SOP Sample for MSc Fashion Marketing in the UK

Statement of Purpose

"You can have anything you want in life if you dress for it."

Living by the famous aphorism from the American costume designer [NAME], I had discovered how powerful and influential fashion was when I started to dress well and express my personality through my clothes. I am a firm believer that the way we dress influences how other people perceive us. Throughout my fashion journey, I have noticed how amazing aspects of one's personality such as confidence, boldness, personal tastes, and culture are projected and enhanced through fashion.

My first encounter with luxury fashion was with the iconic [BRAND] perfume. There was something supremely special about the brand, which etched the idea of luxury as the epitome of authenticity and grandeur. It stood as my first inspiration because of its unique fashion identity and its ability to attain absolute modernity by following the avant-garde artistic movements.

Being born and raised in [CITY], the "Dollar City" of India, I became accustomed to knitted fabrics and garment production at a very early age. Shadowing my father in his apparel export industry, I developed immense knowledge and interest in the complete garments production process from sampling to packing. I got to see the latest apparel getting produced and exported all over Europe, long before it was in the retail stores for customers to buy. This helped me understand how the production industry works and what it takes for a businessman to reach the market.

Developing a strong passion for the fashion field, I pursued an integrated five years course—MSc Fashion Design and Merchandising—after my standard XII, at [UNIVERSITY], [CITY]. The program helped me gain insight into the fashion world in a broader sense, exposing all of the different sectors in the fashion field including designing, marketing, production, and management. A short online course (Management of Fashion & Luxury Companies – [UNIVERSITY]) during the pandemic further helped me gain a much better understanding of how the luxury fashion industry works.

Added along with the college curriculum were several industrial visits and cluster visit projects; craft documentation that enabled us to learn the Indian traditional arts and crafts directly from the artisans in the cluster. Creative skills were improved while practicing pottery, mural paintings, and embroidery. Furthermore, I critically analyzed that a lot of our local art techniques from Kalamkari, Madhubani to Patachitra had a potential for luxury but were not exploited properly.

During my college years, I also took up a few part-time jobs to continue building my skills. I got the opportunity to work on digital marketing and styling for local boutiques and brands, which prepared me to work for bigger industries and to provide value for customers through feedback. The exposure intrigued me as I realized how marketing as a field can help the company to get elite customers.

By the end of my final semester, I interned at two reputed companies: [COMPANY] and [COMPANY]. In [COMPANY], my role as a customer relations officer in the store helped me understand a lot about sales, trends, consumer behavior, and visual merchandising; whereas, my role as a Junior Merchandiser in [COMPANY] included order follow-ups, checking garment samples from production, working with tech packs and excel sheets along with a Senior Merchandiser.

I am currently interning as a Junior Merchandiser in [COMPANY], an international export company that caters to [COMPANY]. The role allows me to take part in processing orders, product development, merchandising for [BRAND], [BRAND], [BRAND] and [BRAND]. I am working on order processing, TNA chart and samples and could understand the production and business side of it. Moreover, bolstered by the marketing exposure and the passion that swayed me during my part-time jobs, I decided to start with this otherwise new arena and decided to pursue my MSc in International Fashion Marketing.

Post-graduation, I would like to see myself working in positions such as a Fashion Buyer, Personal Shopper or Public Relations specialist in brands like [BRAND], [BRAND], and [BRAND]. In the long term, I look forward to starting a luxury brand and operating in the E-Commerce market. While garnering my experiences, I realized that fashion and luxury is not materialistic but has more to do with art and culture. My country India is blessed with remarkable artisans and a rich heritage. But it has not been a big market for luxury products as Europe, which is now changing and steadily growing. It would be a great opportunity to accept the challenge and build it more sustainably and ethically.

I want to pursue my dream in a luxury fashion environment by working with global brands in one of the most influential fashion hubs such as London. I connected to the UK culture and fashion which was so unique yet so mesmerizing. More importantly, the UK being the birthplace of many iconic luxury brands, sparked my interest instantly. Therefore, attaining an international degree here will set me on the right career path and help me evolve and grow as a passionate designer.

[UNIVERSITY] being ranked among the top 30 in the world for international students would be the perfect opportunity for me to develop my skills and knowledge. The opportunity to communicate and collaborate with people from diverse cultural backgrounds while gaining a global learning experience greatly appealed to me. The International Fashion Marketing course at [UNIVERSITY] is structured to meet the demands of the fashion industry. The Luxury Fashion Marketing project in Term 2 will help me understand how luxury firms operate, specialize in developing professional marketing skills and make decisions about the operational and strategic business activities of luxury brands and their distribution channels. Opportunity to visit trade fairs and major events such as the London Fashion Week listed in the course will provide me with a competitive advantage in the industry as well.

Therefore, I would like to conclude by saying that I am a very motivated individual and I try to dedicate myself to the fashion and luxury world in every aspect and would be a perfect fit at the university.