Fashion ESL Lesson Plan Cover

Fashion ESL Lesson Plan For TEFL Teachers

Giving YOU the chance to SPEAK about fashion & brands!

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About This Fashion Lesson

This fashion project lesson was originally designed for a mixed group of teens from Italy, France, Russia and Spain studying at a summer school. The level was a strong upper-intermediate / advanced class, but you can easily adapt the questions and listening support for slightly lower levels.

The core idea of the lesson is simple: students use English to talk about clothes, style and brands, watch an interview with Victoria Beckham, compare Nike and Adidas, and finally work together to create their own fashion brand – complete with logo, slogan, backstory and famous people.

The project can be done over two 90-minute lessons, or you can pick and choose stages to fit your timetable. It works really well with motivated teens and young adults, especially if they are interested in clothes, luxury brands or streetwear.

Below you’ll find a step-by-step procedure. All materials including the PDF lesson plan and PPT slides are linked at the bottom of this page.

Lesson Procedure

1. Warmer – What did you buy last?

Start by telling students about the last item of clothing you bought: what it was, the brand, where you bought it and why you chose it.

Then put students in pairs. Ask them to share the same details with their partner. Encourage follow-up questions: Where did you get it? How much was it? Why did you choose that brand?

At this level, most students will know that get can mean buy, but it’s still useful to highlight this so you can use natural questions like: What did you get? and Where did you get it?

2. Quote discussion – Is fashion a language?

Show students the quote:

“Fashion is a way of expressing yourself without having to say anything.”

Ask students if they agree or disagree. Put them in pairs and tell them to come up with three reasons to support their opinion. In feedback, nominate students to share ideas and see if there is a class consensus.

3. Fashion speaking questions

Next, move into a more open speaking stage. Put students in pairs or small groups and give them the following questions:

  • Are people in your country fashionable?
  • What is “in” at the moment?
  • Does your country have any top brands? Which ones?
  • What do you think about fakes (fake brands / copies)?
  • Which makes are you wearing now?

Clarify vocabulary before they start:

  • “in” = fashionable / popular right now
  • fake = copy of a real brand
  • make = another word for brand (e.g. What make are your shoes? – Nike)

4. Brand logos & Victoria Beckham

Show students some famous fashion logos (there are examples in the PPT). Ask:

  • Do you recognise this brand?
  • Where is it from?
  • Do you own anything made by this brand?
  • What kind of reputation does it have? (e.g. “Only hipsters wear it.”)

Brands in the PPT include: Burberry (England), H&M (Sweden), Lacoste (France), Ralph Lauren (USA), Napapijri (Italy), Gucci (Italy), Vans (USA).

Finish this stage with Victoria Beckham. Ask what students know about her: Spice Girls, married to David Beckham, now a fashion designer. Show a photo and ask if anyone has bought anything from her brand and what they think of it.

5. Listening – Victoria Beckham on fashion

Tell students they are going to watch an interview with Victoria Beckham talking about fashion and her work.

  1. Task 1 – True or False
    Play the video once for a simple true/false task (see PDF/PPT for statements).
  2. Task 2 – Gap-fill
    On the second listen, students complete a gap-fill exercise. Some answers are more than one word.

Before the gap-fill, pre-teach or quickly check any key vocabulary you think they might need. Alternatively, do vocabulary work afterwards as feedback.

Video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuAEt8XCMRQ

Possible follow-up questions:

  • What do you think about her opinion of the Queen’s style?
  • Do you think it matters which city you live and work in as a fashion designer?

6. Nike vs Adidas – logos & slogans

Show the Adidas logo and ask students:

  • What do you think of this brand?
  • What do you like or dislike about it?
  • Which do you prefer: Nike or Adidas?
  • What are their slogans?

Elicit:

  • Nike: “Just Do It”
  • Adidas: “Impossible is Nothing”

You can also introduce other famous slogans (fashion or not). Students will need this later when they create a slogan for their own brand.

7. Story task – The Adidas backstory

Divide the class into Student A and Student B.

  • Student A – faces the board and watches a video story.
  • Student B – faces away from the board and reads the story (printed text).

After watching/reading, students turn their chairs and compare what they saw and read. The idea is that both versions tell the same Adidas backstory, but from different angles.

Video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9T9WsrfySk

You can mute the sound or add your own music so students focus on the visuals. Encourage them to give as much detail as possible – this will help them later when they invent their own fashion brand and story.

8. Main Project – Create a fashion brand

Now it’s time for the main project. Put students into small groups. If possible, give them access to computers to design their presentation. If not, use A3 paper – this actually works really well and can be displayed on the classroom wall at the end.

Each group invents a new fashion brand. They need to decide on:

  • Brand name
  • Logo
  • Country of origin
  • Brief backstory (similar style to the Adidas story)
  • Slogan
  • Type of clothing (sportswear, luxury, streetwear, etc.)
  • Famous people connected to the brand
  • Fun facts (interesting or unusual details)

Monitor closely, help with vocabulary and check their written English. Coloured pens and pencils are great if they are working on paper.

9. Presentations & gallery walk

When the designs are ready, students share their new brand. You can:

  • Get groups to present to the whole class, or
  • Run a gallery walk where groups rotate and explain their brand to another group.

Optional: let the class vote for categories such as “Best Logo”, “Most Original Brand Story” or “Brand I Would Actually Buy”.

Enjoy the lesson and have fun talking about fashion and style.
Luke – Native Speaker Online

Download Lesson Materials

All materials including this lesson plan can be found here: