The British School of Fashion launches world’s first Master’s degree in Fashion and Lifestyle Marketing

The British School of Fashion at GCU London has launched the world’s first MSc Fashion and Lifestyle Marketing.

The programme has been designed in consultation with industry experts and professional bodies to ensure students graduate with skills that match the requirements of fashion businesses.

The British School of Fashion is at the forefront of fashion and luxury education in Europe and was also the first to offer an MSc International Fashion Marketing.

Programme leader, Dr Ruth Marciniak said: “Marketing is all about bringing products, services and experiences to market. To do this effectively, the marketer needs to reach consumers. How better to do this than getting into their daily lives and understand their interests, opinions and ideas - their lifestyles. This is what lifestyle marketing is all about. Long gone are the days when a fashion retailer could put a t-shirt into a store with an appealing brand logo and a promotional strapline that communicated the particular benefits or qualities of the product. 

“Products need to appeal to a lifestyle wherein the t-shirt embodies the same aspirations, ideals and aesthetics that a lifestyle group identifies with. It is not just a t-shirt, it is a t-shirt that is either a gateway into or reflects a particular desired lifestyle. Successful fashion lifestyle marketing gives meaning and purpose to why a product, service or experience exists. Rather than pushing out traditional marketing messages, fashion lifestyle marketing is also about designing retail experiences, both virtual and physical that appeals to the fashion consumers’ emotions, and cultivating social media communities that respond to the fashion brand.”

The programme will be offered from September 2018.