Abstract
Sustainability is possibly the biggest critique that fashion education has ever known. By its nature connecting a vast range of disciplines, fashion explores technical, philosophical, artistic and economic parameters within and beyond its material dimensions and might therefore challenge a broad range of societal practices. Design education more broadly, as with industry, is steadily taking on bold language around sustainability, but this is not always matched with deep change in disciplinary practice. Whilst new skills for sustainability are increasingly being endorsed as crucial for graduate employability by business and governmental agendas, those needed to shape a radically new kind of future are often poorly defined. This paper outlines research into ways in which the educational space might negotiate the needs of the present with the future using evidence from an academia-business collaboration. It explores fashion’s potential to inform sustainability practice in relation to and beyond fashion education using analysis of participant interviews, curriculum creation and participant feedback to navigate relevant knowledge and values and their recognition in academic terms. It involves actors from a diverse student body, teaching staff and business practitioners. It will be of value to those interested in the transformation of education through sustainability, referencing a range of change levels identified through the research.
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Notes
- 1.
London College of Fashion is a leading global provider of fashion education at undergraduate and postgraduate level, as well as offering short courses, study abroad courses and integrated masters.
- 2.
Kering is a world leader in apparel and accessories, developing powerful brands across Luxury and Sport and Lifestyle. The Kering brands include Stella McCartney, Alexander McQueen, Brioni, Gucci, Bottega Venetta, Balenciaga, Christopher Kane and Puma.
- 3.
In terms of sustainability, ‘empowering imagination’ means spurring innovation with processes and products that have more positive social and environmental impact, while ensuring designers and brands stay true to their own identity and values. This term is used by Kering in their public communication.
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Williams, D., Toth-Fejel, K. (2017). The Will and the Skill in Education for Sustainability. In: Leal Filho, W., Azeiteiro, U., Alves, F., Molthan-Hill, P. (eds) Handbook of Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development in Higher Education. World Sustainability Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47877-7_6
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