BA (Hons) Writing Fashion and Culture (Full Time)

The BA (Hons) Writing Fashion and Culture degree at Southampton Solent University is one of a select few to combine magazine journalism with fashion, photography and fashion-based cultural theory.

Key elements include:

• Practical aspects of writing for magazines and other media
• Critical perspectives of fashion and culture
• Subjects including styling, fashion promotion, photography and magazine production
• Producing good copy, accurately and to deadline, using the latest professional digital technology
• Production skills including sub-editing
• Understanding and analysing historical and contemporary fashion culture
• Individual support both in classroom sessions and tutorials
• Regular feedback tutorials to support your development
• Field trips to help you put academic knowledge into context – recent trips include London Fashion Week, the V&A and Storm Model Agency
• Industry mentors provide one-to-one advice in Year 3
• Opportunities to write for the course magazine and website, and to join Solent Creatives, the University’s student agency

External examiners and students have praised the passion and teaching of staff on this course, as well as the support on offer.

Industrial focus

Employability is at the heart of this course, and the emphasis on the past, present and future of fashion culture helps graduates to drive the industry forward.

Strong emphasis is placed on the student work-placement programme, which runs throughout the three years and helps you build contacts and industry awareness.

Many graduates now work for magazines – as writers, stylists, sub-editors and designers. Others work in PR, visual merchandising, photography and as copywriters. One graduate now edits the Australian version of Grazia.

Course content

Six core units:

• Back to Fashion Future
• The Style Guide
• The Fashion Writer
• The Fashion Muse
• The Fashion Mix
• Design Theory and Practice.

Year 2

Five core units and two option units:

• Fashion Ethics
• What’s the Story
• Magazine Photography
• Fashion Bricolage
• Developing the Brand.

Options:

• Photography Practice
• Persuasion and Propaganda
• Layout and Design
• Making Magazines
• Fashion in Film and Fiction
• Global Affairs
• The Body, the Magazine and Difference
• Fashion and Visual Merchandising
• Work Placement
• Health Journalism
• Education Journalism
• Magazine Production
• Music and Society
• Presenting Skills
• Lifestyle Journalism
• Introduction to Fashion and Styling
• Music Journalism
• Sports Journalism
• Web Layout and Design
• Fashion Strategy.

Year 3

Five core units and two option units:

• Publishing the Package
• Crimes of Fashion
• Fashion Analytics
• The Fashion Freelancer
• Major Project (Practical, Photography or Photo-journalism) OR Dissertation.

Options:

• Fashion and Editorial Styling
• Digital Photography
• Reporting Politics
• Fashion and Difference
• Buying, Forecasting and Trend Analysis
• The Fame Game
• Life as a Freelance
• The Title Race
• Advanced Visual Merchandising
• Advancing Technology
• Key Characters in Journalism
• Science and Technology Journalism
• Journalism in Film
• Business Journalism
• Travel Journalism
• Changing the World
• Writing Criticism
• Investigative Journalism
• Creative Entrepreneurship/Freelance Practice
• Fashion and Styling.

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Why choose Solent?

We offer a unique breadth of units, enabling you to tailor the degree to suit your interests. It’s not simply about fashion journalism – though this forms the heart of the degree. You will thrive under the guidance of our passionate lecturers and have the opportunity to study everything from PR to photography, merchandising to magazine branding, styling to specialist writing.

It is this diversity in the curriculum that has provided the foundation to so many successful careers. Our graduates can be found working on national magazines and newspapers, in highly prestigious PR and media companies, and around the globe. Their achievements are testament to their enthusiasm during their studies, and are indicative of the paths open to all our students.

• A unique blend of theory and practice, making graduates highly employable
• The course is run by industry practitioners and leading academics.
• The degree is innovative and challenging, offering students the chance to participate in numerous real-world projects.
• Study trips to Paris, New York and Tokyo
• A wide range of facilities and a supportive and dynamic study environment
• Opportunity to build a portfolio of industry-relevant work
• Ability to gain experience in the photographic studio, build your confidence in desktop publishing and get a taste for the pressures of a magazine office
• You will be designing your own pages using industry-standard software, including InDesign and Photoshop.
• You will be trained in putting together your own website, as well as in the practicalities of fashion photography and editorial styling.

Assessment

Formal academic essays and exams, together with portfolios of photographic and design work, presentations in front of peers and professional pitches.

Projects/work experience

Work experience has included placements at Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Stylist, Style, Glamour and Dazed and Confused.

Key career skills

Design skills, writing, styling, presentations, online editing, sub-editing, teamwork, creative thinking and analytical skills.

Graduate quote

Camilla Treharne

“The BA (Hons) Writing Fashion and Culture gave me the confidence, knowledge and motivation to succeed within the fashion industry and I would thoroughly recommend it.”

Key info from UNISTATS

Key info from UNISTATS

Key info from UNISTATS