Fashion Buying with Merchandising BA (Hons)

By choosing to specialise in Fashion Buying with Merchandising you’ll cover how these specialisms work together and be prepared to enter the dynamic world of fashion retail.

Entry Criteria
Structure and assessment
Facilities and features
Opportunities and careers
Take your next steps
Contact us

Overview

Fiona Bailey discusses the different pathways students can study with Fashion Buying at DMU.

Learn about the diverse roles and responsibilities of a fashion buyer and merchandiser, and explore the associated roles that are key within the modern fashion industry.

You’ll develop in-depth knowledge of the buying cycle and the critical path, and key activities around trading the range, reacting to sales and managing sales promotions. The merchandising pathway focuses on the numbers behind buying a fashion range, its selection process and strategic stock management.

We will nurture your professional practice through personal development planning, as well as guided research and critical reasoning. We place strong emphasis on sustainability and social responsibility, ensuring that you will graduate with the tools to drive innovation at all stages of the buying process.

The fashion industry is evolving with the shift in fashion retailing from high street to commerce. We work alongside industry professionals to put your learning into context and will equip you with the skills and adaptability to take on the challenges of our rapidly changing industry.

Key features

We have been recognised as one of the most sustainable fashion and textiles schools in the country as winners of the Next Generation Learning and Skills Award in the Green Gown Awards 2021.
DMU was named best in learning experience in 2019 by The Business of Fashion, the internationally renowned website which assesses the world’s top programmes.
Learn what you’ll need – including communication and an understanding of fashion business – for a career in today’s fashion and buying industries.
Draw upon the expertise of fashion industry insiders to build your knowledge and ready yourself for a career in merchandising, or a related role.
Understand the figures in fashion finance – the budgets, trading forecasts, effective sales analysis and planning.
Develop industry-recognised merchandising expertise through an understanding of range building, sales forecasting, critical path management and presentation skills.
Take part in our international experience programme, DMU Global. Students have benefited from trips to Porto, Antwerp, Amsterdam, Hong Kong and New York, meeting key influencers at top fashion brands.
Take up a one-year placement opportunity within or outside the UK. Our students have experienced life at Tommy Hilfiger, O'Neill, Next, Marks & Spencer, Reiss, George, Selfridges, River Island, Joules, G-Star, Mamas & Papas, and at several supply bases. Many go on to work for these big brands, or are now running their own successful businesses.
Utilise an award-winning design space – the Vijay Patel Building – containing specialist facilities to foster fresh ideas and creativity.

Student brochure Graduate showcase

The Green Gown Award puts DMU at the forefront of sustainable fashion and textiles education in the UK. Our comprehensive approach to sustainability is empowering our students to be agents of change within the industry.

Professor Carolyn Hardaker, Head of School of Fashion and Textiles

More courses like this

Fashion Buying with Design BA (Hons)

Fashion Buying with Marketing BA (Hons)

Fashion Communication and Styling BA (Hons)

UK
EU/International

Institution code: D26

UCAS course code: W23A

Duration: Three years full-time, four years full-time with a placement. Six years part-time.

Fees and funding:

2024/25 tuition fees for UK students: £9,250

Find out more about tuition fees and available funding.

Additional costs: Here at DMU we provide excellent learning resources, including the Kimberlin Library and specialist workshops and studios. However, you should be aware that sometimes you may incur additional costs for this programme.

Contact us: For more information, call us on +44 (0)116 2 50 60 70.

green-gown

How to apply

Order a prospectus

Book an Open Day

Submit a study-related enquiry

Duration: Three years full-time, four years with placement.

Fees and funding:

2024/25 tuition fees for international students: £15,750

Contact us: For more information, call us on +44 (0)116 2 50 60 70.

How to apply

Order a prospectus

Submit a study-related enquiry

Entry criteria

Typical entry requirements

We welcome applicants from a range of backgrounds.

Art and Design Foundation or

112 points from at least 2 A ‘levels
BTEC Extended Diploma DMM

International Baccalaureate: 26+ Points

Plus five GCSEs grades 9-4 including English Language or Literature at grade 4 or above.

Pass Access with 30 Level 3 credits at Merit and GCSE English (Language or Literature) at grade 4 or above

We will normally require students to have had a break from full time education before undertaking the Access course.

We also accept the BTEC First Diploma plus two GCSEs including English Language or Literature at grade 4 or above

English language requirements

If English is not your first language an IELTS score of 6.0 overall with 5.5 in each band (or equivalent) when you start the course is essential.

English language tuition, delivered by our British Council-accredited Centre for English Language Learning, is available both before and throughout the course if you need it.

Structure and assessment

First year

Core Buying 1
Introduction to Fashion Business
Textile Materials 1
Fashion Communication (CAD)
Design Cultures

Second year

Core Buying 2
Fashion Merchandising
Fashion Business Innovation
Design Cultures 2
Fashion Business Entrepreneurship

Third year

Sourcing and Supply
Advanced Fashion Merchandising
Major Project

Click here for more detailed module information

Note: All modules are indicative and based on the current academic session. Course information is correct at the time of publication and is subject to review. Exact modules may, therefore, vary for your intake in order to keep content current. If there are changes to your course we will, where reasonable, take steps to inform you as appropriate.

The course will be divided into 75% Fashion Buying and 25% Merchandising

Structure

This includes design studio practice, formal lectures, group seminars, tutorials, lab work and practical workshops. There are regular tutorials and reviews which allow you to reflect and develop your work ready for your final presentation at the end of the year.

Contact hours

You will be taught through a combination of lectures, tutorials, seminars, group work and self-directed study. Assessment is through coursework (presentations, essays and reports) Your precise timetable will depend on the optional modules you choose to take, however, in your first year you will normally attend around 15 hours of timetabled taught sessions (lectures and tutorials) each week, and we expect you to undertake at least 25 further hours of independent study to complete project work and research.

Facilities and features

Art and Design facilities

Our award-winning Vijay Patel building has been designed to provide the space and facilities where all of our art and design students can develop their ideas and flourish.

The creative industries require imaginative graduates who can develop new ideas and products. Students use our sophisticated and contemporary workshops, labs and studios to experiment and test in the same way they will in industry, while the open and transparent spaces in the building encourage collaboration between disciplines. In doing so, the building prepares students for industry and helps develop them as future leaders in their respective fields.

Take a look at our stunning showcase of the building at dmu.ac.uk/aad.

More flexible ways to learn

We offer an equitable and inclusive approach to learning and teaching for all our students. Known as the Universal Design for Learning (UDL), our teaching approach has been recognised as sector leading. UDL means we offer a wide variety of support, facilities and technology to all students, including those with disabilities and specific learning differences.

Just one of the ways we do this is by using ‘DMU Replay’ – a technology providing all students with anytime access to audio and/or visual material of lectures. This means students can revise taught material in a way that suits them best, whether it's replaying a recording of a class or adapting written material shared in class using specialist software.

Campus Centre

The home of  De Montfort Students' Union, (DSU) our Campus Centre offers a welcoming and lively hub for student life. Conveniently located at the heart of campus, it includes a convenience store, a Subway and a Starbucks. Here you can find the DSU-owned charitable accommodation service Sulets and DSU’s shop, SUpplies, selling art supplies, stationery and clothing, and printing and binding services. The building is also home to the DSU officer team.

Opportunities and careers

Placements

This course gives you the option to enhance and build your professional skills to progress within your chosen career, through a placement. Our dedicated team offers a range of careers resources and opportunities so you can start planning your future.

We have excellent links with the fashion industry, ensuring you work on industry relevant projects and client briefs to gain more experience and build your external reputation before you graduate. This invaluable experience can enrich student capabilities and their final-year projects. Students have gone to big brands including Reiss, Boohoo, ASOS, George at Asda, Ralph Lauren, Timberland, Matalan, and O’Neill (Amsterdam).

DMU Global

Our innovative international experience programme DMU Global aims to enrich studies, broaden cultural horizons and develop key skills valued by employers.

Through DMU Global, we offer an exciting mix of overseas, on-campus and online international experiences, including the opportunity to study or work abroad for up to a year.

Students on this course have recently been to Porto, where they learnt about the fashion manufacturing cycle by visiting spinners, knitters, dye houses and manufacturers – culminating in a simulated design and negotiation task with suppliers. New York trips have involved visits to local museums, colleges, suppliers, product data management head offices, and a tour and talk at Gap’s head office.

Graduate careers

Our graduates go on to work in a variety of areas within fashion buying. Recent employers include ASOS, Selfridges, Next, Reiss, Marks & Spencer, River Island, and Joules, among many others.