Fashion students pitch to Size? and New Balance

Second year BA (Hons) Fashion Management with Marketing students recently had the fantastic opportunity to work on a live brief for size? and New Balance, creating a marketing campaign for the New Balance Made in UK range.

Students worked on their pitches, then presented their ideas to the industry teams, with two winners being selected, Aimee Biddle and Lucy Sutch. We caught up with them to find out more about their projects, and how the feel opportunities like this are helping them prepare for their future careers.

Hi both, congratulations on your win! Tell us a bit about the project you presented:

Lucy: My campaign brought together the idea of fashion and music. Broadening the existing size? sessions festival to include different genres and attract a different audience was the starting point of this idea. While also staying with the community themes throughout the Made in UK previous campaign, I found a small alternative band from Cumbria, the hometown of the Made in UK shoe. This would start a nationwide scout for other small upcoming British bands to be supported by size?sessionsXMadeinUK. Each size? store would then be given a Spotify account which would play the band's music.

Aimee: My concept was based around New Balance's Flimby Factory, where the Made in UK shoes are made. My idea was to create a pop-up immersive event where shoe lovers and potential new customers could learn more about the history of the Made in the UK collection and the importance of the Flimby Factory towards creating the collection. The pop-up event included exhibit style displays and interactive VR headset games where the attendee would be transformed into a virtual simulation of Flimby itself.

How did it feel to win?

Lucy: Winning this project was an amazing feeling as it meant that the hard work that I put into developing my idea paid off and was recognised by industry experts.

Aimee: I felt so grateful to be chosen as a winner since I worked so hard on my project. I'd struggled a lot initially with thinking of any ideas, but in the end, I was so proud of the concept I'd created.

How do you feel opportunities like this are helping you prepare for your future?

Lucy: Opportunities like this have given me an insight into how the marketing side of a fashion business works and allows me to be creative while keeping in line with a brief.

Aimee: I would definitely say that these kinds of opportunities are helping me prepare for the future, especially working with established brands. Skills and experience such as meeting deadlines, adapting my work based off feedback, and confidence in presenting are the biggest takeaways for me.

Lecturer in Fashion Management, Joanne Weedon, said: "Working on a live brief alongside the teams at size? and New Balance proved to be an invaluable experience for the students. They showcased their creativity and ingenuity through a range of unique marketing ideas while gaining first hand exposure to industry pitching. The teams at size? and New Balance were very impressed with the results, with special recognition for Lucy and Aimee, whose innovative concepts strongly aligned with the brands ethos."

Feeling inspired? Discover BA (Hons) Fashion Management with Marketing