MSc Fashion Analytics and Forecasting

The global fashion industry is a highly competitive market in which the consumer now demands sustainable, efficient, and inclusive business operations. External shocks create risk and opportunity within the industry so accelerating the need for digital innovation and e-commerce initiatives. The need to harness data to improve fashion business models is at its peak in an industry that has traditionally relied on intuition and creative direction for setting global trends. Data-driven insights and accurate forecasts are needed to support investment decisions, model demand for new products, technologies and business practices. As such, fashion businesses must develop a strategic response to continual global economic change, sustainability agendas and technological developments to retain their competitive advantage. Accordingly, there is a growing need for graduates who are competent and confident in skills of data analysis.

The course is delivered fully online. It is unique in LCF as the first of our taught Master’s courses to bring together the teaching and research expertise of all three schools. The Fashion Business School (FBS) leads the course with specialist units delivered by staff from School of Media and Communication (SMC) and School of Design and Technology (SDT). As an advanced signatory to the UN Principles of Responsible Management Education (PRME), FBS tailors its curriculum to meet the six principles of responsible management education. The curriculum emphasises the development of an understanding of the contemporary global fashion industry coupled with quantitative data literacy and data analytics in a world where unforeseen events have reinforced the importance of data-driven insights.

The course aims to provide you with a solid grounding in both theoretical and practical approaches to quantitative data analysis and visualisation within the wider disciplines of supply chain management, consumer insights, economics, and research methods as relevant to the contemporary global fashion industry. Our learning approaches encourage you to work autonomously and creatively whilst enabling you to develop confidence in becoming a reflective learner, strategic thinker, and effective decision-maker.