MA Digital Fashion Innovation

Mode of study: Full- or part-time
Study location: AUB Campus
How to apply: Apply directly to us

MA Digital Fashion Innovation course information

On MA Digital Fashion Innovation, you'll embark on a journey through various realities, exploring digital-only products (DOPs), augmented realities (AR), and digital textiles. This dual approach equips graduates to fluently navigate both the digital ('URL') and physical ('IRL') sides of the industry, optimising designs for each. Central to the curriculum is the concept of 'Phygital' fashion, where digital and physical worlds converge, encouraging students to influence the evolving dynamics of fashion consumption and experience.

As the demand for digital solutions and digital-only products rises, particularly among Gen-Z and Gen-Alpha consumers, AUB positions its graduates at the forefront of this growth. Emerging technologies such as AR, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning are seamlessly integrated into the curriculum, fostering an environment where digital artisanry meets design thinking and storytelling.

Encouraging global engagement, research and collaborative work on diverse projects, the programme promotes strong industry connections and live project opportunities, enhancing employability and entrepreneurial skills. This global and interdisciplinary approach ensures that graduates are well-prepared to lead and innovate in the fashion industry.

Throughout the course, students develop a critical awareness of advanced methods and practices, culminating in an independent Master's Project. Supported by a reflective journal and the option to produce a written outcome where appropriate, students articulate their theoretical frameworks, methodologies, and research approaches, leading to a final exhibition, presentation or other appropriate forms of publication or dissemination.

AUB celebrates a diverse cohort, welcoming students from various cultural, educational, and professional backgrounds. Experience in digital fashion isn't mandatory; the course values a wide array of perspectives and skills, from garment design and textiles to VFX and gaming.

The fashion industry is under a sustainability microscope and the world is waking up to 'greenwashing'. MA Digital Fashion Innovation seeks to support students to address and understand the UN Sustainability Development Goals, as retailers, brands and manufacturers are now increasingly compelled to revamp business models to align to a shifting regulatory landscape. These regulations span the entire fashion value chain, from product design to marketing, and will impact consumers and companies globally. The digital practices and methodologies explored through this course will support students in working towards being more conscious and sustainable in line with current and future legislation.

MA Digital Fashion Innovation at AUB transcends being a taught programme; it serves as a portal to the future of fashion. Designed for those who want to redefine the boundaries of creativity, sustainability, and design, this programme offers a transformative educational experience that combines rigorous academic research with industry engagement.

Joining this course means joining a team of pioneers influencing and directing the next wave of digital fashion innovation.

MA Digital Fashion Innovation represents an exciting opportunity for you to challenge and build on your previous achievements and to study at an advanced level. The course provides specific discipline-focused project work aimed at enabling you to take the right path towards your chosen career in industry or progress to further study at doctorate level.

The course is structured around three 60-credit units, as consecutive and equally weighted phases of study:

Master's 1: Exploration and Thinking
Master's 2: Test, Collaborate and Strategise
Master's 3: Resolution, Audience, and Impact

Master's 1: Exploration and Thinking

This unit comprises a range of projects that begin with revisiting the fundamentals of digital fashion innovation. Although some elements are likely to be familiar, you're encouraged to analyse and critically evaluate how and why they're manifested into advanced practice. You'll be challenged to articulate and question some of the basic assumptions that may underpin your conception of your Master's projects.

This unit consists of shared workshops and lectures, encouraging and creating a network for all postgraduate students to attend alongside their subject specialist sessions. You'll begin the unit with a skills audit, identifying your strengths and any opportunities to advance your skills. You'll be invited to attend several workshops, including digital pattern cutting, virtual prototyping, augmented, virtual and extended reality, alongside software-specific workshops in Twin Motion, Unreal Engine, CLO3D, Sizestream, and Vizoo. You'll also be encouraged to consider if you're focusing on URL or IRL design, or if you're researching at the intersection of both the digital and the physical and working within the Phygital space.

You'll identify theories and markets relevant to an emerging study focus appropriate to these concerns, which will directly inform and identify your Master's 1: Exploration and Thinking proposal.

Master's 2: Test, Collaborate and Strategise

This unit requires you to formalise your intentions in a Learning Agreement, and to interrogate and explore contextual issues relevant to the study specialism through creative design practice. You'll also be expected to engage with academic literature surrounding your chosen area, and to engage with theoretical and contextual reading.

This unit offers you the opportunity to align your Master's project exploration and experimentation with specific industry requirements, needs or briefs, through collaborative opportunities as appropriate. Using an individualised Learning Agreement, you'll establish an appropriate outcome for this module with tutors that will also define the proposal and agreement for Master's 3.

Master's 3: Resolution, Audience, and Impact

Here, you'll carry through your plan of action identified in the Master's 2 Learning Agreement and establish innovative ways of presenting and disseminating the outcomes.

You'll need to consider communicating digital fashion innovation findings to both specialist and non-specialist audiences.

This unit emphasises creative output and professional development. If appropriate to your ambitions, and in agreement with tutors, you could also opt to produce a written outcome. At the conclusion of the Master's 3: Resolution, Audience and Impact unit, you'll have the opportunity to display or present your work in an appropriate professional context. For example, this could be an exhibition, website, show, screening, or publication.

Master's 2 and 3 involve periods of independent study that determine your major portfolio of practical work. They build upon, and contrast with, the taught mode of delivery in Master's 1, providing you with opportunities to sustain and fuse the advanced skills, understanding and application of research methods towards the completion of project plans as identified through Learning Agreements, and present to students, industry, and staff.

Over the course of the three units, students should develop a portfolio of work that will establish them as advanced, skilful, and innovative digital fashion practitioners, who are ready to proceed to a professional context, further research, or PhD study. In each unit, you'll develop a reflective written component alongside your body of creative work to aid your evaluation of your learning journeys and processes.