BA (Hons) Fashion and Fashion Business

Blend creativity with business acumen on our fashion degree. Explore design, marketing, and branding while gaining industry insights and hands-on experience. Prepare for a dynamic career in the fashion industry with versatile skills.

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Typical offer: 112–120
Entry requirements
Fees: £9,250 per year (UK)
Full details
UCAS code: W231
Course length: Full time: three years
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Location:
University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield
Institute code: H36
Work placement option
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Study abroad option
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9th in the UK for art (Daily Mail University Guide, 2025)

Learn from staff who’ve worked with celebrated brands from Gucci to ASOS

93% of graduates are in work or further study 15 months after graduation (Graduate Outcomes, 2021/22)

Course overview

This BA (Hons) Fashion and Fashion Business course merges creative innovation with strategic business insights, perfect for aspiring designers or entrepreneurs. Dive into design, customer psychology and visit famous fashion houses. Gain hands-on experience through practical projects and networking opportunities, preparing you for careers in fashion design, buying, merchandising, or brand management. With access to state-of-the-art facilities and guidance from experienced professionals, you'll graduate with versatile skills and a competitive edge in the global fashion industry.

Why choose this course?

Explore the intersection of creativity and commerce with our BA (Hons) Fashion and Fashion Business course. Perfect for aspiring designers and entrepreneurs, this program equips you with the tools to innovate, market, and thrive in the dynamic global fashion industry.

Industry-standard: Our course is shaped by expert staff with professional experience and strong industry connections, ensuring your studies reflect the latest trends and practices. Guest lectures, live projects, and collaborations with fashion leaders offer valuable insights.

Proximity to London’s fashion scene: Located close to one of the world’s fashion capitals, the University of Hertfordshire gives you access to events, networking opportunities, and internships with renowned designers, retailers, and brands.

Work placement opportunities: Our dedicated Careers and Employment team will guide you through securing the right placement to gain industry experience. Recent students have held placements with huge fashion houses and retailers, while others have chosen smaller, start-up companies closer to home. These experiences provide invaluable hands-on learning and industry connections.

Strong employment prospects: 93% of Herts graduates are in work or further study 15 months after graduating (Graduate Outcomes, 2021/22), with alumni succeeding in roles like fashion buying, styling, and marketing.

Your future career

BA (Hons) Fashion and Fashion Business graduates are well-prepared for diverse roles in the fashion industry, including design, merchandising, marketing, and entrepreneurship. Your skills will be highly valued in the creative sector, as 93% of Herts graduates are in work or further study 15 months after graduation (Graduate Outcomes, 2021/22). Strong industry connections and practical experience gained through the course ensure you are career-ready, with alumni securing positions at leading fashion houses, retailers, and start-ups, or launching their own successful brands.

Typical areas of work for fashion business graduates include:

fashion buyer
merchandiser
fashion designer
product developer
fashion marketing specialist
stylist

After completing the fashion business degree, you’ll hold a versatile skill set that leads to career opportunities spanning various sectors. You will also benefit from CV enhancing opportunities such as employer competitions, insight days, digital programmes, volunteering, student leadership roles, and achievement awards.

See what recent graduates are up to

What you'll study

On this Fashion and Fashion Business course, you'll blend creative design with strategic business acumen, preparing for a dynamic career in the fashion industry. From mastering technical drawing and 3D visualizations to analysing supply chain management and global market strategies, you’ll explore both the creative and commercial sides of fashion. Practical projects, industry insights, and opportunities to develop your portfolio ensure you're equipped with the skills, knowledge, and confidence to succeed in a rapidly evolving global fashion landscape.

In your first year you will learn core skills in fashion design and fashion business. We’ll examine the issues facing contemporary fashion and you’ll be given the opportunity to visit fashion houses to gain insights from industry experts. You’ll practice hand rendering techniques to produce technical drawings, visualising your designs with 2D and 3D technology. You’ll start to develop presentation and portfolio skills and you’ll be equipped with the knowledge to help you sell your ideas.

During your second year you will continue to work on improving your product development skills, whilst exploring your creativity on a deeper level and applying your new-found skills to fashion and fashion business. You’ll explore customer psychology and will focus your research on a global fashion company to produce a detailed case study. You’ll examine their products, branding, business processes and market research.

In your final year, you will work with greater independence, writing a creative and strategic business report to create your dream fashion brand. You will use your research, critical thinking, and communication skills to produce an industry-relevant and engaging report.

Level 4

Module	Credits	Compulsory/optional
Principles of Global Fashion Design (L4)	30 Credits	Compulsory
The module will focus on fashion design for global fashion markets. Students will begin to explore the global influences that shape the contemporary fashion industry, including the conscious fashion agenda and key issues surrounding sustainability. Students will begin to gather specialist fashion and design related research and begin to develop inquiry skills and visualisation techniques. Students will also build practical knowledge learning about materials and fabrication as well as three-dimensional and textile experimentation, sampling and construction on design outcomes through to basic garment realisation.
Fashion: Critical Contexts (L4)	30 Credits	Compulsory
Through a series of lectures, seminars and tutorials, students will be introduced to the notion of fashion as a critical practice, exploring its historical contexts and situating it within broader cultural debates. Module content focuses on critical issues and ideas, which shaped contemporary fashion and continue to emerge, including key movements and theoretical perspectives related to visual culture. Students are encouraged to position themselves in relation to fashion practice as existing at the intersection of fast-evolving creative movements. At Level 4, students will begin to locate their professional practice within wider contextual frameworks.
Concept to Customer (L4)	15 Credits	Compulsory
Through a series of lectures, seminars and workshops, this module provides students with a foundation of understanding of the business of fashion, including the customer, market sector, global supply chain, sales, marketing and associated financials and data at an introductory level. The module focuses on the important relationships within small, medium and large scale operations, how they function, key internal stakeholders and their relationships with external stakeholders across a global supply chain including timelines. Students will be introduced to the language of fashion and fashion business, via key roles and their functions and how the sector operates. Students are encouraged to develop an understanding and awareness of a typical fashion business from concept to customer.
People, Product and Global Markets (L4)	30 Credits	Compulsory
Through a series of lectures, workshops and seminars, students will be encouraged to explore the relationship between people and their role as global consumers of fashion, products and services. Students will be introduced to the notion of customer profiling and the variety of ways in which brands build complex models of their customers and consumer behaviour and attitudes towards fashion brands. Established academic theories and processes are used to underpin student learning in order to contextualise research and apply outcomes to written analytical studies. Students will be able to study the fashion consumer, their behaviour in brick and mortar and online and digital environments and study products and how they are represented across multi channels and markets. Students will be able to gain knowledge of these processes through primary and secondary research and case studies.
Fashion Product Development Process (L4)	15 Credits	Compulsory
This module balances theoretical and the practical aspects of product development through a series of lectures, seminars and workshops. Students will be supported to explore the basic mechanics of both design and garment technology, connecting design to innovative and technical development and manufacture. Students become familiar with industrial skills and technical inquiry to gain a basic understanding of a detailed tech pack, the fitting process basic patterns, grading, sizing, and costing with consideration to the market sector and external factors including ethics and sustainability.

Level 5

Module	Credits	Compulsory/optional
Professional Work Experience 15: Design	15 Credits	Optional
Students may identify a work experience opportunity or have a work experience suggested to them. Before starting students meet with the Programme Leader or their nominated tutor, to agree the impending placement. All aspects of the intended experience are addressed from health and safety to client confidentiality and students are given guidance on behaviour and how to manage expectations. Proposals need to identify an outline work programme, the number of days in placement and the main learning outcomes; and are subject to agreement of the Programme Leader.
Advanced Fashion Product Development (L5)	15 Credits	Compulsory
This module focuses on producing technical industry relevant documents and artefacts building mastery of traditional skills, digital skills and 3D technologies. A deeper understanding of how the varying processes relate to one another and to the supply chain and how these choices determine cost to customer and market level. Students will students will work across a broad range of materials and processes considering functional design choices to formulate self-directed technical and creative outcomes from design to market.
Fashion: Critical Contexts (L5)	30 Credits	Compulsory
Building upon knowledge and study skills established at Level 4, this module encourages students to see the study of critical contexts as a vital tool to further innovative and well-informed practice in fashion. Students will consider a range of theoretical positions and contextual ideas that inform recent and contemporary practice, and use these as a framework to reflect critically upon their own work. By the end of the module, students will be able to form an informed and self-aware critical perspective on key issues facing contemporary fashion, while locating their own practice within cultural and professional contexts. Key areas include various cultural perspectives and theoretical traditions that have shaped contemporary practice in fashion design, business and communication. To complement discipline specific studies, the module will enable students to develop their analytical skills through a variety of theoretical approaches.
Strategic Sales, Marketing and E- Comm (L5)	30 Credits	Compulsory
The aims of this module are to enable students to develop an understanding of the importance of the connection between the Sales, Ecommerce and Marketing departments and what the roles of key personal are within a Global fashion business. Students will be introduced to the tools utilised within these departments in order to understand how to maximise product exposure and sales via digital platforms. Exploring the creative roles behind Sales and marketing strategies will also be key, alongside the financials of budget management and utilising data to aid decision making across the business. How Buying and Merchandisers work within brands to select product and visuals appropriate for the Ecommerce/digital platforms and related consumer. Through a variety of classroom and/or online based learning activities including lectures, seminars, tutorials and industry specialists, students will begin to develop their own areas of interest and how these apply within a given Fashion business.
Buying and Merchandising (L5)	15 Credits	Compulsory
Students will acquire essential knowledge about the role and function of the Fashion Buyer and Merchandiser. This will include an introduction to the principles of strategic business theories and practices used commercially within these roles. Students will be introduced to the 'language' of these key roles and their functions and how they operate within specific fashion market sectors. Students will begin to develop an understanding of contemporary issues facing the global fashion industry via these roles in particular within the areas of consumer and market, product development and viability through to supply chain and finance. The module will provide students with the ability to learn from academic and industry specialists in the field of fashion business and will participate in external education trips to support their learning. As part of an inclusive and accessible curriculum, students will learn via a series of in person face-to-face sessions and online via digital technologies including a series of lecturers, seminars and interactive group activities.
Concept to Customer for Global Markets (L5)	30 Credits	Compulsory
Through case study analysis, primary and secondary research and visual report writing, students will be able to contextualise the business of fashion. The module provides a more in-depth understanding of theories and practices that support the discipline. Emphasis will be on developing students' fashion business knowledge, their analytical, communication, problem solving and evaluation skills that all form vital functions to support a variety of key fashion business roles. This module will further address the importance of the concept to customer route via the understanding of a critical path within a global fashion industry. The inherent processes and strategies required within the remit of fashion business the students will continue to learn about the connection between departments and current job roles within the industry to help them begin to develop their own areas of interest within the industry. Through a combination of internal assignments and/or external live projects, students will begin to apply their learnt skills in a professional setting, typically used within the global fashion industry.

Level 6

Module	Credits	Compulsory/optional
Year Abroad	0 Credits	Optional
The Year Abroad will provide students in Creative Arts with the opportunity to expand, develop and apply the knowledge and skills gained in the first two taught years of the degree within a different organisational and cultural environment in a partner academic institution. The host institution will appoint a Programme Co-ordinator who will oversee the student's programme during the Year Abroad and will liaise with the appointed UH Supervisor.
Analytical Study: Critical Research (L6)	30 Credits	Compulsory
Through this module, students will further develop into self-aware, socially and culturally engaged practitioners with a critical approach to their discipline. This module will enable students to apply their critical and analytical skills in the context of an independent analytical study. They will carry out an in-depth enquiry on an aspect of fashion culture, with an emphasis on the research and analysis of appropriate social, cultural, historical, political and aesthetic issues germane to students' chosen topic. The module will also allow students to work independently and develop an expertise on a topic relevant to the context of their own practice.
Fashion and Fashion Business: Major Project (L6)	60 Credits	Compulsory
Through a series of lectures, seminars and workshops, students embark on a systematic self-initiated and in-depth negotiated Major Project leading to a clear fashion and fashion business related outcome. Through rigorous research, the module enables students to formulate a strong consolidated personal study, reflecting their interests that consider the pertinent cultural, political, economic and environmental issues that shape the global fashion industry. Students are expected to study under a greater level of autonomy leading towards a consolidated body of work, including ideas and concept generation for fashion related business solutions be able to negotiate study outcomes reflecting their personal interests in a fashion business setting. Consolidating their learning and playing to their strengths, students will be supported in making informed decisions about their personal direction. Students will be actively encouraged to apply with rigour, knowledge and understanding of a concept to customer philosophy.
Fashion Communication: Professional Practice and Promotion (L6)	30 Credits	Compulsory
Through a series of lectures, seminars and tutorials, this module enables students to produce a consolidated body of work based on their personal strengths and career aspirations. Demonstrating an advanced understanding of fashion communication for fashion brands, students will embark on self-directed study producing an accomplished body of fashion communication materials at a professional level. A wider observation via discussion and debate will identify and develop creative solutions to fashion business communication issues, including sustainable, ethical, cultural and diverse considerations and the impact these have on their own personal research, practise and awareness. Student can choose whether to link their body of work to the Fashion and Fashion Business: Major Project and Fashion Communication: Major Project areas of study.

What if I need support?

You’ll have a personal tutor to guide you throughout your course, all the way to graduation. If you need additional support during your time with us, rest assured that we’ve got you covered. For help with study skills, including referencing, essay writing and presentations, you’ll have access to our academic support services. You can attend workshops, 1-to-1 sessions and online tutorials. Both our LRCs run drop-in study skills sessions. And the best thing is, it’s all free.

In the School of Creative Arts, we also have a dedicated Student Liaison Officer. You can access academic support with someone who understands the requirements of creative arts courses. Plus, there’s additional support if you have dyslexia. For international students, we also have a Creative Arts International Support Officer. You can feel confident that for all your educational, wellbeing and disability needs, we’ve got you.

Optional sandwich year

Graduate with invaluable work experience alongside your degree and stand out from the crowd. This course offers you the opportunity to enhance your study and CV with a year in industry, typically between your second and third years of study. It’s a chance to explore career possibilities, make valuable contacts and gain sought after professional skills.

Research shows that over 70% of employers prefer students with work experience, which is why we believe work placements are career gold. Our Careers and Employment service are here to support you explore your options and make valuable contacts for your future career.

You’ll pay no tuition fee for this year and won’t need to worry about the details of your placement until your second year of study.

Find out more about work placements

Study Abroad offers the opportunity for an amazing experience, which will help make you stand out from the crowd. With more and more companies working internationally, experience of living in another country can make a great impression on future employers.

This course offers you the opportunity to enhance your study and CV with a sandwich year abroad. The University has partnerships with over 150 universities around the world, including the USA, Canada, Asia, Africa, Australia, South America and closer to home in Europe.

If you study abroad between your second and third year of study, you’ll pay no tuition fee to the partner university and no tuition fee to us either. We’ll ask you to make your decision in your second year, so there is plenty of time to think about it.

Find out more about study abroad options

You’ll pay no tuition fee for this year and won’t need to worry about the details of your placement until your second year of study.

Find out more about work placements

Find out more about study abroad options

Where you'll study

Your main campus is College Lane, this is where the creative arts, science and health-related subjects are based. This means you’ll share the campus with future nurses, scientists, artists and more. You can use the common rooms to relax with friends, work out in the 24-hour gym or have a drink in our on-campus pub or cafes. We also have restaurants for you to eat in or grab something on the go. Our Learning Resources Centres are open 24/7, which means you can study whenever suits you best. Want to pop over to the other campus? You can take the free shuttle bus or walk there in just 15 minutes.

Who you'll learn from

At Herts, you’ll learn from a team of experienced academics, many of whom have professional backgrounds in the fashion industry. They bring expertise in areas such as design, business strategy, and supply chain management, ensuring your learning is informed by real-world practices. The team’s connections with the fashion sector provide insights into contemporary challenges and trends, enriched by guest lectures and live industry projects. This ensures your education is practical, industry-focused, and aligned with the demands of the modern fashion business.

Check out our student blogs

How we support our students

At the University of Hertfordshire, we want to make sure your time studying with us is as stress-free and rewarding as possible.

We offer a range of support services, from childcare to counselling, ensuring that you make the most of your time at Herts and can focus on studying, having fun, and have the support you need.

Find out more about support and wellbeing

Entry requirements

The University of Hertfordshire is committed to welcoming students with a wide range of qualifications and levels of experience. The entry requirements listed on the course pages provide a guide to the minimum level of qualifications needed to study each course. However, we have a flexible approach to admissions and each application will be considered on an individual basis.

Typical offer (UCAS points)	(enter tariff range)
Typical A Level offer	(enter range)
Typical IB offer	(enter range)
Typical BTEC offer	(enter range)
Typical T Level offer	(enter range)
GCSE	EG: Grade 4/C in English Language and 4/D Mathematics
Access courses	EG: An overall merit profile in 45 credits at Level 3.
Additional information	Find out more about our standard and contextual Undergraduate Entry Requirements.

English language	All students from non-majority English speaking countries require proof of English language proficiency, equivalent to an overall IELTS score of 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each band. If you do not have the required IELTS or equivalent for direct entry on to your degree programme, our Pre-sessional English and International Foundation courses can help you to achieve this level.
Additional information	Find out more about International Entry Requirements.

English language

All students from non-majority English speaking countries require proof of English language proficiency, equivalent to an overall IELTS score of 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each band.

If you do not have the required IELTS or equivalent for direct entry on to your degree programme, our Pre-sessional English and International Foundation courses can help you to achieve this level.

Additional information

Find out more about International Entry Requirements.

Typical offer (UCAS points)	112–120
Typical A Level offer	BBC–BBB (Creative subjects preferred)
Typical IB offer	112–120 points from a minimum of 2 HL subjects at H4 or above to include Visual Arts at SL or HL (with the remaining points to come from a combination of HL, SL and Core)
Typical BTEC offer	DMM–DDM
Typical T Level offer	Accepted T Levels: Design Survey & Planning for Construction; Digital Production, Design & Development; Education and Childcare; Healthcare Science; Health; Science; Digital Support Services; Digital Business Services; Onsite Construction; Building Services Engineering for Construction; Accounting; Design and Development for Engineering and Manufacturing; Engineering, Manufacturing, Processing and Control; Finance; Maintenance, Installation and Repair for Engineering and Manufacturing; Management and Administration; Agriculture, Land management and Production; Legal Services
GCSE	Grade 4/C in English Language and 4/C Mathematics.
Access courses	Diploma with 45 Level 3 credits at Merit
Additional information	Portfolio: Presentation of an acceptable portfolio of artwork. Find out more about our standard and contextual Undergraduate Entry Requirements.

English language	All students from non-majority English speaking countries require proof of English language proficiency, equivalent to an overall IELTS score of 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each band. If you do not have the required IELTS or equivalent for direct entry on to your degree programme, our Pre-sessional English and International Foundation courses can help you to achieve this level.
Additional information	Find out more about International Entry Requirements.

English language

All students from non-majority English speaking countries require proof of English language proficiency, equivalent to an overall IELTS score of 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each band.

If you do not have the required IELTS or equivalent for direct entry on to your degree programme, our Pre-sessional English and International Foundation courses can help you to achieve this level.

Additional information

Find out more about International Entry Requirements.

Ready to apply?

UK and EU applicants with pre-settled/settled status in the UK

Start date	Study type	Apply
September 2025	Full time	Apply via UCAS
	Full time with placement year	Apply via UCAS
	Full time with study abroad year	Apply via UCAS
September 2026	Full time	Apply via UCAS
	Full time with placement year	Apply via UCAS
	Full time with study abroad year	Apply via UCAS

International and EU applicants without pre-settled status in the UK

Apply through our international/EU application portal

Apply through Clearing

Make sure you've got your UCAS number, if you've got one (you can find this on your UCAS Hub), your results (including GCSEs, A levels, BTECs or equivalent) and the course(s) you'd like to apply for.

Apply online and get an instant response

Click to call or dial 0300 303 6300

Find out more before you apply

Our Clearing hotline is open Monday – Thursday, 09:00 – 16:45, and Friday 09:00 – 15:45. To apply you will need your UCAS number, if you've got one (you can find this on your UCAS Hub), your results (including GCSEs, A levels, BTECs or equivalent) and the course(s) you'd like to apply for.

Fees and funding

At Herts, we’re dedicated to providing world-class teaching supported by industry-level facilities and incredible social spaces. We believe cost shouldn’t be a barrier to higher education, and we strive to keep both our standard and additional costs as low as possible.

	Study type	Fees
UK students	Full time	£9,535 for the 2025/2026 academic year
EU students	Full time	£15,965 for the 2025/2026 academic year
International students	Full time	£15,965 for the 2025/2026 academic year

Tuition fees are charged annually. The fees quoted above are for the specified year(s) only. Fees may be higher in future years, for both new and continuing students. Please see the University’s Fees and Finance Policy (and in particular the section headed “When tuition fees change”), for further information about when and by how much the University may increase its fees for future years.

Scholarships, grants and bursaries	Depending on your circumstances, you may be eligible for a non-repayable scholarship, grant or bursary to support your studies.
Disabled Students' Allowance	The Disabled Students’ Allowance can cover any study-related costs you have because of a mental health problem, long term illness or any other disability.
Student loans	Find out about securing a student loan, from how much you could be eligible for to when you need to start making repayments.
Accommodation costs	We offer a great choice of student accommodation, on campus or nearby in the local area, to suit every student budget.
Additional course fees	Read more about additional fees in the course fact sheet.

More about the course

Course fact sheets
BA (Hons) Fashion and Fashion Business	Download PDF

Programme specifications
BA (Hons) Fashion and Fashion Business	Download PDF

Additional information
Applications open to international and EU students	Yes
Course length	Full Time, 3 YearsPart Time, 6 YearsSandwich, 4 Years

BA (Hons) Fashion and Fashion Business

Blend creativity with business acumen on our fashion degree. Explore design, marketing, and branding while gaining industry insights and hands-on experience. Prepare for a dynamic career in the fashion industry with versatile skills.

Typical offer: 112–120

Fees: £9,250 per year (UK)

UCAS code: W231

Course length: Full time: three years

Location: University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield

Institute code: H36

Work placement option

Study abroad option

Course overview

Why choose this course?

Your future career

See what recent graduates are up to

Niamh Macleod

Niamh Macleod

Niamh’s Flare journey

An enterprising student experience

Advice for other enterprising students and graduates

What you'll study

What if I need support?

Optional sandwich year

Work Placement

Study Abroad

Where you'll study

Who you'll learn from

Check out our student blogs

Neofytos - My week at a glance

Neofytos - Why I love my Course

Neofytos - Why I chose Herts

How we support our students

At the University of Hertfordshire, we want to make sure your time studying with us is as stress-free and rewarding as possible.

Student Blogs

My week at a glance.

Student Blogs

What I love most about my course.

Student Blogs

Why I chose Herts.

Entry requirements

UK applicants

International applicants

UK applicants

International applicants

Ready to apply?

UK applicants

UK and EU applicants with pre-settled/settled status in the UK

International applicants

International and EU applicants without pre-settled status in the UK

Apply through Clearing

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

Additional information

More about the course

Further information

Not ready to apply?

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Location:
University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield