Fashion Innovation MA

LJMU's Fashion Innovation MA is designed to introduce students to various research methods, practical workshops, facilities, and experts and is very much a space, tool and springboard for individuals to test, develop and achieve.


• Expand your knowledge of fashion and contribute to the wider field of fashion through research-based critical work



• Develop innovative fashion practice and real-world understanding through guidance from academics and industry experts



• Work within an interdisciplinary, flexible, independent and modular programme of study



• Benefit from networking and collaboration opportunities in fashion and related industries as you decide which area of fashion you wish to investigate as you progress through the programme



• Take advantage of the generous Michael Pugh Thomas and Julia Carter Preston legacy £1000 scholarships offered to postgraduate applicants



• Apply for postgraduate Susan Cotton travel funding and the China Fashion Summer School initiative to expand your research and cultural experience



• This programme is also available in part-time study mode



The Fashion Innovation MA is a programme with collaborative practice and discovery at its core. The programme aims to recruit Home and International students who are ready to challenge the fashion industry socially, ethically, culturally and politically forming individual project proposals which define existing practice and broaden its scope and ambition by addressing real-world issues which could extend beyond graduation. Students from both traditional fashion design and communication undergraduate programmes as well as those who have undergraduate qualifications in non-traditional subjects but have a real passion for fashion are equally encouraged to apply. It is this diverse cohort which provides the rich postgraduate community within LJMU.

The programme aims to raise awareness of practical applications within fashion, and introduce students to resources and workshops which can provide the platform necessary for innovation and the realisation of individual practice and self-initiated project/s. The MA is designed to develop real world skills and establish which area of fashion students wish to focus on as the programme progresses. This allows students to explore Fashion Innovation projects in unexpected forms. The MA also aims to outline research which is happening in transdisciplinary areas, and to develop research skills and relevant approaches to practice as well as the critical techniques required to support students’ final project. Students will be expected to develop a personal practice that challenges traditional perspectives within fashion disciplines. A particular emphasis will be placed on developing existing skills and building opportunity to enhance and apply them within an appropriate fashion context.

Alongside the current Fashion Innovation staff there will also be several opportunities to collaborate with students and staff from the schools other MAs in Art in Science, Cities, Exhibition Studies, Fine Art, Illustration, and Immersive Media, particularly during two modules shared by all the postgraduate taught programmes. Learning takes place predominantly through the creative and critical exploration of research focused Fashion Innovation projects where the programme will encourage you to work across other disciplines to offer fresh perspectives. Tutorials, seminars and workshops will take place in the John Lennon Art & Design Building (JLADB), a RIBA award winning Art School in the heart of Liverpool’s Knowledge Quarter. You will benefit from state-of-the-art workspaces and facilities, as well as external cultural organisations such as the Walker Art Gallery, Fabric District, Lady Lever Art Gallery, Liverpool Museum and Galleries Decorative Art Department, and Recreational Wardrobe.