Hair and Make-up for Fashion

Hair and make-up for fashion is a specialist creative discipline that sits at the intersection of beauty, costume, and visual storytelling. At its professional level it is demanding craft and design work, requiring technical skill with hair and make-up alongside a developed aesthetic sensibility, an understanding of fashion history and visual culture, and the ability to work at pace within creative teams in the fashion, editorial, film, and advertising industries. The best practitioners bring both precision and creative ambition to their work, translating a brief or concept into a visual realisation that serves the image being created.

At the University of the Arts London, this three-year full-time degree offers a rigorous and practically oriented education in hair and make-up within the fashion context. You will develop technical skills in hair styling, cutting, and colouring alongside prosthetics, special effects make-up, and beauty and editorial looks, building your expertise across the full range of applications relevant to fashion and creative media industries. The programme includes a sandwich year and work placement, giving you direct professional experience in industry settings before you complete your degree.

Work placement is central to developing the professional network and practical understanding that careers in this field require. There is also an opportunity to study abroad short-term over the summer, subject to meeting requirements, which broadens your visual and cultural references.

Graduates from hair and make-up for fashion programmes work across the fashion, editorial, film, television, advertising, and entertainment industries. Roles as session hair and make-up artists, creative directors, fashion editorial stylists, special effects artists, and beauty industry professionals are all common destinations. The London location and the UAL network provide significant advantages in terms of industry connections and professional opportunities.

Many graduates establish careers as freelancers, building a client base across multiple industries, while others move into roles with production companies, fashion houses, or beauty brands. Further study at postgraduate level is an option for those who wish to develop leadership, research, or entrepreneurial aspects of their practice.