In the final stage of the programme, over the summer term, you will focus on your final Master’s project that gives you the freedom to take your design practice in your own individual direction. This is the culmination of the course, and the opportunity for you to develop and exhibit an inquiry-based independent project, that evidences all of the practical, conceptual and professional learning throughout the year.     

You will lead the project, but you will be supported and facilitated throughout the journey, with regular group seminars, 1:1 tutorials and technical support, to help you realise your final outcomes that evidence the depth of your research and your professional skills and expertise.    

We encourage you to think about the dissemination of your work, building relationships with your audience and/or future customers and developing your online presence or personal brand. You will also be supported in perfecting a professional portfolio that serves your design ambitions for the future.   

The MA culminates in a group showcase and catalogue, in which you will consider the professional and public presentation of your final projects, working together to design and promote a public event and publication that celebrate the end of your postgraduate studies, and which mark your next step towards your creative future.   

Past Independent Major Projects have included: fashion collections, publications; digital campaigns; performances and experimental workshops; fashion magazine concepts; fashion and accessory designs; participatory installations; social campaigns; interactive designs; charity campaigning; projects developed for digital fashion and augmented and virtual reality technologies; experimental fashion practice; fashion branding projects.   

The course provides you with a dedicated context to develop a bespoke strategy for your professional development, including applying for opportunities such as work experience, finding mentorships, residencies, or internships, helping you to develop industry contacts, build your CV, develop your creative portfolio, and to prepare you for work in a variety of roles in the cultural and creative industries, as well as establishing an independent art or design practice.   

Our collaboration with industry partner, Hearst UK, is a distinctive feature of the second term of the course. Through an initial series of industry-related talks, curated by Hearst, and open to all students, Hearst employees provide invaluable perspectives on employment in the post-pandemic creative industries. Then, each year sees a different department at Hearst setting a competitive creative brief, resulting in an invitation to our MA students to pitch their creative responses to the brief in one of the boardrooms at House of Hearst, in Central London. A panel of Hearst creatives selects their favourite responses, and the shortlisted students then progress to a second stage of scheme, during which they spend some time at Hearst. The final stage is the opportunity to apply for a paid internship at Hearst. Whilst the scheme is not a guarantee of further engagement with Hearst, previous students have gone on to further work experiences with Hearst across departments at Esquire, ELLE, Red, and ELLE Ukraine, Digital Spy, the Hearst Accreditation teams, as well as other departments. These experiences, and the perspectives arising from them, have helped previous students develop lasting professional contacts.  

Students may additionally identify their own limited period of work experience whilst on the course, during Study Block 2, which then forms the basis for the writing of a professional context report. This is also a means of developing working relationships with potential industry partners. For example, an MA student who recently developed a Professional Context report on the subject of NFTs and cryptocurrency used the experience to obtain a graphic design job at Wyre, a company providing crypto infrastructure for the New Economy.  

In addition, you will gain insight into industry through competitions, external projects and opportunity to engage in live briefs. Our art & design collaborations with the University of Cambridge provide unique opportunities for our students to engage with a range of opportunities to add this prestigious educational context to their CVs. Successful application to the Cambridge Creative Encounters scheme sees MA students receiving funding for developing art and design collaborations with University of Cambridge researchers. Our programme of Visiting Lecturers has included innovative professionals working across art and design, including Professor Timotheus Vermeulen; Futurologist Anne-Lise Kjaer; Inter-disciplinary fine artist, Alison Gibb; Elana Jeeaoo, Senior Visual Designer at Zoe; and Rifke Sadleir and Dan Baragwanath of DXR Zone, to name but a few. 

The course provides students with the experience and expertise to pursue career possibilities in the expanding creative industries and cultural sector in the UK and worldwide.     

Career advice is embedded throughout the programme. Teaching is provided by a team of experienced and industry-active staff and supported by Visiting Lecturers in practice and/or industry, working in the fields of fashion design practice and education, fashion design, graphic design, digital media and communications, photography, illustration, fine art, curating and criticism, craft and product design and design research.    

As well as futures in fashion media, this course prepares students for careers as freelance stylists, fashion editors, Fashion PR specialists, visual merchandisers, e-commerce and marketing officers, trend and colour analysts, fashion brand managers and strategists, product editors and fashion event planners. Other future career opportunities include fashion management; product development; luxury brand management; marketing; buying; retail; consultancy; logistics; ethics and sustainability; and fashion journalism.