From football to fashion: “It proves you’ve got a blend of creativity and strategic awareness”

Adam Barthram’s interest in fashion has a surprising origin: football. A semi-pro footballer, he was first led to pursue a career in sport. When lockdown struck, however, uncertainties about getting a contract arose due to limitations in places. Always interested in clothes, he spent this time instead drawing and creating his own designs, teaching himself more about the industry. 

Approached by Nottingham Trent University about completing a football scholarship alongside their CMI Dual Accredited BA (Hons) Fashion Management course, Adam decided to pursue a career in fashion. Now in his final year, the course has led him down a variety of avenues, including a placement year at Puma’s merchandising and product development department, where he gained hands-on experience shaping products for the likes of JD Group and Fraser Group. 

Inspired by professional footballers such as Reece Wabara who have started their own fashion brands, Adam is now similarly passionate about finding a balance between these “two worlds”. 

We spoke to him all about the art of balancing football with fashion – and how the course is helping him to build his own strategic vision…

Q: Do you think management is worth studying? 

Adam Barthram (AB): Definitely! I always wanted to do fashion design, but I didn't like how technical and hands-on it was. Obviously, it was quite a big jump to go from football to fashion too, so studying the management side of things prepared me for this. If I don’t go into fashion, I’ve still got skills that I can transfer. 

• Read more: “I see so many fashion brands that are doing it wrong. I want to be one that does it right”

Q: How important do you think management leadership skills are for fashion? 

AB: It’s important in all aspects. I definitely noticed at Puma that the people in the senior roles were not only really good people, but also had great leadership skills. It was easy to speak with them and build relationships and they knew how to manage people and teams, and have the right conversations. In fashion, these people skills are really important. I didn’t realise how much goes into planning a range, but this placement at Puma taught me just how vital management skills are. 

Q: What do you think is the most powerful career advice that you've received? 

AB: In football, they always used to say “someone is always watching you” or “you never know who’s watching” and I’ve taken that into everything. I try to do everything to the best of my ability and turn small gains into big ones.

Q: What motivated you to do this CMI Dual Accredited course in particular?

AB: I like the fashion side and the creative side, and working with products was my main interest. I really wanted to know what happens in a business day-to-day and more about strategic thinking, so this course provides me with an insight into both the fashion side and then also the management side of things – it’s the perfect balance. 

Q: How do you think completing a CMI Dual Accredited course will impact your career?

AB: It provides you with an edge. We looked at a case study this year that was all about using models and theories to look at a company’s strengths, helping us to practise strategic thinking. Having a management background and an eye to spot things will help me later in my career. 

For continuing my own brand, the skills I’ve been taught relating to managing people and relationships will also be useful. I’ve had situations where things have gone wrong with suppliers before, and learning how to manage the situation was not something I’d necessarily expected when I first started this course. I feel a lot more geared up for understanding the scaling and business side of products now. 

Q: Do you think having a CMI Dual Accredited course and Foundation Chartered Manager (fCMgr) status will help you stand out in the job market?

AB: Definitely. I really like to put those things on my CV. It shows you’ve got the brain for business and then also the natural passion to work in the industry. Once you’ve done one or two years in the industry, you can then go and do another level of CMI qualifications and work your way up the industry. The CMI-accredited course is an initial platform that helps you as a graduate and proves you’ve got a blend of creativity and strategic awareness. 

• More student stories: “Going for Dual Accreditation was the best decision I ever made”