PSYCH! MSc Psychology of Fashion students host a data science panel discussion

The talk kicked off with the speakers reflecting on the very beginning of their careers and explaining how the journey is never a linear one. For Director of Responsible Innovation Maria Sbiti, taking multiple career gaps and leaps of faith helped her find the right place in the industry, while co-founder and co-CEO of AQ Isabella Maldonado encouraged students to see the start of their careers as a time to experiment.

Then, the discussion turned to how fashion can benefit from the vast amount of data gathered every day. Vogue Business reporter Maliha Shoaib believes that the key to success for many fashion companies has been a clear understanding of not only data, but also the psychology behind it.

WGSN consultant Ailis Swords-McDonnell agreed that fashion purchases often go beyond rationality; therefore, fashion psychology is a great tool to understand this phenomenon, which Isabella accurately described as “walking outside the Chanel shop with glitter in the eyes.”

The conversation concluded with tips and tricks on how to kickstart a career after graduation. For Maria, building a rapport with the people she worked with helped her turn her internship into a job, while Isabella emphasised that any emerging entrepreneur must stay committed to their vision while remaining flexible.

Finally, Maria reminded students of the importance of exposing themselves to people and experiences that interest them. Ailis echoed this sentiment by sharing that when hiring, she looks for candidates who bring different perspectives.

The idea for the event emerged during a course rep meeting at the beginning of the academic year, as many students were eager to learn how to apply fashion psychology to their professional endeavours and take their first steps in the industry.

Stefan, who works with the fashion council in Germany, created a list of industry experts to reach out to, and organising a panel discussion emerged as the best option. “We thought that instead of having one person, why not have four so we get even more insights?” Grace recalls.

The final panel was not only well-rounded in terms of perspectives but also covered a wide range of fashion industry sectors. Abigail particularly appreciated having Isabella as a guest speaker, as her company, AQ, had recently hired a graduate from the course. “It was nice to hear from a company that appreciated our major and had actually hired someone after they graduated,” Abigail says.

The course reps wanted their fellow students to feel supported, especially after graduation. “This is a very innovative major, and whenever I tell somebody about it, they're like, ‘Tell me more,’” Abigail says, highlighting fashion psychology’s intriguing reputation.

However, she acknowledges that this uniqueness can make it tricky to understand what career path to follow. “We're in school to eventually get a good job, so it was nice to hear the journeys of the speakers, knowing that their paths weren’t linear,” Abigail concludes, emphasising the importance of appreciating the unique value of their course.

Stefan adds that the networking session after the panel was an additional learning experience often overlooked in academia. “When you're constantly surrounded by other students and then suddenly go out into the business world, you might feel lost about how to approach people or even feel like you’re not in the right place,” he says, hoping the event helped students see panellists as approachable human beings, no matter their level of success.

Each of the speakers had a different motivation for visiting East Bank and meeting the students. “It’s incredibly rewarding to meet the new generations coming into the industry and give advice based on my lived experience,” says Maria.

For Ailis, it was important to share the realities of the industry. “When you're at university studying a topic such as fashion, things can seem quite intangible, and you might not have a full picture of the industry, so any insight can be valuable,” she says, adding that it is also exciting to step away from the day job to engage in discussions that might not have happened otherwise.

Maliha agrees that such conversations are impactful not only for students but also for seasoned industry professionals. “You're not only inspiring them, but you're also re-inspiring yourself,” she says. There are many things Maliha wishes she had known when starting out, and hopes that sharing her wisdom will improve the experience for future generations.

“Talking to students today is integral to helping them understand the pivotal role they have in shaping the industry,” Isabella concludes. She hopes to inspire students to step outside their comfort zones and embrace the changes happening in the industry, particularly with emerging technologies.

Although the event guests included both current students and recent graduates, they all shared similar reasons for attending. Final-year student Tia Joshi wanted to explore her career options after graduation. “Although the course is so niche, there are still so many different directions I could go in,” she says.

For her, the most valuable part of the discussion was about contextualising data and tailoring it for specific purposes. “I'm doing a quantitative questionnaire, and I was stressed about how the data might contradict my hypothesis, but it’s all a matter of interpretation,” Tia says.

Tia also appreciated the complimentary coffee and cookies: “We haven’t had many opportunities to network because our course is so small, but now it’s sunny, and everyone’s having a great time,” she says with a smile.

Adding purpose to fashion education

Young-Jin hopes the event gave students a taste of how fashion psychology is relevant in the industry. “One thing we did not want to do was invite the panellists and say, ‘Hey, what is fashion psychology?’ right from the start,” the Course Leader explains.

He describes the course as having three layers. First, students learn psychological theories and apply them to the fashion context. Second, they learn to analyse both qualitative and quantitative data. Finally, they focus on communicating data effectively. “If you have wonderful data, that’s great, but if you don’t communicate it well, then whatever you do is not very meaningful,” he says.

Young-Jin believes that events like this are an essential part of the study experience and highlight the importance of knowledge exchange between students and the industry. “At LCF, we are deeply aware that we are an educational institution,” he explains, “but we’re also an institution that prepares students for what happens after.”

“Throughout this process, I learned that I love working in a team and that we each have different strengths,” Abigail reflects. “We collaborate so well, and having different ideas, perspectives, and past experiences makes us a great team.”

Grace, who was organising an event for the first time, gained a new appreciation for the details involved. “I never realised how many tiny little steps it takes to organise a panel talk like this — even just coordinating with catering or arranging microphones,” she reflects.

Stefan’s key takeaway was the importance of human connections. “Even though the speakers talked about the rise of AI and industry changes, this event showed that the human factor is still essential,” he says. “It gives me hope that we as humans are still needed in shaping the fashion industry, especially with a psychology background,” he concludes.

The course reps are incredibly thankful from the support they received from their Course Leader. “Yes, we're the course reps, but it starts from the top,” Hunter says. “The energy that Young-Jin brought in from the very first meeting was passionate, energetic and hopeful for what we were going to plan throughout the year, and I think we grasped that,” she says.

Young-Jin echoes this sentiment: “I can only thank you for being so enthusiastic and proactive — it was incredibly fun for me, too.”

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