UNIVERSITY
Three years at Nottingham Trent University studying Fashion Management, specialising in buying. The course has taken me through every stage of the supply chain, strengthened my commercial thinking, and sparked a real interest in sustainability. I’m leaving with a clear direction, the commercial experience, and a genuine drive to build a career in buying.
Year 1
Project 1 - John Smedley Live Project
As part of a live project with John Smedley, working in partnership with Yueming Kang, we visited their Derbyshire factory and were tasked with identifying ways to improve the business with a focus on sustainability. We developed a rental service concept, taking inspiration from Rent the Runway and H&M, designed to extend the product life cycle and broaden the reach of the brand. This project developed my understanding of how premium brands can be sustainable without compromising their market position.
Project 2 - John Lewis Live Project
This was a live project in collaboration with John Lewis and Partners, where our group was tasked with redesigning the shop window to attract more students. We chose to partner with PlayerLayer, a Nottingham based sportswear brand already popular within the student community. The project required us to research both the current and target consumer, conduct a survey, and build a justified argument for why it would work. It taught me how to think strategically about retail and consumer behaviour and present a commercially viable idea to an industry partner.
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Project 3 - NEXT Product Analysis Report
To conclude Year 1, I completed a product analysis report of a NEXT boys’ polo shirt, breaking down fabric and construction through to cost price and global supply chain. Working through the tech pack, bill of materials, stitches and seams, critical path, and CLO3D digital fittings gave me a thorough understanding of how a garment moves from concept to consumer, and how every decision impacts the margin. It’s where I started to think like a buyer.
Year 2
Project 1 - Co Lab
During my second year CO-Lab, we collaborated with Chinese fashion students to develop a brand, product, and marketing strategy, settling on a discreet safety alarm bracelet, prototyping it across CLO3D and Adobe Illustrator. The language barrier was a real challenge throughout but using visuals and breaking tasks down kept the collaboration on track. As the tech lead, I presented our pricing, sourcing, and CAD work at the final presentation, and concluded the project with a reflective piece on international collaboration and product innovation.
Project 2 - Gymshark Live Project
Working directly with Gymshark on a live sourcing brief, our group developed a strategy exploring nearshoring and onshoring opportunities to support their entry into the US market. We analysed trade-offs across far shoring in Asia, nearshoring in South America, and domestic production, weighing up cost, lead times, sustainability credentials, and the political impact of Trump’s tariff policies. Visiting Gymshark HQ and sitting down with their senior sourcing manager gave us direct insight into how they operate, from MOQs and duty management to supplier exit protocols.
Project 3 - NEXT Live Project
Working on a live project with NEXT, our group developed a proposed SS26 women’s outerwear range covering competitor analysis, trend forecasting, and a six-piece range of bomber jackets, blazers, trench coats, and denim jackets. From there we built a full Excel merchandising pack modelling a £230,000 sales budget across 4,800 units and produced a garment specification sheet for the hero product. The project covered the full critical path through to CLO3D sampling and AI visuals, presenting our final range to NEXT’s senior buying team at their head office.
Year 3
Project 1 - Nottingham Reimagined
Nottingham Reimagined was a group project challenging us to identify a retail opportunity for a brand with no physical presence in Nottingham and pitching it live to industry partners from Box Property Consultants and Leonard Design. After attending a panel talk where retail professionals from around the world argued that attention is the new currency, the direction for our concept was clear. Our group chose Sephora and developed a multi-floor immersive store concept built around experiences customers cannot get online. This project has made me think differently about retail, less about the transaction and more about what makes someone stop and look.
