Gain unforgettable experiences

When I was choosing a university, I wanted to pick a place that was not only academically excellent, but also had a great student life and offered many experiences. I wanted to pick a university that excelled in giving students an experience they will never forget. This is what Coventry University London promised and that’s what they delivered.

Knowing that Coventry University London offered Extended Professional Practice (EPP) was the defining moment for me because I would get to study and work in fashion at the same time.

What makes the course so rewarding is that we get taught a lot of academic knowledge that we can always apply in practice. We go to museums, stores, and we do projects with real brands, so there’s a lot of practical elements to the modules and that’s not common in many universities. Our class worked with Pringle of Scotland, and created a visual merchandising plan for them. We also worked with a Canadian brand called Tip Top Tailors and developed a marketing strategy for them. We constantly look at top selling brands like J Crew or Urban Outfitters, to figure out ways to make them better by applying what we’ve learnt to these brands’ campaigns. It’s great to have such hands-on experience before you start a job, it does put you ahead of most people.

I also went on a week-long trip to Paris during Fashion Week to see the most important trade show fair for fashion, Première Vision. You can’t get invited unless you’re a brand, supplier or a reputable academic. We were able to see first-hand what happens in the fashion world- you just can’t learn that in the classroom, seeing it with your own eyes and writing reports about it felt so surreal.

As part of my EPP, I did an internship for six months. I worked for a fashion agency called B&C where I worked in merchandising. Every week, I had to log what I was doing as part of my EPP and looking back, I ended up getting a lot of experience beyond merchandising. I was able to pursue my other interests and worked with a lot of companies. I worked with Vivienne Westwood, one of the most iconic fashion houses, and got to go on a trip to Belgium to meet a designer to help finalise plans for their next collection. I also planned a two-day shoot in London and Margate for Ben Sherman’s upcoming collections. The collection will be launching later this year and I feel so proud to know that all the posters and billboards I see- that I was a part of that.

Camila Pacheco, International Fashion Marketing MSc with Extended Professional Practice 2021 graduate, quoted in 2019