IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING TUBE STRIKES
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Date 11th September 2025
All information is accurate at the time of publication. Please check individual course pages for the most up-to-date information.
We recently caught up with Billie Bowman, a current student on the BA (Hons) Buying & Merchandising degree, who is about to start her second year. She shared details of her recent project where she achieved an impressive 75% (a First).
For this project, Billie was asked to choose a fashion brand and complete a focused case study. The aim was to analyse its market position and buying and merchandising strategy, and suggest improvements. Billie chose to complete this project on the brand Urban Outfitters.
After researching the brand and the market it operates in, she found:
From this, Billie decided to focus on price point as her improvement idea. This led to her concept, The Budget Backpacker, a budget-friendly capsule wardrobe.
Billie explained:
I felt introducing products at a lower price could help the brand reduce the amount of stock they discount, while also becoming more accessible to younger consumers for everyday wardrobe staples. - Billie, BA (Hons) Buying & Merchandising student
Take a look:
Billie found this module gave her valuable insights into how brands operate and allowed her to strengthen her research skills. She particularly enjoyed the creative freedom of choosing both the brand and the strategy for improvement.
She also credited her tutor, Sophie:
My tutor on this module, Sophie, was incredibly helpful in guiding my research and concept and giving support and suggestions where she felt they were needed. - Billie Bowman, BA (Hons) Buying & Merchandising student
Alongside her studies, Billie works in a Coach store. This role has given her a different perspective from working in head office, and she now pays more attention to how consumers respond to buying and merchandising strategies. She shared that the project even made her reflect on where Coach thrives, as well as where improvements could be made.
Billie will graduate in a year's time. While she isn't completely sure what's next, she hopes to go into a womenswear buying role. She is especially interested in accessories, such as bags and jewellery.
I would highly recommend anyone starting a degree course at the FRA to utilise the mentor programme and all opportunities offered to them. Get as much as you can out of it and choose topics you’re interested in when possible. - Billie Bowman, BA (Hons) Buying & Merchandising student
Inspired by Billie's buying and merchandising strategy? Explore our undergraduate degrees and earn a degree while working on real-life projects like this one - applications are open for 2026!
At the FRA, we provide our students with exciting, real-world projects that are creative, challenging and industry-relevant. One recent example of this is a project completed by Mia Laslett, one of our current BA (Hons) Marketing and Communication for Fashion students.
14th August 2025
What will fashion look like in 2030? We recently spoke with Yasmin Bramble, a BA (Hons) Buying & Merchandising student, who created an exciting project forecasting what fashion could look like by the year 2030. Here's a look at her project!
28th August 2025
Congratulations to our Level 4 Fast Track Buying & Merchandising students, who graduated this month. Following our successful Bootcamp Assessment centre, a majority of our graduates are now joining the buying and merchandising teams at ASOS!
28th February 2022
