Our resource constrained future demands new kinds of fashion practitioners: people who think critically, creatively and collaboratively. A holistic understanding of sustainability, coupled with a forward-looking vision will support the transition to a regenerative fashion industry.
An innovative, cross-disciplinary Masters programme that explores sustainability in fashion and its systems. Students with varied relevant backgrounds such as fashion design, textiles, business or marketing can learn to work collaboratively. This course develops critical thinking, problem solving and a strategic mindset to innovate responsible fashion systems that radically reimagine luxury fashion.
This empowering course supports students to develop a strong theoretical understanding of the luxury fashion industry through systems thinking. Collaborative and individual projects develop project management skills alongside ecological design principles, alternative economics, business models, regenerative systems, future sourcing, indigenous knowledge systems, the local, the politics of luxury, and values-led communication to the development of new fashion systems and products that reflect their individual disciplines and goals. Within a framework of lectures, seminars, workshops, practical sessions and field trips, students develop dynamic, cross-disciplinary collaborations to research, explore, conceptualize and create responsible fashion systems and processes that are pro-actively positive, both socially and environmentally. Assessed work from collaborative projects are largely ‘portfolio’-based, comprising a range of potential outcomes – such as annotated research books, samples, experiments, maquettes, designs, speculative pieces, artefacts or new system plans, proposals, essays, reports, campaign plans, films and reflective writing, allowing for fluid but rigorous interdisciplinary outcomes that represent the specific and varied contributions of individuals to a variety of team projects. This enables students to pursue their individual interests and aspirations within the course.
Critical debates and ethics in fashion and luxury
Systems thinking for fashion
Alternative economics and business models
Regenerative and indigenous knowledge systems
Futuring and creative problem-solving
Dynamic synergies between theory and practice
New business models and design practices for a responsible future
Sustainability role within a luxury fashion brand
Sustainable fashion entrepreneur
Sustainable fashion design/business consultancy
Sustainable fashion brand strategy & product development
Fashion Forecaster
Charities, NGOs or social enterprises
Researcher (Academic or industry)
This programme equips students to respond to the seismic changes happening across the fashion industry and in the luxury sector specifically. The industry needs people that can find innovative solutions rather than perpetuate current issues; this course is designed to produce highly employable, forward-looking graduates that will offer new insights and lead change. Graduates can explore careers at a variety of levels and areas of the industry, from design to research and strategy.