Module manager: Dr Alessia Grassi
Email: A.Grassi@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) View Timetable
Year running 2026/27
DESN3367 DESN3377
This module is not approved as a discovery module
The module consolidates and builds upon knowledge gained at Levels 1 and 2, encouraging focused and autonomous enquiry to formulate innovative solutions to create and promote a new fashion/lifestyle brand. Students will research and critically analyse different aspects of the fashion industry, from technological advancements to social impact, with focus on developing innovative solutions. Students will identify pivotal insights that could lead to promising market opportunities for the development of a brand concept. Students will take ownership of the entire strategic process which will include research, creative and design thinking, reflective practice, concept development, commercial viability assessment, and promotional innovative strategies.
This module aims to equip students with fundamental transferable skills that will help develop their profile, and to further their ability to critically appraise the fashion industry, its main players, dynamics, issues, and trends, enabling them to identify opportunities for growth and change in this rapid landscape.
Objectives:
1. To further enhance students’ ability to critically evaluate various resources and use findings to identify feasible and innovative opportunities and support arguments and strategic/design choices.
2. To enable students’ deeper assessment of consumer needs so to identify commercial routes and craft effective solutions to identified problems.
3. To challenge students’ views and prompt the use of innovative and creative skills to design practical solutions.
4. To foster independence in evaluating and developing solutions.
Learning activities are varied. To achieve all objectives, lectures and seminar sessions will provide students with guidance and opportunities to practice critical analysis skills, innovative thinking, and engage with industry and consumer insights. These sessions are directly aligned with the learning outcomes and assessment, supporting students in developing the knowledge and skills required to identify opportunities and propose informed solutions within the fashion industry.
Supervision sessions, group discussions, and peer feedback will further challenge students’ views and prompt the application of learnt principles in future scenarios within the broader fashion landscape, reinforcing the value of active participation and engagement throughout the module
On successful completion of the module students will be able to:
1. Devise a range of ideas in response to contemporary challenges.
2. Apply advanced theoretical knowledge and creative strategic skills to design strategic fashion marketing responses for a specific target audience.
3. Justify concepts, arguments, and outcomes in a variety of forms through the use of contemporary fashion marketing theories and practices to address fashion marketing future challenges.
4. Translate research findings into a new viable brand concept that integrates aligned verbal and visual creative cues.
On successful completion of the module students will be able to:
5. Communicate effectively via different media to present a coherent proposal for a viable business solution.
6. Critically reflect on development processes when designing ideas.
7. Incorporate ethically aware and globally diverse perspectives in developing projects.
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supervision | 12 | 1 | 12 |
| Lectures | 16 | 1 | 16 |
| Discussion forum | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Seminars | 16 | 2 | 32 |
| Practicals | 8 | 2 | 16 |
| Independent online learning hours | 50 | ||
| Private study hours | 470 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 80 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 600 | ||
Student progress and engagement will be monitored throughout the duration of the module via attendance, participation in classes and through formative assessments. Most weeks students will have small group supervision meetings to ensure they receive regular feedback. During these sessions they will receive prompts for their projects in the form of guiding questions/tasks as well. This should allow them to work through the development of the project at stages during the entirety of the module duration.
Tutor/peer discussions in seminar and tutorial sessions.
Group and individual feedback during practicals.
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Coursework | Project proposal | 20 |
| Coursework | Portfolio | 80 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100 | |
Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated
Check the module area in Minerva for your reading list
Last updated: 30/04/2026
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