Master of Arts in Fashion Buying and Merchandising Istituto Marangoni, UK

This programme is for applicants who have previous undergraduate level study or proven work experience. Students complete the programme with buying and merchandising skills for various positions within the fashion buying, merchandising and luxury business industry fully realising through both academic study and professional placement and projects the role and responsibility of buyers and merchandisers in the global marketplace.

The programme exposes you to the fast paced environment buyers need in order to be business-minded alongside strong analytical and negotiation skills working with suppliers and various departments including marketing and sales. This ensures new collections and teams are commercially viable either in store, or via online retailing and e-commerce platforms. You will learn the technical and theoretical aspects of a buying campaign, analysing different retail formats and key micro and macro trends alongside the buying processes include stock mix, import-export techniques as well as pricing strategies and the ability to forecast the profitability of a fashion product. You will analyse the buying calendar and get the opportunity to correctly plan the purchase of a seasonal collection using a balanced combination of products and brands responding to current trends and influences.

With the advancement of fashion retail and using digital technology including AI and data strategies buyers more than ever require more understanding of how consumers perceive a collection. We will provide you with the knowledge and understanding of how to put together an appealing, desirable and winning fashion collection. You get to explore further the relationship of visual merchandising and sales, negotiation techniques, and soft skills in communication, decision making, time management, leadership, and team working all of which enable you to apply the experience acquired on live industry projects to prepare for your own professional buying strategy for business, as well as potential industry start-ups.