Fashion Product Innovation
Fashion product innovation is the discipline that sits at the junction between creative design, technical textile science and the business systems that bring fashion products to market. The global fashion industry is under pressure to become more sustainable, more responsive and more innovative, and graduates who understand how to develop, test and manage fashion products from conception through to retail are in real demand. This three-year full-time BSc at the University of Manchester approaches fashion not from the perspective of styling or visual arts but through its technical and business dimensions.
You will explore how textiles and fashion products are created, tested, sourced, manufactured, managed and marketed, developing knowledge that spans material science, production processes, supply chain management and consumer behaviour. The programme gives you a grounded understanding of how the fashion industry operates commercially and how innovation, whether in materials, processes or business models, translates into viable products. You will develop analytical and problem-solving skills that are directly applicable to the challenges of making fashion more efficient, ethical and sustainable, and you will engage with the full lifecycle of a fashion product from technical specification through to retail and end-of-life considerations.
Graduates of this programme are equipped to work across the commercial and technical dimensions of the fashion industry. Roles in product development, buying and merchandising, supply chain management, quality assurance, materials testing and sustainability management are all natural destinations. Retailers, brands, manufacturers, sourcing agents and sustainability consultancies all employ graduates with this combination of technical and commercial knowledge.
Some graduates move into roles in fashion technology and innovation, exploring new materials and production processes. Postgraduate study in fashion management, sustainable fashion or textile science is a further option for those who wish to develop specialist expertise.