Top reasons to choose this course
- The fashion industry is at a turning point. Future fashion businesses need to embrace change and build business practices that are sustainable and ethical.
- Supports career development opportunities into management and leadership roles within existing fashion businesses and or your own entrepreneurial ventures.
- The course will utilise local fashion businesses and industry for guest speakers, live projects, hackathons and collaborations.
- Brighton has an excellent reputation in industry for producing creative, innovative and successful graduates - our fashion alumni have worked at organisations including Burberry, Victoria Beckham, River Island and Calvin Klein.
- Our city has long been a creative business hub and is home to a number of sustainable international fashion businesses including Story MFG, Ruby Moon, Circular Inc, Dawson Denim and Killstar.
Syllabus
Modules
- Sustainable Fashion Fundamentals
- Sustainable Strategic Management
- Disrupting the Fashion Industry
- Sustainable Fashion Insight: Research for Change
- Responsible Fashion Narratives
- Entrepreneurial and Intrapreneurial Practice in Sustainable Fashion
Making sure that what you learn with us is relevant, up to date and what employers are looking for is our priority, so courses are reviewed and enhanced on an ongoing basis. When you have applied to us, you’ll be told about any new developments through .
Areas of study
On this course, you will explore the fashion business from creative, strategic and sustainable perspectives. You'll develop the knowledge and skills to challenge conventional systems and shape a more responsible future of the global fashion industry.
Sustainable fashion principles
You’ll examine the foundations of sustainability in fashion, guided by the UN Sustainable Development Goals. You’ll consider the social, cultural and industrial contexts that shape the industry, analyse product lifecycles, explore ethical and economic decision-making, and understand how sustainability influences design and business practice.
Strategy and global business environments
Understanding how organisations operate within complex global systems is central to driving meaningful change. You’ll explore strategic management in a sustainable context, examining both internal and external environments at micro and macro levels.
Research for ethical innovation
You’ll build advanced research skills to support independent creative and academic inquiry. This includes developing appropriate methodologies, collecting and analysing data, and generating evidence-based recommendations. Your research will be applied to live or real-world scenarios, enabling you to propose informed, practical solutions.
Disrupting and reimagining fashion systems
The course encourages you to critically examine how fashion can challenge dominant models and practices. You’ll explore alternative business structures, ethical supply chains, regenerative design and activist approaches.
Responsible storytelling and brand narratives
You’ll explore the power of storytelling and media in shaping perceptions of fashion. This includes analysing how narratives influence brand identity, consumer behaviour and internal business strategy.
Entrepreneurial and intrapreneurial practice
A strong focus is placed on innovation and professional relevance. You’ll design and deliver a substantial self-directed project, which may take the form of a business proposal or industry case study. This allows you to apply your knowledge to real-world challenges, demonstrating originality, critical reflection and strategic thinking while preparing for leadership roles within sustainable fashion.
How you'll learn
Our teaching approach combines critical discussion, industry engagement and independent study to support your development at postgraduate level.
You’ll learn through:
- seminars: group discussions where you share your research, test ideas and engage in critical debate with peers and staff.
- lectures and visiting speakers: a programme of talks from industry professionals and academics offering insight into sustainable strategy, responsible innovation and the evolving global fashion landscape.
- independent study: postgraduate study requires initiative and self-direction. You’ll dedicate substantial time to developing your research and advancing your professional practice.
- peer collaboration and workshops: through collaborative group work, you'll develop strategic thinking, problem-solving skills and the confidence to propose innovative, evidence-based solutions to real-world sustainable fashion challenges.
Course leader
Dr Martin Bouette, course leader
Martin is course leader for the Sustainable Fashion Business MA at the Â鶹´«Ã½, where he also teaches on business studies modules across the fashion programmes.
Alongside his academic role, he is Director of a creative workspace company, supporting collaboration and innovation within the creative industries. His research focuses on creative entrepreneurship, sustainability, and the dynamics of creative ecologies.
Martin completed his doctorate exploring the career pathways of creative graduates and has led several EU-funded projects aimed at fostering new business development and growth within the creative sector.
A committed educator and researcher, he has designed and delivered innovative curricula at undergraduate, postgraduate and MBA levels. His work examines the relationship between education and employment for creative practitioners, with a particular interest in how entrepreneurial learning can bridge this gap and empower sustainable, resilient creative businesses for the future.
Course team
Mylinh Nguyen, Associate Academic Subject Lead for Fashion, Textiles, and Design and Craft
Mylinh is a woven textiles practitioner and Early Career Researcher whose work bridges industry, education and research. She has gained extensive professional experience working with leading studios including Malhia Kent, Jenny King and Susan Collis, as well as contributing to industry insight at WGSN. These roles have enabled her to build strong national and international creative networks and develop specialist expertise in project management and professional positioning within the fashion and textiles sectors.
A graduate of the Â鶹´«Ã½, Mylinh completed an MDes in Textiles with Business Studies, receiving international recognition for her graduate collection. She has also worked as a research assistant on the EU-funded BRIDGE
Other staff who teach on the course include:
Emma Collins: Content creation and sustainable design specialist - my work focuses on the intersection between craft, fashion, content creation and sustainability activism
Dr Jules Findlay: Research specialist in textiles and sustainability and PhD supervisor.
Rachael Taylor: My research practice uses design and communication to inspire and enable alternatives economies. Connecting communities with sustainability. Develops sustainable narratives for trends
Mark Wells: Expert in EX design and author of User Experience Design: An Introduction to Creating Interactive Digital Spaces and expert in Co-innovation
Mylinh Nguyen