The MA Fashion Entrepreneurship in Design and Brand Innovation programme adopts a learner centred, couture style pedagogical model, with a strong emphasis on professional practice embedded within a specialised boutique incubation environment. Designed to nurture versatile designer entrepreneurs, the course cultivates individuals capable of conceptualising, leading, and managing innovative fashion ventures across the creative industries.
Throughout this dynamic incubation programme, learners engage in a rigorous process of market identification, brand positioning, and the development of a design led collection, underpinned by a robust and theoretically informed business strategy. Embracing both practical and research driven methods, the programme integrates niche entrepreneurial thinking, innovative design practices, and critical theoretical frameworks to foster distinctive, future-facing brand concepts.
By combining immersive hands-on experience with academic inquiry, the programme ensures graduates are not only industry-ready but also capable of contributing meaningfully to the evolving discourse of fashion entrepreneurship and innovation.
The MA Fashion Entrepreneurship in Design and Brand Innovation has been purposefully designed with enterprise creation as a defining and distinctive feature. While the primary focus is to develop graduates ready to launch their own fashion ventures, the breadth and depth of knowledge acquired throughout the programme also position them as highly competitive candidates for the wider commercial market. Graduates are equipped to work as freelancers, consultants, or pursue employment within relevant sectors, leveraging the entrepreneurial and creative skillsets gained.
Central to our approach is a practice based; design led educational model that professionally ‘incubates’ students as aspiring designer entrepreneurs. Within our specialist studio environment, learners are encouraged to evolve their craft and creative direction in parallel with strategic business thinking.
Through an integrated curriculum that balances creative innovation with business acumen, students cultivate a comprehensive portfolio of personal, professional, and entrepreneurialcompetencies. These range from identifying market gaps and designing compelling fashion concepts, to managing production, constructing business models, and preparing for market entry.
This immersive and industry responsive course aims to develop globally agile professionals capable of creating, leading, and managing fashion enterprises. Activities span start-up business development, brand innovation, and the design and production of fashion collections each contextualised within a dynamic, entrepreneurial framework.
This course integrates advanced expertise in fashion design and construction, brand development and innovation, and enterprise strategy and management. Learners are expected to confidently identify niche brand opportunities, apply contemporary and professional practices to collection development, and operate at the intersection of design innovation and entrepreneurial thinking.
A blend of seminar-based discourse and studio led project work forms the foundation of the learning experience. Through this, you will develop a sophisticated and industry ready body of work, critically examine contextual and theoretical frameworks, and apply specialised knowledge in the advancement of brand and design led innovation.
The course modules are structured to support the professionalisation of your practice, using an experiential, practice led assessment model that is contextually grounded and aligned with your individual area of creative and commercial interest.
You will benefit from access to expert academic and industry mentorship, robust professional networks, and on-site fashion atelier facilities, all of which contribute to a stimulating environment in which to develop your entrepreneurial identity and creative voice.
Assessment is 100% through coursework. You will receive feedback throughout each module and will be awarded a grade.
Depending on the module, you may be assessed through:
2D visual research and design development work
3D development work, garment construction and fashion development
Practical and digital portfolio work
Marketing analysis, finance and enterprise plans
In person, digital and visual presentations
Exhibition curation and collection presentation
Students on this programme will benefit from an immersive and professionally ‘incubated’ experience, where applied and experiential learning is deeply integrated into their ongoing professional development.
In addition to hands on practice within our contemporary design studios, the incubation initiative is driven by a dynamic mentorship scheme led by the academic and executive team. This approach fosters an entrepreneurial ecosystem one that accelerates innovation and facilitates meaningful connections from initial concept through to commercial realisation.
You will be expected to identify niche market opportunities and apply contemporary and professional design practice in collection creation and brand development.
Alongside developing a deep conceptual understanding of your field and the practical skills required to thrive within it, you will cultivate a progressive and comprehensive range of personal, professional, and entrepreneurial competencies.
Programme modules build upon both theoretical insight and applied practice across advanced fashion design, visual communication, brand development, entrepreneurial strategy, and new business innovation.
The overarching aim is to produce forward thinking fashion entrepreneurs’ individuals equipped with the knowledge to launch a micro fashion enterprise and the strategic capability to sustain and scale their brand within an ever-evolving industry landscape.
MA Fashion Entrepreneurship in Design and Brand Innovation graduates will regard their educational journey as a highly personalised, vocational, and creative enterprise—one in which they have developed their professional craft alongside their academic and commercial ambitions.
With a strong emphasis on entrepreneurship and innovation, this future-facing, globally responsible, and socially conscious programme has been carefully designed to accelerate ambitious individuals toward design- and brand-led entrepreneurial careers within the international fashion industry.
Other costs
Unlike many of the mainstream University and specialist College’s, JCA will provide you with most things needed to undertake your studies, including fair use access to basic materials, such as some fabrics and finishing, that elsewhere you may need to purchase.
You will also be provided with many of the art materials needed as part of your introductory packs, such as pattern making and sewing materials starter pack and a general art and illustration box.
Where costs may be incurred then, beyond the needs of assessment, could be over the quantity or type of specialist materials that you may want to procure as part of your wider portfolio development. This is especially the case for instance in your final project where you may want to use specialised fabrics.
In our experience, we believe that material costs are unlikely to exceed £500.
The JCA seeks to support the best and most gifted designer to fulfil their ambitions. Recruitment will be selective and based on academic and creative potential assessed through prior qualifications, portfolio and academic interview. Motivation is essential.
The equivalent ‘minimum’ of an upper second honours degree in a fashion practice
To submit an appropriate portfolio of work
To come to an interview and talk through the creative and written work produced as part of the portfolio submission.
English language requirements for international students is an IELTS level 6.5 or above with a minimum of 5.5 in reading, writing, listening and speaking.
Applicants are requested to provide a creative portfolio which will include a selection of work to demonstrate creative skills and the use of research and theory to process and develop those ideas and design concepts. In addition, a sample of written work demonstrating an awareness of current affairs and debates in the fashion industry should also be included in the portfolio. The piece must be no longer than two A4 pages, 12 point, double-spaced. The work must be original and demonstrate creative thinking and a good level of English in written form.
Students do not need to necessarily have a background in fashion. However, it will be important to demonstrate the following attributes upon application:
A personal commitment and interest in fashion including an interest in design, making, visual communication and brand development;
Problem solving skills and the ability to communicate clearly in writing;
The ability to research and complete tasks;
Team work and independent practice;
Evidence of IT and CAD skills (e.g. basic use of Photoshop, etc.);
Commitment to the subject area through a personal statement and interview;
Focused entrepreneurial career aspiration;
Awareness of current affairs and debates within the fashion industry.
International and UK based applicants who are unable to attend the interview process in person will be asked to submit a digital portfolio and will be asked to partake in a Skype, Zoom or equivalent interview.
Validated by the University of West London
The MA Fashion Entrepreneurship in Design and Brand Innovation has been designed with enterprise creation as a central distinctive feature. Key to the approach is the delivery of practice-based education in which learners will be professionally ‘incubated’ as aspiring designers and to develop their craft in professional studios. Indeed, there will be no traditional classroom sessions but rather mentor-led development.
Through a balance of both business and vocational skills students will develop and hone a progressive and comprehensive range of personal, professional and entrepreneurial skills / expertise to develop new fashion concepts through to commercialisation, and address the need for the fashion entrepreneur who can identify market opportunities in the industry.
All learners will establish themselves as freelancers or micro-SME’s and will be encouraged to commercially enterprise from the outset. Students on the programme will be professionally ‘incubated’ as aspiring design entrepreneurs. Alternatively graduates will be able to embark on a career in the industry by utilising the transferable skills gained throughout the course as fully prepared fashion practitioners with an entrepreneurial edge. Possible areas may be an in house fashion designer, designer maker or designer studio manager. As the industry continues to evolve, graduates can also look to progress in the ever-changing areas of design management, fashion product developer, fashion communicator, and fashion brand developer. Student will also be able to progress onto Higher study including an MPhil or a PHD (doctorate).
