MA Fashion Marketing Students Impress Urban Outfitters with Live Industry Pitches
Published on 15 May 2025
Categories: Current students; School of Art & Design;
Postgraduate students on the MA Fashion Marketing course had the unique opportunity to respond to a live brief set by leading global retailer Urban Outfitters.
The brief challenged students to develop a compelling marketing strategy to either reboot one of Urban Outfitters’ existing proprietary brands or create a new one entirely. With a target consumer of 14–24-year-olds in the UK and Germany, students were tasked with navigating the complexities of contemporary youth culture, hyper-fast fashion, subcultural influences, and shifting behaviours around sustainability and affordability.
Under the supervision of their course leader, Mary-Ann Ball, each student worked independently to craft a strategic and creative pitch in response to the brief. They presented their ideas through pre-recorded video submissions, from which three finalists were selected by Jo Gowans-Eglington, Senior Head f Brand Marketing Strategy: Annie Jones, Anthony Wijewickrama, and Finley Quicey-Parker.
The finalists were invited to present their work in person at Urban Outfitters’ London head office to a panel of senior leaders from across the brand’s marketing functions. The panel included:
- Annah Wilkinson – Head of Social, Editorial & Talent
- Simon Burd – Experiential Marketing Manager
- Lucy Hirsch – Senior PR Manager
- England Diep – Art Director
- Jo Gowans-Eglington – Senior Head of Brand Marketing Strategy
Finalists with Senior panel members.
All MA Fashion Marketing students attended the final showcase, which culminated in a tour of the Urban Outfitters head office. The panel praised the students for their professionalism, originality, and depth of insight, noting the impressive diversity of ideas and approaches across all three finalist pitches.
After careful deliberation, Annie Jones was announced as the winner. She received a £250 Urban Outfitters voucher and the opportunity to participate in four mentoring sessions with members of the senior panel, tailored to her career aspirations. Although only one overall winner was initially planned, the panel were so impressed by the quality and creativity of all three finalists that they made the spontaneous decision to award runners-up Anthony Wijewickrama and Finley Quicey-Parker a £100 Urban Outfitters voucher each, along with a mentoring session with a senior team member of their choice.
This collaboration offered students invaluable real-world experience, access to leading industry professionals, and a tangible platform to showcase their ideas to one of the world’s most influential youth fashion brands. It exemplifies NTU’s commitment to providing immersive, industry-led learning experiences that prepare students for dynamic careers in fashion marketing.