1. Implement a systematic approach to the gathering of evidence of exploration of industry techniques.

2. Demonstrate an ability to investigate a chosen market and/or customer, and interpret findings in order to forecast trends and make fashion industry design choices.

3. Understand the limits of your knowledge and practical ability, and how this influences your approach to tasks and your potential to work in innovative ways

4. Translate ideas into appropriate solutions to fulfil the required specifications for a chosen market.

5. Communicate arguments and ideas effectively and professionally in a variety of forms, suited to specific purposes related to trend setting in the fashion industry

Assessment 1: Portfolio (80%) (Learning outcomes 1 to 5) Final Assessment
An individual portfolio comprising:

Industry techniques evidenced both creative & CAD based
Primary and secondary research and evaluation
Concept and design development (e.g. moodboards, sketches and samples etc.)
Product development (e.g. patterns/toiles, test shoots, range planning, campaign planning etc.)
Ongoing annotations describing alternative options and justifying decision making
Final outcomes

Assessment 2: Presentation (20%) (Learning Outcomes 3 & 5)
A PowerPoint or equivalent presentation to an audience ranging from 6 - 8 minutes, covering a summary of your research and proposed project intentions, supported by visual and statistical data. This must be accompanied by the submission of your PowerPoint presentation and the comparative report that your portfolio is based on.

This module aims to equip you with the skills required to work in a commercial environment and will allow you to explore the information gathering processes that underpin trend forecasting. This will enable you to develop fashion ideas based on sound knowledge of the end user and its commercial viability. You will first explore the importance of research in developing and promoting a commercial fashion product, including:
market segmentation
sourcing and interpreting qualitative and quantitative information
identifying target markets
preparing a comparative report

You will research a specific market segment and/or customer, leading to the generation of a comparative (comp) report that demonstrates a full understanding of your target market and justification for the choices you are making. You will develop a persuasive argument and present it visually and verbally to peers and tutors, as well as creating forward looking fashion items/promotional materials that respond to the needs and expectations of the consumer that you have identified. In order to achieve this you will have to adopt the fast-paced approach that the commercial sector practices.

This module complements the skills you are developing in your other modules, Fashion Business, and recognises that the skills are transferable, giving you a more holistic view and supporting flexible approaches that reflect the dynamic environment of the industry today. By the end of the module, you will have researched and developed a portfolio of work, showing how you are able to present your ideas professionally and argue from a sound knowledge base.
The challenge and stimulation that this module provides will keep you ahead of the game in both the generation of design/promotional ideas and translating these speedily

Further clarity will be provided in detailed project brief.

You will learn how to develop a professional portfolio of work through a combination of theory and practical activities, including working on location and studio based. Study will be both tutor-led and independent. Your Module Handbook will include a week-by-week summary of activities.

As such, the learning strategies will include, but are not limited to:

Lectures and seminars
Primary and secondary research
Workshop activities, such as advanced pattern cutting and print, writing comparative reports and producing technical packs
Practical development work, including design and make sessions
Portfolio development
Presentation skills development
Peer evaluation and critiques

ALDRICH, W. (2015) Metric Pattern Cutting for womenzs wear. 6th Ed. Somerset: Wiley

ANTOINE, D. (2020) Fashion designż: a guide to the industry and the creative process. London: Laurence King.
BENDONI W. (2017) Social Media For Fashion Marketing: Storytelling in a Digital World. 1st edn. London: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. Available at: https://doi.org/10.5040/9781474233347.
BURNS, L. D. et al. (2011) The Business of Fashion: Designing, Manufacturing, and Marketing. 4th ed. - New York: Fairchild.
GODTSENHOVEN, K. van, Arzalluz, M. and Debo, K. (2016) Fashion Game Changers: Reinventing the 20th-Century Silhouette. 1st edn. London: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.
HALLETT, C. and JOHNSTON, A. (2014) Fabric for Fashion: The Swatch Book. 2nd Ed. London: Lawrence King

LEE, J. and STEEN, C. (2015) Technical Sourcebook for Designers. London: Bloomsbury PANISH, P. (2013) Pattern Cutting: The Architecture of Fashion. London: Bloomsbury
NAKAMICHI, T. (2010) Pattern Magic. London: Laurence King

N. RUZIVE, V. and Jeun Ho Tsang, P. (2023) Fashion Tech Applied: Exploring Augmented Reality, Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality, NFTs, Body Scanning, 3D Digital Design, and More. 1st edn. Berkeley, CA: Apress L. P. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4842-9694-3.


RISSANEN, T. and MCQUILLAN, H. (2015) Zero Waste Fashion Design. London: Bloomsbury
SZUTNICKA, B. (2017) Technical Drawing for Fashion: A Complete Guide. 2nd Ed. London: Lawrence King

High Street
WGSN.com: Trend Forecasting website
Specialist industrial sewing equipment
Specialist workshops and studios were appropriate and available
Adobe Creative Cloud
University Library
Microsoft Office
Blackboard Virtual Learning Environment will support this module where relevant.
Microsoft Teams

Online Resources
https://www.wgsn.com/en
http://www.fashionserviceshongkong.com/
https://www.artsthread.com/portfolios/