design curriculum? Dr Alison Gwilt / Reader, Fashion & - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

How to integrate sustainability into the fashion design curriculum?

Images: Central St Martins graduate Naomi Bailey Cooper embedded growing crystals in garments. ’slot + fold’ from University of Brighton Mdes graduate, Cherelle Abrams

“The UK is distinguished by the creativity of its designers, the diversity of its high street shopping

• pportunities - with the retail sector unique internationally in terms of its strong direct links with

designers – and the strength of its fashion education system, which offers world-class support in nurturing the creativity of would-be designers.” British Fashion Council, The Value of the UK Fashion Industry, 2014

Dr Alison Gwilt / Reader, Fashion & Sustainability / Sheffield Hallam University, UK Dr Alana M James / Assistant Professor in Fashion / Heriot-Watt University, UK

methodology...

Image: paper zero waste patternmaking exercise, part of the Redress Fashion Academy at Sheffield Institute of the Arts 2017

• OBSERVE: To consider how colleagues in their department currently engage

students in the teaching of sustainability

• REFLECT: To consider how they engage with sustainability in their own practice
• SUPPORT: To compare their own integration of sustainability in the fashion

curriculum with that of their colleagues

discussion and conclusions...

Patchwork jacket from designer, Martina Spetlova / ‘Make, do & mend’ clothing repair study by Sheffield Hallam University

Initial conclusions...

• practices appear fairly robust, utilising a good range of

methods and tools. Evidence of best practice (e.g. adoption

• f sustainable leaders) is encouraging in the further

integrating of sustainability in the curriculum.

However...

• there still remains a huge amount of resistance from

colleagues – this is slowing further integration. It leaves those educators currently engaging in the subject feeling isolated and unsupported.

• the teaching of sustainability in fashion curriculum is all too
• ften reliant on the personal motivations and values of

individuals to drive forward the subject area.