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Impressing industry with a meticulous marketing plan and landing a full-time job has given Rosie Haymes a head start ahead of graduating this summer.

Rosie’s ideas for refreshing British fashion brand AllSaints have earned the final-year Fashion Buying with Marketing student at Â鶹ƵµÀ Leicester (DMU) an award from the (IMC).

Set up in memory of the founder of the Leicestershire-based agency, the annual Alastair Campbell Marketing Mentor Award invites entrants to submit a real-world marketing plan, which is assessed on its professionalism, practical viability and inclusion of realistic measurements and timelines.

As the 2021 winner, Rosie's prize includes the opportunity to do work experience at IMC, plus her choice of a one-year print and digital subscription to Drapers, a freelance membership to the Content Marketing Association for a year, or a six-month membership to Campaign magazine print and online.

The 22-year-old from Ilkley in Yorkshire said: “I was surprised to be nominated for the award and shocked to win because everyone’s submissions were so strong. I’m grateful to have my work recognised by an industry expert and enjoyed coming up with a marketing plan to boost AllSaints.”

After carrying out rigorous market research, Rosie came up with a number of ideas to help the brand regain the popularity it enjoyed in the 2000s. These include expanding into the vegan leather jacket market, creating a capsule collection made in the UK and using more diverse models.

Current IMC owner and managing director Jess Shailes, who judged the award entries, said: “I was impressed by the standard of all the finalists’ entries but Rosie’s really stood out for its credibility and attention to detail.

“Not only did Rosie show initiative in really getting to know the brand with interviews and visits, she demonstrated highly effective competitor analysis. Also, she included careful and feasible consideration of the cost of the marketing strategy she proposed. All in all, I agreed wholeheartedly with all the strategies Rosie put forward.”

Kaye Herriott, senior lecturer in Fashion Buying with Marketing at DMU said: "I’m delighted with Rosie’s achievement and by the high standard of all the students’ entries. This has been an incredibly challenging year in the higher education sector, so it is wonderful to see Rosie and her fellow students applying the expertise gained on the course to the real world.”

With her final exams completed and coursework handed in, Rosie has already moved to Manchester to take up a role as a merchandising admin assistant for Simply Be, a leading online retailer for women’s plus-size fashion.

She said: “I didn’t think there would be much out there during a pandemic and I was worried I’d be applying for jobs for ages. I’m so happy to have been successful early on and to be working with such a friendly team for a lovely company.”

Despite taking the marketing route on her fashion buying degree, a year-long work placement with UK childrenswear supplier Sylvia Jeffery Ltd piqued Rosie’s interest in merchandising.

“I really enjoyed learning more about a different discipline during my placement, so I decided to pursue it. I still love marketing though, so may well return to it one day. The great thing about my degree is that it gives you the knowledge and skills to go into a range of careers in fashion buying.”