University of Westminster set to launch the world´s first MA Menswear

With London Collections Men (LCM) just having ended and Italian menswear trade fair Pitti Uomo still in full swing, it seems to be clear that menswear is an ever growing important aspect of the global fashion industry. However, up until now fashion students wishing to further their career in menswear with the addition of an MA degree had limited (or no) options what so ever. Enter London's Westminster University, who is set to launch its debut MA course in menswear this September. “It is the first MA that was started as a Menswear course, rather than a later splinter from an existing womenswear programme,” said Andrew Groves, course director of Westminster´s BA Fashion Design, in an interview with the Business of Fashion (BoF).

The initiative for the programme stemmed from Ike Rust, who resigned from his position as the head of menswear at the Royal College of Art (RCA) last June and joined Westminster shortly thereafter. He is said to be the right person for making this MA to a success, as he is also credited with making RCA a leader when it comes to menswear education. He believes that the time is right for launching a programme solely dedicated to designing for men, because it is now finally taken as serious as womenswear. “The RCA is now doing a fashion art-based MA across both menswear and womenswear, so what we will have is three very different London MA´s, including Saint Martins, the Royal and Westminster looking really different to prospective students,” he said.

One aspect that adds to the programme´s value, is the fact that it takes two years to complete. “MA´s do need to be two years,” argued Rust. “In those two years the student really has the opportunity to work in a professional context, so they are able to understand that those considerations are really important and when they come to graduate they have got a real sense of what they bring to menswear, who they are and what being a designer means in their career.” The programme is divided into a formative first year and a summative second year, meaning that students will first get the chance to freely develop themselves without having to worry about failing.

The MA is now open to applications, and selection will be made on a number of factors including industry experience, a portfolio as well as a written motivation. The university has not made any statements of the number of students who will be accepted to start in September.

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