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Date 21st August 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 Archie Read, a student who has just completed the Level 3 Fashion Retail Diploma at the Fashion Retail Academy. He told us all about his impressive Final Major Project - how he came up with his idea, what the experience was like, and what he learned along the way.
If you're thinking about studying Level 3 Fashion Retail, this is a great look at what you could be doing too!
For the Final Major Project, students could choose any topic they liked. The only suggestion was that they make their own business. Archie picked communications and decided to create a magazine brand and publishing company. This gave his project clear focus and meant he had full control over everything.
Throughout this project, Archie had weekly meetings with his tutor to keep him on track and make sure his research was strong.
At first, Archie wasn't sure what to do for his project. Then he thought of the iconic scene in 'Sex and the City' where Carrie Bradshaw tries on wedding dresses and then his ideas started to come together. He talked with his Group Lead about the bridal market and how it doesn't really have an editorial-style magazine. That's when Archie knew he wanted to create something new and different in that space.
Check out Archie's Final Major Project:
We asked Archie what part of the project he enjoyed the most. Here's what he told us:
Easily the best part of this project was the photoshoot, it was so fun to do! It was very hard and I had a very very small budget and had to find a location, source all of the outfits myself, as well as style all of my models myself. It was really great learning the skills in order to do that, especially since I believe the outcome was to a high standard, despite having limited resources. - Archie Read, Level 3 Fashion Retail student
This project taught Archie a lot about research and planning. Here's what he said:
“The biggest takeaway from this project was definitely learning how to have enough research behind each idea, nothing was really by accident. I had to research bridal trends, target market and customer as well as competitors, in order to accurately identify my brand image, as well as what I was going to sell to customers. I had to adapt things along the way, such as changing the style of my images to a more edgy look, in order to better fit my target customer as I worked through my project and learned more about the market.”
Archie met with his tutor each week to check in and get feedback on his work. He also had support from Grace Downs, a marketing agency owner and guest speaker at the FRA.
I was lucky enough to have constructive suggestions from Grace Downs, a marketing agency owner, to help stem ideas on how to market my magazine, and make it different in order to stand out. All of this was very helpful, and vital to my project success. Archie, Level 3 Fashion Retail
Getting advice from real industry experts like Grace helped bring his project to the next level.
Now that he's finished his course, Archie is planning to stay at the FRA and start our Level 4 Digital Marketing for Fashion Diploma, while also doing an internship. He's really interested in marketing and styling, and wants to explore these areas even more.
Thinking about applying? Here's what Archie wants you to know:
If you have a strong passion for the industry, definitely do it! Just because there aren’t exams and it follows a different structure to say A-levels for example, doesn’t mean it’s not hard work. You have to put a lot of effort into it, but it’s so rewarding when you do! It stretches your creativity and develops so many skills!
Want to work on exciting projects like this? At the Fashion Retail Academy, you'll get to work on exciting, creative projects just like Archie did - with the help of expert tutors and industry guests.
Explore our Level 3 Diplomas and apply now to start your journey in fashion!
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.
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Are you interested in taking BA (Hons) Marketing & Communication for Fashion and curious about what you'll learn? Our students tackle real-world projects to build their skills. Take a look at one of their recent projects.
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Discover how our BA (Hons) Marketing & Communication for Fashion degree provides you with the skills, experience and industry connections to thrive in the fashion industry. Get involved in real-world projects, collaborate with leading brands and get ready to launch your career!
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