at Unify Brand Partnerships

How to apply

All applications for full-time undergraduate courses or foundation degrees should be made via UCAS. Take the next step: Apply through UCAS. You can apply to us directly for all part-time undergraduate courses, if you’re seeking advanced entry or you’re an international student. To apply directly, please choose the application form below for your preferred start date and mode of study (full-time or part-time).

Advanced entry

If you already have a relevant qualification or experience related to the course you're applying for, you may be eligible to start at a later stage of the course. For example, students from partner colleges can ‘top up’ their qualifications to a degree by joining us in Year Two or Year Three of a course. This process is known as ‘advanced entry’, you can apply directly to the University for 'advanced entry' using the application forms provided above.

Applicants accepted through advanced entry may study a different combination of modules to those advertised, as they will be joining a course already in progress. You will be contacted and advised about these modules once your application has been processed and an offer made.

International admissions

International applicants can apply to us directly. If the University has an in-country team in your region, your application will be assigned to them for assistance.
 

Next Steps

How to apply
Apply Through UCAS
Book an Open Day
Chat to Us