April Kalu

Lecturer Fashion Marketing

April Kalu

Lecturer Fashion Marketing

Email: a.kalu@mmu.ac.uk

I am an industry expert turned academic. Lecturing allows me to bring to life my real life experiences of experiencing the fast pace life of market leading and global companies, such as NET-A-PORTER and Farfetch. I bring direct insights of what real life is like within the luxury fashion sector. I also bring a passion to help shape the new generation as they build the new market leading fashion companies of the future and challenge them to do better and think differently.

Academic and professional qualifications

April has been working in the fashion industry, since graduating in Management Sciences. She has a luxury fashion background. For over 6 years she was a Global Trainer at NET-A-PORTER, responsible for the content design, creation, and delivery of training for Personal Shoppers and Fashion Consultants across Europe, APAC, Middle East and US markets. She then moved to FARFETCH, training their global Personal Styling Team, within their Private Client Division.

Moving into Higher Education in 2022, lecturing in Luxury Business Management, Luxury Fashion Management and Fashion Styling at Bayswater College, London. She encourages students to think differently, think disruptively, follow their individual creative impulses and challenge what has gone before them, to create more socially responsible and creative businesses. Applying pedagogical constructs to embed inclusive, diverse and creative thinking as basic models for success.

Her research explores how the cultivation of taste can be a sustainable fashion practice. Led by the belief that creativity, individuality, diversity and difference, create competitive advantage in business. Informed by direct experience working for the global market leaders in luxury fashion retail, as they leveraged global talent and incorporated diversity practices, to their advantage.

Office Location

Room 2.26
Cavendish South
Manchester Fashion Institute
Manchester Metropolitan University
Cavendish Street
Manchester M15 6BG