Creative innovator Alanna Morgan appointed to lead Fashion Media & Marketing at Arts University Plymouth

<p dir="ltr">Alanna has acted as a lecturer and tutor Fashion Media &amp; Marketing at Arts University Plymouth since 2016. During that time, she has helped design and develop units across all three years of the degree, while building relationships with external organisations that support live briefs, work experience and engagement with the creative industries. </p> <p dir="ltr">Before moving into creative education, Alanna worked in some of London’s highest-profile fashion retail environments. From 2012 to 2014, she was Area Creative Supervisor for Miss Selfridge, responsible for visual merchandising at its Oxford Street flagship, creating spaces for new collections and press days, and maintaining creative standards across central London stores. She previously worked in creative support at Topshop’s Knightsbridge flagship store, installing creative displays and supporting VIP client styling.<br /></p>

<p dir="ltr">Her window installations and creative styling were seen by an average of 4.3 million people a week. She also led creative teams responsible for store openings and major refurbishments across the UK.</p> <p dir="ltr">Alanna studied Cultural Studies and Media Communications at Bath Spa University, specialising in cultural identity across fashion, music and alternative culture, before completing a Level 7 PGCE at the University of Plymouth. Her interests in identity and visual culture also informed a<a href="https://fieldsystem.co.uk/blog/ritual-dress-and-cultural-resistance-the-corporeal-language-of-fashion-by-alanna-morgan"> 2025 essay for Field System’s <em>KIT</em> exhibition</a>, exploring ritual dress, women’s football and belonging.</p> <p dir="ltr">Alanna’s research into archive practice and emerging technologies informs her teaching on BA (Hons) Fashion Media &amp; Marketing, particularly in digital media, visual storytelling and brand strategy. Her work considers how these developments affect creative practice, physical and digital cultural archives, virtual spaces and brand communication. This helps students critically examine tools such as artificial intelligence, with attention to authorship, ethics and creative decision-making.<br /></p>

<p dir="ltr">Alanna has already led industry-facing learning on the course, including serving as unit leader for Arts University Plymouth’s syllabus collaboration with size? and New Balance. At the<a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/posts/fashion-media-marketing-students-recognised-at-size-x-new-balance-awards"> 2024 size? x New Balance syllabus Awards</a>, five students from the course were nominated, with Poppy Stroud winning the Sustainability Award and Megan Lim receiving the Breaking the Mould Award.</p> <p dir="ltr">Alanna said: “Having lectured and taught on Fashion Media &amp; Marketing for almost ten years, I know the ambition our students bring and how quickly the industry around them changes. The strongest creative work combines a distinctive point of view with an understanding of audience, culture and purpose.</p> <p dir="ltr">“As Course Leader, I want to give students room to take creative risks while keeping the curriculum responsive to emerging digital media, visual storytelling and the ways fashion stories are made and shared. Live briefs, placements and professional feedback help students turn their ideas into strong portfolios, practical experience and real confidence about what comes next.”<br /></p>

<p dir="ltr">Recent Fashion Media &amp; Marketing graduates demonstrate the range of professional directions supported by the course.</p> <p dir="ltr">Abigail Logan completed a 12-month sandwich year placement in London as Brand Marketing Creative Intern for Disney Consumer Products. She was subsequently invited back to work as a freelance Junior Creative while completing her degree.</p> <p dir="ltr">Maggie Crossley gained experience at Aston Martin Lagonda, supporting Aston Martin Aramco Formula One partner track experiences. Her campaign strategy for Clements and Church won a university competition and led to a placement with the brand.</p> <p dir="ltr">Arts University Plymouth alumnus Ethan Penn helped Kickers win<a href="https://footwearawards.drapersonline.com/2026/en/page/2026-winners"> Best Use of Social Media at the Drapers Footwear Awards 2026</a> for <strong>50/50</strong>, a social-first series celebrating 50 years of the Kick Hi in fashion, music and culture. Ethan helped shape the creative, produced shoots and led its social rollout. Senior Creative Content Manager, Brand Marketing for Kickers at Pentland Brands, Ethan’s connection with the brand began in his second year, when he pitched to Pentland Brands as part of his degree.<br /></p>

<p>Students on BA (Hons) Fashion Media &amp; Marketing develop skills in photography and moving image, art direction and styling, social media strategy, trend forecasting, analytics and market research through practical, industry-facing projects.<br /></p> <p dir="ltr">The practice-based degree develops creative and strategic skills across photography and moving image, analytics and market research, art direction and styling, social media strategy, trend forecasting, fashion publishing and campaign development. Alumni include Penny Chan, now Original Film Publicity Coordinator for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at Netflix.</p> <p dir="ltr">Professor Stephanie Owens, Dean of Arts, Design and Media at Arts University Plymouth, said: “Alanna has helped shape Fashion Media and Marketing at Arts University Plymouth for almost a decade. She combines commercial experience, curriculum leadership and a critical understanding of fashion culture with detailed knowledge of the students and industry relationships that make the course distinctive.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Her appointment gives the course continuity and new direction as fashion media, marketing and content roles continue to evolve in the fashion industry. Alanna brings a rare combination of deep industry knowledge and intellectual rigour to the course that will undoubtedly prepare students as next generation leaders in cutting-edge fashion media, and provide them with the skills necessary to build careers as innovative creative professionals.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Arts University Plymouth was recently named <a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/posts/arts-university-plymouth-daily-mail-arts-university-of-the-year-2027">Daily Mail Arts University of the Year 2027</a>, recognising its creative courses, professional facilities, practitioner-led teaching, responsiveness to industry demand and support for graduates.</p> <p dir="ltr">In the <a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/posts/arts-university-plymouth-nss-2026-results">National Student Survey 2026</a>, responding BA (Hons) Fashion Media &amp; Marketing students gave 100% positive responses to seven of the 27 individual questions, including questions about creative challenge, assessment and feedback, student voice and freedom of expression. For 17 of the 27 questions, at least 90% of responding students answered positively.</p> <p dir="ltr">BA (Hons) Fashion Media &amp; Marketing is currently available through Clearing for September 2026. <a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/ba-hons-fashion-media-marketing">Explore the course</a>, including its units, entry requirements and graduate careers, or find out how to <a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/clearing">apply through Clearing</a>.<br /></p>