Fashion Promotion and Communication BA (Hons)
Subject and course type
- Fashion, Fashion Promotion and Product Design
- Undergraduate
Launch your career in fashion with the globally renowned Kingston fashion department’s Fashion Promotion and Communication BA (Hons) degree course. All our fashion courses work closely with industry partners, providing opportunities for paid placements and/or graduate employment.
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Fuel your creativity while building your business and brand acumen
This course will empower you to discover your creative self and your future role in the fashion industry.
It provides a creative, exploratory, flexible, and dynamic approach to fashion communications by combining cultural and business awareness alongside creative thinking and technical skills.
You’ll have access to our world-class workshops and making spaces, such as digital media labs, 3D workshops, printmaking, and film and photography facilities. This means once you graduate you will be ready to combine your conceptual and design skills with a commercial understanding of the fashion industry to create relevant and effective fashion media.
Student work
Why choose this course
This course encourages you to pursue and practice areas of personal interest, co-create projects and take ownership of your learning. You will master the image making, creative direction, graphic design and editorial copy skills needed to produce visual content for fashion brands. You will also explore how technologies, such as augmented and virtual reality, and the relationship between physical retail environments and online digital platforms, provide new opportunities for creating innovative brand experiences.
Throughout the course, you will develop your expertise in current design approaches, techniques and media. As well as in applications, including branding, editorial, interactive design, packaging and 3D design, advertising, information design, digital moving image, sustainable and experiential design. You’ll also learn skills and techniques, such as typography, photography, moving image, printmaking and more.
You'll use our studio spaces and facilities to experiment and explore new ways to push the boundaries of projects and open discourse across disciplines. As part of Kingston School of Art, you’ll also benefit from joining a creative community where collaborative working and critical practice are encouraged. Our workshops and studios are open to all disciplines, enabling students and staff to work together, share ideas and explore multi-disciplinary making.
Successful and creative people in fashion communications can combine art and design skills with commercial understanding and project management techniques. You will therefore develop the business and management skills needed to work in teams by working on a multitude of projects and collaborative industry briefs. This will prepare you for a career within the global fashion industry.
The Art School Experience
As part of Kingston School of Art, students on this course benefit from joining a creative community where we encourage collaborative working and critical practice.
Our workshops and studios are open to all disciplines, enabling students and staff to work together, share ideas and explore multi-disciplinary making.
Course content
This course meets the growing demand for agile creatives who can work across a variety of changing media platforms and communication channels. It's just right for individuals who can combine ideation, visualisation and strategic thinking to create impactful advertising campaigns for fashion brands.
Year 1
Core modules
30 credits
This module will introduce you to the practice of fashion promotion and the many platforms it uses to communicate. You will be encouraged to research using a variety of primary and secondary research methodologies and tasked with forming experimental and exciting concepts for practice through a design process. This will be enabled through the use of trend and brand evaluation, speculation and cultural observation. The module will encourage critical and practical application of theory and observation through a series of experimental briefs and projects aimed at developing unique and individual responses.
30 credits
This module will introduce students to the professional, technical and visual communication skills and techniques used within fashion promotion and encourage students to apply a variety of different communication methods to personal and original work. Students will be encouraged to consider visual narrative and storytelling through dynamic use of mediums including, but not limited to, new technology platforms and/or relevant design and presentation software. Traditional methods of communication will also be explored including, but not limited to, photography, illustration, and print publication. There is a strong emphasis on technical practice and production as well as personal skills development enabling professional approaches and collaborative engagement. . As part of this, the module helps to ensure that all students benefit from the Personal Tutor Scheme, and of input provided by the Careers & Employability Service, the Enterprise Team, and Lynda.com, by embedding all these into the curriculum.
30 credits
This module will develop a sound understanding of the factors that affect the global business of fashion trading, from concept to customer including the broader ethical and cultural issues that impact upon business decisions. Students will gain knowledge of the channels with which the contemporary fashion industry communicates with the consumer to promote product or services. The module will help students to contextualise their personal objectives by underpinning the creative aspects of the course with considered business knowledge and theoretical fashion marketing principles.
30 credits
This module presents thematic approaches to the study of fashion media formats through image-based lectures, workshop activities and screenings. Students will be introduced to the historical development of fashion media and promotion from multiple perspectives and through a transnational lens with an emphasis on the 1800s to the present day. Each session is intended to address concepts, debates and practices that have shaped and constructed our contemporary understanding of fashion media and promotion. The module engages with critical texts and case study research to enable students to examine the relationship between theory and practice in fashion communication and promotion and to develop an understanding of the emergence of fashion media as a global cultural response to modernity.
Year 2
You will analyse fashion cycles, trends, channels, brand values, ethics, print promotion, photoshoots and social media marketing. You'll interpret briefs and transform the brand values of a fashion company into a coherent visual identity aimed at the desired audiences.
You'll study conceptualisation, visual narratives, artwork commission, branding, entrepreneurship, managing risk and creative strategy.
The variety of modules will develop your understanding and ensure you have the skills to operate successfully as a communicator in the fashion industry.
Core modules
30 credits
This module will build on the skills and processes developed in Fashion Promotion and Communication 1 with a direct application to professional and industry practice. Students will be encouraged to advance their research methodologies and contextual understanding further, with added evaluation, new resources and analysis of defined markets and consumer segments. They will underpin their creative outputs by evaluating data and marketing metrics when developing creative outputs in relation to brand communication and present their work in a professional manner to an identified audience. Students are encouraged to utilise and develop advanced visual communication skills to explore new creative agendas and new creative, visual platforms.
30 credits
This module will focus on the following competences to develop and enhance student employability skills: professionalism, self-awareness, technical advancement, specific career routes and continuing self-development practices. Students will be able to define their individual creative and philosophical identity and begin to consider their role in the industry, developing visual and written communication material reflecting their strengths and potential career choices. Students will develop a range of outputs which will support and prepare them as they move directly into Level 6 or choose to engage with industry or study abroad as part of the optional Placement year. The personal tutor programme is embedded within the module to support their academic progress.
30 credits
This module gives students the opportunity to work on projects that are defined by external stakeholders and that require high levels of professionalism, understanding and engagement. All of which culminates in the students presenting and justifying their creative outputs and/or promotional strategies to external audiences. Students will also be able to further develop their own individual identity in response to internal and external briefs which builds on prior learning, individual strengths, and career aspirations.
30 credits
This module builds on historical and thematic content introduced at Level 4, looking closely and in more depth at key theoretical concepts that shape the study fashion media and promotion. The module explores a range of contemporary issues related to fashion media and promotion and equips students with conceptual and theoretical tools to debate and discuss these in their work. In addition, students are introduced to a range of research methodologies though case studies and practical activities that reflect the issues explored through the module's contemporary content.
Optional year
Work Placement/Study Abroad Year
Kingston School of Art also offers the possibility to the student enrolled on the 3-year BA Fashion Promotion and Communication course to take a year out on placement in the UK, or to select that pathway upon admission/application to the course.
The undergraduate student may choose to take an additional year between the second and final year of study (4 years study total) to be spent in 36 weeks of full-time supervised work placement or study abroad exchange, or a combination of both.
It is the student's responsibility to research and secure their own placement opportunity. However, there is support available for students in the department, looking to secure a placement through the placement officer can help you find a placement through a network of established contacts with employers.
First year students will get a general introduction to placement year during their Welcome Week and second year students will get specific seminars, workshops, and individual meetings to be prepared to write a professional CV, cover letter and an appropriately curated format of their recent works.
Continuous guidance and support will be given through the application process as the placement officer will promote and circulate any suitable opportunity to you and during the entire placement year out through scheduled visits and meetings.
For study abroad, students will apply to the institution of their choice and go through the appropriate selection process.
Final year
You will further your knowledge and refine the skills needed to become a fashion industry practitioner. You will study cultural entrepreneurship and explore ways of building a sustainable creative career.
The major project in your final year will be a visual project, business or marketing plan, or consultancy project for a company. Through it, you'll research and identify a current fashion communication challenge and provide visual solutions, tailored for the chosen audience.
Core modules
30 credits
This module represents the culmination of a student's course of study and should synthesize all elements of subject theory, business application, contextual thinking, personal and professional practice into a self-directed capstone project intended for a professional portfolio/showcase. This module offers the opportunity for students to clearly state their intentions, by defining and visually articulating their personal position and ambition within an industry context.
30 credits
This module will engage the students in the practice of developing a visually fluent promotional activity targeted at a specified audience and featuring their individual body of work. This module is designed to help the students to formulate their exit strategy and enhance their professional knowledge of the global fashion industry in terms of promotion and communication and to develop skills and outputs with a focus on their future career, providing opportunities for research, analysis, and documentation of their work. As part of this, students benefit from the Personal Tutor Scheme, and input by the Careers & Employability Service, the Enterprise Team, Kingston Hub, and Lynda.com.
30 credits
This module is a combination of the preparation for the Fashion Promotion Campaign (Capstone Project) module whereby students negotiate and visualize a brief, that has a clear concept, narrative or message, is creatively challenging and demonstrates a mature and responsible approach to individual practice in the context of professional industry expectations. This negotiated brief will inform the practice and realisation of the capstone project. Students will also engage with external projects/competitions aimed to further develop their practice, build upon their existing body of work and to contextualise their work competitively with their peers both internally and as part of the wider global creative community.
30 credits
Building on the links between research and practice embedded at Level 5, the Independent Research Project in Critical and Historical Studies module focuses on in-depth research, critical enquiry and reflection on questions and critical issues emerging in students' own practice, and pertinent to the practice of their own discipline.
Over the module, you will initiate and develop an individual research topic; identify and evaluate appropriate archives, bodies of critical literature, visual/material sources and research methods; manage your study time; engage with and respond to tutorial dialogue and peer feedback, and apply critical and analytical skills to produce an output of 5-6,000 word (or equivalent) representing the culmination of your research project. You will be supported by a series of lectures, seminars, and tutorials.
Future Skills and career opportunities
Kingston’s fashion department has close industry links with brands including:
- Acne
- Alexander McQueen
- All Saints
- Artek
- ASOS
- Boden
- Burberry
- Chanel
- Chloe
- COS
- Dior
- Donna Karan
- Givenchy
- Hugo Boss
- H&M
- Jack Wills
- JLP
- Max Mara
- Mulberry
- Old Navy
- Pringle
- Pull & Bear
- Puma
- River Island
- Stella McCartney
- Toast
- Tom Ford
- Victoria Beckham
- ZARA
Many graduates undertake paid placements and/or graduate employment in roles such as Visual Merchandiser, Stylist Coordinator, Content Marketing Assistant, SEO Assistant, Brand Assistant, Creative Executive, Digital Production Assistant, Online image producers, Press Assistants and Digital Marketing professionals.
Graduates from our Fashion Promotion and Communication BA (Hons) course then go onto a broad range of careers. Many become stylists, art directors, public relations experts, social networkers, online marketers, campaign developers, and content creators in the fashion communication, branding and advertising industries.
Embedded within the Fashion Promotion and Communication BA (Hons) course and throughout the whole Kingston experience is our dedication to Future Skills.
The intention of Future Skills is to provide you with expertise valued by global fashion employers. We’ll focus on combining your creativity with problem-solving, digital competency and adaptability.
As you progress through your degree, you'll learn to navigate, explore and apply these skills. As a result, you’ll graduate with the knowledge and understanding to give you the edge in a competitive employment market.
At ÂÌñ»»ÆÞ, we're not just keeping up with change, we're creating it
For more information on how Kingston prepares you for the future job market, visit our Future Skills page.
Teaching and assessment
Scheduled learning and teaching on this course includes timetabled activities including lectures, seminars and small group tutorials. It may also include critiques, project work, studio practice and performance, digital labs, workshops, and placements.
Outside the scheduled learning and teaching hours, you will learn independently through self-study which will involve reading articles and books, working on projects, undertaking research, preparing for and completing your work for assessments. Some independent study work may need to be completed on-campus, as you may need to access campus-based facilities such as studios and labs.
Our academic support team here at ÂÌñ»»ÆÞ provides help in a range of areas.
When you arrive, we'll introduce you to your personal tutor. This is the member of academic staff who will provide academic guidance, be a support throughout your time at Kingston and show you how to make the best use of all the help and resources that we offer at ÂÌñ»»ÆÞ.
A course is made up of modules, and each module is worth a number of credits. You must pass a given number of credits in order to achieve the award you registered on, for example 360 credits for a typical undergraduate course or 180 credits for a typical postgraduate course. The number of credits you need for your award is detailed in the programme specification which you can access from the link at the bottom of this page.
One credit equates to 10 hours of study. Therefore 120 credits across a year (typical for an undergraduate course) would equate to 1,200 notional hours. These hours are split into scheduled and guided. On this course, the percentage of that time that will be scheduled learning and teaching activities is shown below for each year of study. The remainder is made up of guided independent study.
- Year 1: 22.33% scheduled learning and teaching
- Year 2: 22.33% scheduled learning and teaching
- Year 3: 20% scheduled learning and teaching
The exact balance between scheduled learning and teaching and guided independent study will be informed by the modules you take.
Your course will primarily be delivered in person. It may include delivery of some activities online, either in real time or recorded.
Types of assessment
- Year 1: Coursework 80%; practical 20%
- Year 2: Coursework 80%; practical 20%
- Year 3: Coursework 80%; practical 20%
Please note: the above breakdowns are a guide calculated on core modules only. If your course includes optional modules, this breakdown may change to reflect the modules chosen.
We aim to provide feedback on assessments within 20 working days.
Your individualised timetable is normally available to students within 48 hours of enrolment. Whilst we make every effort to ensure timetables are as student-friendly as possible, scheduled learning and teaching can take place on any day of the week between 9am and 6pm. For undergraduate students, Wednesday afternoons are normally reserved for sports and cultural activities, but there may be occasions when this is not possible. Timetables for part-time students will depend on the modules selected.
To give you an indication of class sizes, this course normally attracts 60 students with classes divided into groups of up to 35. However this can vary by module and academic year.
Fees and funding
| Fee category | Fee |
|---|---|
| Home (UK students) | £9,535* |
| International | |
| Year 1 (2025/26): | £19,500 |
| Year 2 (2026/27): | £20,300 |
| Year 3 (2027/28): | £21,100 |
The tuition fee you pay depends on whether you are assessed as a 'Home' (UK), 'Islands' or 'International' student. In 2025/26 the fees for this course are above.
For courses with Professional Placement, the fee for the placement year can be viewed on the undergraduate fees table. The placement fee published is for the relevant academic year stated in the table. This fee is subject to annual increases but will not increase by more than the fee caps as prescribed by the Office for Students or such other replacing body.
* For full time programmes of a duration of more than one academic year, the published fee is an annual fee, payable each year, for the duration of the programme. Your annual tuition fees cover your first attempt at all of the modules necessary to complete that academic year. A re-study of any modules will incur additional charges calculated by the number of credits. Home tuition fees may be subject to annual increases but will not increase by more than the fee caps as prescribed by the Office for Students or such other replacing body. Full time taught International fees are subject to an annual increase and are published in advance for the full duration of the programme.
Eligible UK students can apply to the Government for a tuition loan, which is paid direct to the University. This has a low interest rate which is charged from the time the first part of the loan is paid to the University until you have repaid it.
Scholarships and bursaries
For students interested in studying this course at Kingston, there are several opportunities to seek funding support.
Additional course costs
Some courses may require additional costs beyond tuition fees. When planning your studies, you’ll want to consider tuition fees, living costs, and any extra costs that might relate to your area of study.
Your tuition fees include costs for teaching, assessment and university facilities. So your access to libraries, shared IT resources and various student support services are all covered. Accommodation and general living expenses are not covered by these fees.
Where applicable, additional expenses for your course may include:
Our libraries have an extensive collection of books and journals, as well as open-access computers and laptops available to rent. However, you may want to buy your own computer or personal copies of key textbooks. Textbooks may range from £50 to £250 per year. And a personal computer can range from £100 to £3,000 depending on your course requirements.
While most coursework is submitted online, some modules may require printed copies. You may want to allocate up to £100 per year for hard-copies of your coursework. It’s worth noting that 3D printing is never compulsory. So if you choose to use our 3D printers, you’ll need to pay for the material. This ranges from 3p per gram to 40p per gram.
ÂÌñ»»ÆÞ will pay for all compulsory field trips. Fees for optional trips can range from £30 to £350 per trip.
Your tuition fees don’t cover travel costs. To save on travel costs, you can use our free intersite bus service. This route links the campuses and halls of residence with local train stations - Surbiton, Kingston upon Thames, and Norbiton.
If you choose to do a placement year, travel costs will vary depending on your location. These costs could be up to £2,000.
There may be costs for participating in external shows and exhibitions. For example, you could incur travel costs, which will vary according to the location.
Course changes and regulations
The information on this page reflects the currently intended course structure and module details. To improve your student experience and the quality of your degree, we may review and change the material information of this course. Find out more about course changes
for the course are published ahead of each academic year.
Regulations governing this course can be found on our website.
Key information
The scrolling banner below displays some key factual data about this course (including different course combinations or delivery modes of this course where relevant).
