Level 4 Fashion Retail (with Marketing)

Studying Fashion Retail (with Marketing), you’ll follow the fashion retail industry from initial garment design to customer purchase, exploring the product lifecycle from head office to stores.

You’ll learn through a programme of classes, workshops and projects, with regular interaction with retail brands and industry experts.

Over the year, we’ll teach you the functions of retail operations and store management, exploring the internal and external factors that influence fashion businesses across the world. You’ll examine the fundamentals of consumer profiling and data analysis, and learn how to use this information to maximise sales and profits for a brand.

You’ll investigate the effect of technology and shifting consumer needs on brands and discover how retailers must adapt to thrive in the global market. We'll teach you business management skills, including how to identify new target audiences and market opportunities and how to use these to create successful businesses plans.

This course is perfect if you aren’t sure which fashion career path you’d like to take. You can progress into an entry-level role in many sectors including marketing, merchandising, buying, operations or production.

• Fashion Retail Business Operations and Functions: Learn the operational and financial skills essential for running a retail brand. Understand how to analyse data to overcome commercial challenges and inform strategy, resources and organisational behaviour.
• Consumer Behaviour and Marketing: Examine the fundamentals of consumer behaviour and choice. Develop skills to understand purchase decisions, marketing and branding. Learn how good customer service and quality assurance lead to increased brand loyalty.
• The Fashion Retail Environment: Study the changing retail environment and current influences on brands. Learn the structure of retail businesses and the functions of a head office environment.

• History and Context of Fashion Retail: Explore the historical and cultural influences that have shaped the fashion industry over time.
• Preparation for Progression in Fashion Retail: Learn to identify, understand and pursue exciting opportunities after graduation. Develop teamwork and presentation skills.
• Fashion Retail Project: Apply all the skills learnt over the year on a three-week work placement with a brand. Concludes with a self-assessment that develops critical thinking skills.

We're proud of our exceptional industry links to over 250 major brands at the Fashion Retail Academy. All our tutors have worked in the industry, and have plenty of knowledge and experience to share.

During your course, you’ll have regular enrichment from industry and our retail partners. We’ll teach you to develop a strong professional network that will support you throughout your career. You’ll also take part in projects and challenges set by brands that help you to develop valuable professional skills.

VISITING INDUSTRY EXPERTS

You’ll receive regular classes and lectures from Visiting Industry Experts (VIEs), from top brands in the fashion industry. Throughout the year, they’ll also set projects and tasks for you to complete.

Our VIEs will give you feedback on your work and tell you how their brand might react in similar circumstances, helping give context and direction to your studies. These projects will also develop your professional skills in time management, team building and prioritising for deadlines.

Previous projects have been set by retailers including Alexander McQueen, ASOS, Sweaty Betty and H&M.

FUTURE PATHWAYS PROGRAMME

The Future Pathways Programme is a 3-week, full-time (5 days per week) schedule of industry engagement activities to help you take your next steps after graduating, connect with industry professionals and build a range of skills and knowledge to improve your career prospects.

When you apply to the programme you can choose from the following routes: 

Placement Pathway: Qualifying students* can opt to apply for our Work Placement Pathway as part of our Pathways Programme.  This is a full time three week work placement within a brand.  This is aimed at providing hands on experience, however it may not always be specifically related to the course. 

Employability Pathway: Take part in a range of activities to support your progression into employment. You’ll work with a recruitment agency, learn about head office roles and complete an assessment centre, alongside an industry project and networking event to build your fashion retail contacts. 

* Students will be provided with qualifying criteria ahead of the September in the year of placement

After graduating Level 4, you’ll be ready to progress straight into an entry-level role in fashion.

91% of our Level 4 Fashion Retail (with Marketing) students are in employment or further education within 6 months of finishing their course at the Fashion Retail Academy.

This course prepares you for a wide range of job opportunities within the retail sector including marketing, PR, merchandising, buying, management or even starting your own business.

All our Level 4 specialist higher Diplomas come with our Job Guarantee. 

We design our courses alongside our industry partners to teach you the skills and attributes you need to secure a job. So, if you’re not offered one within six months of completing your course, we’ll refund your course fees in full. 

This offer applies to students who are paying privately or using the Advanced Learner Loan to fund their studies. If you secured a loan to pay for your course, we will not refund your loan interest.

See our Terms & Conditions for our full eligibility criteria.

Awarding body
University Arts London

Qualification title
Level 4 Diploma in Fashion Retail

Age requirement
18+

Course duration
1 year, delivered over 2 days per week

You’ll attend the Fashion Retail Academy for 2 full days per week (totalling an average of 16 hours per week) and you'll be expected to complete 2 days of independent study and coursework each week. Many of our students take on part-time work on their remaining free days to boost their industry experience.  

Course fees

• Fully-funded for students aged 18
• £4,220 per year for students aged 19+ - Advanced Learner Loans are available

Fees & Funding

Entry requirements

• 1 A-level or the equivalent Level 3 qualification
• 5 GCSEs grade C/4 or above, including Maths & English (either Language or Literature)

For non-UK qualifications, please provide an ENIC Statement of Comparability. 

If you're applying from a non-English speaking country, you'll need at least 5.5 overall and in each section of IELTS test for English language 

Assessment
The course is 100% coursework via termly assignments that measure your knowledge and understanding.

Offers
After completing our online form, we'll process your application and send you the outcome by post and email in 5-10 working days. We process applications in the order we receive them, and offers are made on a first-come, first-served basis. 

• If you have your exam results and you meet the course's entry requirements, you'll be given an unconditional offer.
• If you don't have your results yet, your offer will be conditional on you meeting the entry requirements.

Your place at the FRA is only secure after you have completed enrolment.

This course was previously called Level 4 Fashion Business (with Marketing)

2024-2025

ENROLMENT

• Unconditional Enrolment: Week commencing 8th July 2024
• Conditional Enrolment: 15th August 2024

AUTUMN TERM 

• Academic transition day: Tuesday 3rd September 2024 
• Term starts: Week commencing 9th September 2024 
• Half term: Week commencing 28th October 2024 
• Term resumes: Week commencing 4th November 2024 
• Winter break: Week commencing 23rd December 2024 

SPRING TERM 

• Term starts: Week commencing 6th January 2025 
• Spring break: Week commencing 14th April 2025 

SUMMER TERM 

• Term starts: Week commencing 28th April 2025 
• End of year celebration: Week commencing 9th June 2025 

2025-2026

Term dates to be confirmed.

Rebecca Smith - H&M Fluid

colour mix

product development process

product development process

range plan

The Fashion Retail Academy is located at our new campus at Electra House near Liverpool Street, central London. 

The listed building has undergone a £50 million refurbishment to give our students the facilities and spaces they need. Liverpool Street has excellent transport links to the rest of London and beyond, and Electra House is situated directly across from Moorgate tube station. 

There are: 

• 8 floors (Electra House is double the size of our old campus)
• A bigger library and more workspaces
• 26 classrooms
• Bespoke studio spaces
• 6 lecture theatres
• Dedicated fashion design wing
• IT hub and self-service laptop lockers
• On-site cafe
• 2 specialist exhibition and event spaces
• Wellness spaces and communal areas
• Discovery nook

Click here for more information about Electra House.