Fashion Business explores the impact of sustainability and design innovation within the context of new product development within the fashion industry. A combination of theory and practice will be used to develop a contextual understanding of how new and innovative fashion products are conceived, developed and ultimately brought to market.

A crucial stage in the new development process is design protection and copyright law. You will gain an appreciation of the scope and value of design protection and how intellectual property law can be used to protect innovative products. You will be required to conduct research in order to identify an innovative fashion product. You will critically analyse the product against sustainability and innovation criteria, drawing upon taught material within the module to make recommendations for further enhancements.

As the module progresses, you are given the opportunity to synthesise learning through a simulated entrepreneurial task with a focus on design innovation and sustainability. You will research and identify an original, innovative and sustainable product idea and formulate a business plan around their concept to include product design, product strategy, sale and marketing strategies and financial forecasting. The module concludes with you partaking in a ‘pitch deck’ style presentation whereby you will present your product idea and justify your required level of funding.

Assessment: Presentation, 40%. 5000 word business plan, 60%