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/filters:format(webp)/prod01/channel_2/media/university-of-south-wales/site-assets/images/03-courses/fashion/fashion-business-marketing-dylan-williams-57214.png)
UCAS Code
WN45
Start Date
September 2027
Location
Cardiff
Campus Code
B
UCAS Points
104
International students: £17,600*
UCAS Code
WF45
Start Date
September 2027
Location
Cardiff
Campus Code
B
UCAS Points
104
Course overview
Our course 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.
Develop hands-on skills in campaign planning, content creation, market research, trend forecasting, buying, and merchandising. Working on live briefs and collaborative projects, you will learn how to turn ideas into effective marketing strategies. The course builds your confidence, creativity, and professional skills so you’re ready for a range of fashion marketing careers.
Our course 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.
Why study this course?
What you'll study
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
We regularly review our courses to keep pace with changing skills and employer needs. If a review leads to significant changes, we’ll contact you to explain what’s changing for the coming year.
Teaching and assessment
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.
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.
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.
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.
Course Leader
Emma Jones
Emma Jones draws on 20 years of experience shaping global brands, bringing industry-led creativity into a fashion-culture-driven marketing experience. As Course Leader, she has designed a dynamic, hands-on learning environment where students create culturally aware content, collaborate with industry voices, and turn ideas into action, bridging the classroom with contemporary fashion culture from day one.
“I had the opportunity to work with Cardiff Fashion Week as they relaunched after a decade. I led a team of marketing students, which was a fantastic experience for networking and gaining industry insights.”
Dylan Williams, Fashion Business and Marketing graduate
Entry Requirements
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.
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.
How to applyContextual admissions policyAsk us a question104 UCAS points or above
Typical qualification requirements
A Level:
BCC
Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate:
Grade C/B in the Skills Challenge Certificate and BC - CC at A Level
BTEC:
BTEC Extended Diploma Distinction Merit Merit
Access to HE:
Pass the Access to HE Diploma with a minimum of 104 UCAS tariff points
T Level:
Pass (C and above)
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.
International studentsPre-Sessional EnglishEnglish 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.
Fees and Funding
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.
As a student of USW, you’ll have access to lots of free resources to support your study and learning, such as textbooks, publications, online journals, laptops, and plenty of remote-access resources. Whilst in most cases these resources are more than sufficient in supporting you with completing your course, additional costs, both obligatory and optional, may be required or requested for the likes of travel, memberships, experience days, stationery, printing, or equipment.
Laptop
PC or Apple. Powerful enough for design and creative marketing software.
Cost: £500-£1000
Textbooks and reference books
Typically - Marketing, Buying, Branding, Promotion
Cost: £20 each
Printing and binding costs
Projects, Reports, Graduation Event
Cost: £100
Project and study materials
Garments and Accessories for Styling, Sketchbooks, Markers, External Hard Drive, Stationary
Cost: £100
Study Trips
Exhibitions, Industry Visits, Museums
Cost: £100
per year
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.
As a student of USW, you’ll have access to lots of free resources to support your study and learning, such as textbooks, publications, online journals, laptops, and plenty of remote-access resources. Whilst in most cases these resources are more than sufficient in supporting you with completing your course, additional costs, both obligatory and optional, may be required or requested for the likes of travel, memberships, experience days, stationery, printing, or equipment.
Laptop
PC or Apple. Powerful enough for design and creative marketing software.
Cost: £500-£1000
Textbooks and reference books
Typically - Marketing, Buying, Branding, Promotion
Cost: £20 each
Printing and binding costs
Projects, Reports, Graduation Event
Cost: £100
Project and study materials
Garments and Accessories for Styling, Sketchbooks, Markers, External Hard Drive, Stationary
Cost: £100
Study Trips
Exhibitions, Industry Visits, Museums
Cost: £100
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Explore our facilities
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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).
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Apply direct
Fashion Marketing
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Full-time, 3 years
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September
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Cardiff
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Apply direct
Fashion Marketing
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Sandwich, 4 years
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September
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Cardiff
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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 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.
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