Table Of Content
Sustainable Fashion: A Handbook for Educators
Edited by Liz Parker on behalf of Fashioning an Ethical Industry, UK, and Marsha A. Dickson on behalf of
Educators for Socially Responsible Apparel Business, USA.
Copyright and licence
Copyright lies with the contributing author, or with the author’s institution if applicable.
The contributions included in this publication are almost exclusively licensed under the Creative
Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license,
visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/.
Where an author has explicitly stated that work cannot be altered, this has been clearly indicated. You
must request permission from the author in these instances.
Publishers
Published in 2009 in the UK by Labour Behind the Label on behalf of Polish Humanitarian Organisation
(Poland), Südwind Agentur (Austria), Schone Kleren Campagne (Netherlands) and Educators for Socially
Responsible Apparel Business (USA).
Labour Behind the Label is a not for profit company registered in England. No. 4173634 at
10-12 Picton Street, Bristol, BS6 5QA, UK.
Design and layout by: Nick Ellis, Halo Media
www.halomedia.co.uk
Download the complete Handbook, chapters or individual contributions from
http://fashioninganethicalindustry.org/resources/teachingmaterials/handbook/
If you would like to order hard copies, please contact Fashioning an Ethical Industry by email:
[email protected]
The views expressed by individual authors do not necessarily reflect those of the editors and no
responsibility can be taken for inaccuracies made by individual authors.
This publication has been produced with the financial assistance of the European Union and the
Department for International Development. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility
of Labour Behind the Label and in no way reflect the position of the European Union or the Department
For International Development.
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visiting http://fashioninganethicalindustry.org/resources/feibulletin/
contents
02 IntroductIon
04 ExplaInIng natIonal FashIon rElatEd coursEs and QualIFIcatIons
08 FashIonIng an EthIcal Industry across EuropE
11 dEsIgn
55 BusInEss
95 MarKEtIng
115 cross currIcular
145 IntEractIVE actIVItIEs
207 pEdagogy and InstItutIonal approachEs
251 Full lIst oF contrIButIons
Educators of fashion related courses will be inspired This Handbook is divided into six chapters: Design,
by this Handbook to bring sustainability and ethics Marketing, Business, Cross-curricular, Pedagogy and
into their teaching and, by doing so, motivate students Institutional Approaches, and Interactive Activities.
to consider the people and environment when Educators of any fashion related course will be able to
making decisions in their future careers. We have an draw inspiration from the contributions by educators
opportunity to create a fashion industry we are proud from around the world who have shared their
of, and we hope this Handbook can contribute to the experience of teaching on sustainability and ethics.
journey towards a sustainable industry.
Download this Handbook from http://fashioninganethicalindustry.org/resources/teachingmaterials/handbook
1
contEnts
Introduction
Poor working conditions are endemic in the industry, and aim is more modest: to draw together examples of the
the environmental impact throughout the product lifecycle work already being carried out by educators around the
is high. Students pursuing fashion related courses will go world and to inspire others to include topics of social
on to fill decision-making roles in the industry. If they are responsibility in their teaching. On this note, it is important
to make decisions that move the industry towards social, to state that the views expressed by the authors do
environmental and economic sustainability, it is important not necessarily reflect the views of the editors or their
that they are informed to understand and critically assess organisations.
it’s impact on people and the planet, and the initiatives that
are taking place to address this impact. We have divided the Handbook into six chapters:
Through the work of the Labour Behind the Label • The Design section includes essays, teaching activities and
educational project, Fashioning an Ethical Industry in the design ideas aimed at design, garment technology and
UK, and that of Educators for Socially Responsible Apparel product development courses.
Business in the USA, it has become apparent that many • The Business section includes teaching materials for
educators around the world are teaching about the business, sourcing, retail management, buying, socially
social and environmental issues in creative ways in their responsible business and merchandising courses.
classrooms, lecture theatres and studios. • The Marketing section includes teaching activities
for marketing, visual merchandising, promotion,
While a significant number of resources about the social consumer behaviour, strategic fashion management and
and environmental impact of the fashion industry are communications courses.
available, there is only a small and emerging body of • The Cross-curricular section includes reading lists and
materials exploring how to teach on the issues. Sustainable teaching ideas for use within all fashion disciplines
Fashion: A Handbook for Educators aims to fill that gap. including theory and contextual studies.
We circulated an international call for papers and were • The Interactive Activities section is relevant to all courses.
impressed with the response from educators and training • The Pedagogy and Institutional Approaches section
providers. The Handbook contains 45 contributions, includes summaries of various approaches taken to
mainly from the USA, UK and Austria, but also from teaching sustainable fashion, including development of
Poland, The Netherlands and Australia. We hope that any new courses and curricula, case studies and the role of
future editions will include papers from producer country placements.
educators. Sadly, time and resources meant we were
unable to actively seek papers from these countries. You will find a summary of each paper in the introductory
sections to each chapter. We have also included
This Handbook brings together practical ideas on how to information about further reading and resources.
teach about social and environmental responsibility in the The Handbook is available to download from www.
fashion industry, rather than being a series of papers about fashioninganethicalindustry.org in three formats: the entire
the issues. The Handbook contains ideas for assignments, publication, by chapter and by individual contribution.
class based interactive activities, project briefs, course
outlines, case studies, teaching experiences and reading lists. In the process of publishing this Handbook, it became
The Handbook does not aspire to be a comprehensive clear that the terminology used on fashion related courses
teaching guide with a beginning, middle and end. Our is different in different countries. Therefore, we have a
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sustaInaBlE FashIon : a handBooK For Educators
Key
At the beginning of each contribution, you will find a table summarising key information about the piece, based on the
key below, to guide you to its contents:
1. Level Pre-16, FE, UG, PG
2. Pre-requisite knowledge A. No background knowledge required. B. General knowledge of the textiles and garment industry required.
required by educators C. Some knowledge of discipline required. D. Specific knowledge required (specified).
3. Pre-requisite knowledge A. No background knowledge required. B. General knowledge of the textiles and garment industry required.
required by students C. Some knowledge of discipline required. D. Specific knowledge required (specified).
4. Number of students Specified / Any number
5. Length of time required XXX to XXX minutes / hours / days / weeks
Adjustable
6. Type of activity Individual work, Group work, Student presentations, Course outlines and learning goals, Interactive activities,
Ideas for projects, assignments and briefs, Book related, Film related, Image related, Article
7. Discipline Discussion and debate, Institutional approach, Research related, Practical, Placement related
Business, Cross-curricular, Design, Marketing, Pedagogy, Interactive
8. Topics covered Agriculture, Animal welfare, All, Branding, Campaigns, Care and repair, Child labour, Companies, Consumers,
Corporate social responsibility, Empathy, Entrepreneurship, Environment, Fair trade, Ethical initiatives / brands,
Gender, Globalisation, Health and safety, History, Home-based workers, Informal work, Legal initiatives, Multi-
stakeholder initiatives, Migrant workers, Organic, Pedagogy, Poverty, Prices, Purchasing practices, Second hand
clothes, Slow Fashion, Student / educator defined, Supply chains, Technology, Textiles, Trade, Trade unions, Wages,
Workers’ rights, Working conditions
paper in this section about fashion related courses in website: www.fashioninganethicalindustry.org. We also
the UK, USA, Austria, Poland and the Netherlands to welcome new ideas or your comments on those presented
facilitate understanding of the different terminology used in this Handbook.
by contributing authors. We have also maintained USA/UK
spellings and grammar where appropriate throughout the
handbook. acKnowlEdgEMEnts
The target audience for the Handbook is mainly educators Liz Parker and Marsha A. Dickson for the compiling
on fashion related courses at the higher education level, and editing of the Handbook. Bee Hayes from Labour
although a number of activities are targeted specifically Behind the Label for design inspiration. Emma McGinn for
at teaching pre-16 and further education students – and finding some excellent photographs. Andrea Hernández
many of the activities can be adapted for use by educators Valderrama for research. Hannah Higginson for providing
at any level. support in a multitude of ways. Sarah Gann for editing and
proof-reading, and Nick Ellis for design and layout. The final
We hope that the contributions presented here will inspire thank you goes to all the contributors.
you with ideas for your own teaching. We would be very
interested in receiving images and descriptions of students’
work produced as a result of these activities, with an aim
of sharing these through Fashioning an Ethical Industry’s
3
IntroductIon
Explaining national Fashion related
courses and Qualifications
IntroductIon
In Dutch HBO (Hoger Beroeps Onderwijs) schools, which
Fashion education around the world uses different teach at the polytechnic level, the term lecturer is used for
terminology to describe teaching staff and the institutions teaching professionals.
where courses are taught. The length and types of courses
and qualifications also vary and not all countries offer the In Austria, the terms lecturers and teachers are used at
same subjects within fashion education. These variations school level. Professors, lecturers, visiting professors at
have meant that it is impossible to use consistent language university level (baccalaureate).
throughout this fashion educators’ manual. To compensate,
this article compiled by experts in each country, is intended In Polish vocational schools and technical schools, the term
to distinguish the different terminology and clarify the teacher is used. In universities and colleges it’s lecturer and
systems. tutor (but not often). The distinction between universities,
colleges and other schools offering higher education is a bit
more complicated in Poland, but for all of them we usually
a. What is the common term used by educational
institutions in your country for teaching professionals say lecturer. Educator is not used very much. It relates
(e.g. lecturer, tutor, teacher, educator, etc.)? Please state mostly to teacher trainers (people who train teachers).
at which level of education these terms are commonly
used.
b. What terms are used to describe the educational
institutions that offer fashion related courses (e.g.
In the United Kingdom (UK), teacher is used in schools and university, college, etc.)?
lecturer and tutor are both terms commonly used in Further
Education (FE) and Higher Education (HE). Educator is In the UK, there are no rules to this nomenclature: fashion
usually only used in abstract or theoretical texts. related courses can exist at both further education and
higher education levels. Most institutions at HE level are
In the United States, individuals in charge of instruction called universities, but there are some art and design
at colleges and universities are generally referred to as specific centres that are called Specialist Arts Institutions.
instructors or professors, depending on their educational Some of these Specialist Arts Institutions are HEI’s (higher
achievements and/or relationship with the institution. education institutions), e.g. Arts Institute Bournemouth; and
Instructors are assigned to teach certain classes and their some are FEIs (FE institutions), e.g. Cleveland College of
primary role is teaching. Instructors may or may not have Art and Design, Leeds College of Art and Design. Most FE
education beyond the undergraduate/baccalaureate degree institutions are called colleges. [Editor’s note: Some further
level, but increasingly they do hold a master’s degree educational institutions offer higher education.]
at minimum. They may be hired to teach one class or a
number of classes. Professors teach but typically have In the United States, many fashion related degrees are
additional responsibilities, including research or other obtained through universities, which prioritize both
forms of scholarship where new knowledge is created research and teaching, and offer degrees in a broad range
and disseminated, as well as services that contribute to of disciplines and at varied levels (e.g. bachelor’s (BA),
governing their unit or university. Professors almost always master’s (MA), and doctorate). Universities are comprised
hold a terminal degree, which for the apparel/fashion field of colleges that focus on a narrower range of disciplines.
is a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree. Some may hold For example, the University of Delaware is comprised
a terminal degree from another field (e.g. some apparel of seven colleges (e.g. College of Arts and Sciences,
design faculty hold the Master of Fine Arts degree, some Lerner College of Business). A college that is not part
professors may hold a Doctor of Education (EdD) degree. of a university generally focuses on a narrower range of
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sustaInaBlE FashIon : a handBooK For Educators
disciplines than a university (e.g. a liberal arts college). merchandising are prevalent.
Universities tend to have larger enrolments than colleges. • Students can also earn masters and doctorate degrees
Community colleges are more vocational in nature and with fashion related foci. Whether the degree is
offer two-year degrees. considered an “Arts” or a “Science” degree depends
on the varied emphasis on humanities type (e.g. English,
Dutch educational institutions at HBO-level with fashion history), physical and social science courses (e.g.
related courses are called institute, academy, college of chemistry, math, psychology), and discipline-specific
higher education, university of applied science, etc. requirements. In theory, the Bachelor of Arts degree
has somewhat more flexibility in courses students are
For terms used in Austria, see question c. allowed to take, whereas the Bachelor of Science degree
is more defined and specialized. However, there are
In Poland, the following educational institutions offer fashion no hard rules for this distinction and each university or
related courses: university, various schools (non-university college approves its own degree programs.
schools offering both BA and MA courses), technical
college, vocational school, academy, technical university. THE NETHErLANDS
Some fine art schools offer fashion related courses too. • A student is awarded a BA after 4 years HBO.
• An MA can be obtained by taking a special masters
c. What types of qualification can students attain on programme (normally an additional one to two years).
a fashion related course (e.g. BA, MA, vocational
qualification, etc.)? Please give a description of these AUSTrIA:
types of qualifications.
• Ten vocational schools of fashion technology offer
three year practice related vocational courses for 14 to
UK: 18 year olds.
• Fashion Foundation: one year pre-degree qualification • Following this, the Institute of Higher Education of
that is very general. Fashion Technology offers an advanced three year A level
• BTEC Higher National Diploma (HND): two year course (age 17 +).
qualification intended to be equivalent to A (Advanced) • There are fourteen institutes of higher education in
level (usually two years full-time study, pre-university) fashion technology offering five year A level courses for
plus level one degree. 14 to 19 year olds.
• Foundation Degree: two year industry focussed higher • Two colleges offer two year ‘higher’ A level professional
education qualification that should allow access to final qualification courses and an additional college offers a
level of Degree Programme. three year course from the Institute of Higher Education
• BA: three or four year (sandwich, i.e: with work of Fashion Technology.
placements) qualification. • The Fashion School Hetzendorf offers a six semester
• BA (top-up): one year fast-track qualification. Baccalureate BA course.
• MA: one to two year post-graduate qualification. • University education:
• MPhil and PhD: up to 5 year doctorate research • Fashion Design at the Institute of Design/University of
qualification. Applied Arts in Vienna.
• Graduate Diploma: one year post-degree/pre-MA - Duration: 8 semesters
level qualification. - Level: Master of Arts.
• Graduate Certificate: 15 week post-degree qualification. • Textile/Art & Design at the Institute of Art and Design/
University of Arts in Linz.
USA: - Level: Bachelor of Arts
Students interested in fashion can study for a wide variety - Duration 6 semesters; following this.
of degrees in the United States. - Level: Master of Arts
• There are associates’ degrees that are generally earned in - Duration: 4 semesters.
two years and have a vocational emphasis.
• Bachelors’ degrees in apparel design and fashion
5
coursEs and QualIFIcatIons
PoLAND: original research in a specialized area. However, the names
• Vocational school diploma, e.g. in textile design, typically of these doctorate degrees generally do not reflect this
for two years. specialization (e.g. PhD in Textiles and Clothing).
• Technical diploma, e.g. in costume design, textile
technician (three or four years, ending with baccalaureate In The Netherlands, Amsterdam Fashion Institute (AMFI)
and technical school diploma). for example, offers Fashion and Branding, Fashion
• Post-graduate diploma, e.g. in fashion and design. and Design, and Fashion and Management. The TMO
• BA, e.g. in marketing, design. Hogeschool voor Modemanagement in Doorn offers
• MA, e.g. in marketing, design. training for buyers, entrepreneurs, retail sales managers,
sales managers in the distributive trades, and production
In general, fashion related courses are offered at all levels: managers. The fashion design & strategy department at
at vocational schools, technical colleges, universities, ArtEZ (Academy of Art and Design) in Arnhem offers a
technical universities, academies of beaux arts, etc. all kinds master’s programme in vision and concept development.
of qualifications are therefore available.
In Austria, depending on the type of school, the following
d. What fashion related subjects can students take in fashion related subjects are more or less prominent, but
your country (e.g. design, business, marketing, etc.) at available in all of them: Production Planning and Work
what level? Organisation, Textile Technology, Design and Fashion
Illustration, Pattern Cutting, Grading, Modelling with
In the UK, fashion related subjects are many and varied and CAD, Technology and Clothing Machines, Workshop
include: Fashion Design; Textile Design; Fashion Knitwear and Manufacturing Technology, Fashion Design, Fashion
Design; Knitted Textiles; Fashion & Textile Management; Technology, Textile Testing, Cutting lllustration, and Exercise
Fashion Marketing & Branding; Fashion Communication & and Catwalk.
Promotion; International Fashion Business; Fashion History
& Theory; Costume; Fashion and Textile Buying; and Retail PoLAND:
Management. [Editor’s note: For a list of fashion related • Design (costume, fashion, shoes, textiles, etc.)
courses available at bachelor’s level in the UK, please search – master’s, bachelor’s, technical college diploma.
by course at http://www.ucas.ac.uk/.] • Business – MBA.
• Marketing – MA, BA, MBA.
In the United States fashion merchandising and apparel • Textiles – MA, BA, technical college diploma.
design are the most common bachelors’ degrees.
The fashion merchandising degree prepares students e. H ow many years do students usually take to attain the
for a broad range of careers in merchandising, buying, different qualifications on a fashion related course in
retail management, promotions and advertising, visual your country?
merchandising, etc. There are a few programs in production
management, fiber/textile science, and textiles engineering In the UK, the most common length of time for a fashion
that carry over from when apparel and textile production related bachelor’s degree is three years (and most
was more prevalent in the United States. Masters’ and design students will have undertaken a one year general
doctorate degrees have more variation in the subjects they foundation year after completing their A levels and before
cover and/or what they are “named”. Masters’ degrees doing a degree). Some British fashion related degrees are
over the years have tended to broadly cover the apparel four years long and include a year working in industry
and textile fields with classes incorporating such subjects (between end of second year and beginning of final year).
as textile science, textile/costume history, social psychology There are other routes though - please see answers to
of dress, and others. More recently, masters’ degrees have question c.
been developed or redesigned to address a more defined
specialization such as Masters in Retail Merchandising or
Textile Products Design and Marketing. Doctorate degrees
tend to be focused and require students to conduct
6
sustaInaBlE FashIon : a handBooK For Educators
In the United States, the number of years students take to
g. What terms are used to describe the activities
attain the different qualifications are generally as follows:
students engage in for learning (e.g. assignments,
essays, projects, etc.)?
Degree Years to Completion
Associate’s Two years
There is no set answer in any country. Terms used in
Bachelor’s Four years
many of the countries include assignments, essays, design
Master’s Two years beyond the
projects and collections, homework, research projects,
bachelor’s degree
journals, critiques, debates. Other terms/activities include
Doctorate Three years beyond the
modules, theses, production schedules, business plans,
master’s degree
presentations…even examinations!
In the Netherlands, Bachelors’ degrees are 3-4 years and
contrIButors
Masters’ 1-2 years.
United States: Marsha Dickson, Professor and Chairperson
Austria: See answer to question c.
of Fashion & Apparel Studies, University of Delaware;
President and Founder of Educators for Socially
In Poland, students take courses for 3 to 5 years in
Responsible Apparel Business.
technical schools, 2 years in vocational schools, 3 years for
UK: The steering group of the Association of Fashion and
a BA and 5 for an MA.
Textile Courses - Contact: Brenda Sparkes M(Des)RCA,
Chair of the Association of Fashion and Textile Courses,
f. How is that time divided up (e.g. semesters, terms)?
and Academic Team Leader, Applied Design, Nottingham
Trent University School of Art and Design.
Most universities and colleges in the United States, The
The Netherlands: Jan Piscaer, Lecturer at Amsterdam
Netherlands, Austria and Poland use semesters.
Fashion Institute.
Austria: Ruth Buchauer, Südwind Austria.
In the United States, these are 15 or 16 weeks long and
Poland: Kasia Szeniawska and Anna Paluszek, Coordinators,
the primary teaching semesters are Fall and Spring, though
Fashioning an Ethical Industry, www.modnieietycznie.pl.
some courses are often available in shorter 4 to 8 week
sessions in the summer. A few universities and colleges
offer a 4 to 5 week winter session as well.
In Austria, the winter semester runs from the beginning of
September to the beginning of February, and the summer
semester from the beginning of February to the beginning
of July.
In the UK, this depends on the institution. Some have three
terms per year, some have two semesters. Most British
degrees work on three terms.
Some Dutch institutions use trimesters.
7
coursEs and QualIFIcatIons
Fashioning an Ethical Industry across Europe
Between June 2008 and May 2010, the European Union As well as participating in the European Fashioning an
are funding a European Fashioning an Ethical Industry Ethical Industry project, Südwind Agentur coordinates
project run by project partners in the UK, Poland, Austria global education centres and activities across Austria,
and The Netherlands. The partners are also working to produces international development media, and lobbies
share their learning across other European countries during decision-makers on a variety of global justice issues.
the course of the project. The project aims to support www.mode.cleanclothes.at
university, college and high school educators on fashion
related courses to incorporate social responsibility issues the netherlands: Fair Fashion
into their teaching – so that their students develop a sense - schone Kleren campagne
of social responsibility towards garment workers and
are equipped to contribute to more socially responsible Fair Fashion: naar een eerlijke kledingindustrie (Fair Fashion:
policies and practices in the industry. towards a fair garment industry) is a Schone Kleren
Campagne (Clean Clothes Campaign) project designed
The project partners are Südwind Agentur (Austria), for students at fashion colleges in The Netherlands. In all
Schone Kleren Campagne (Netherlands), Polish our activities, we focus on the social aspects of garment
Humanitarian Organisation (Poland) and Labour Behind production and, by doing so, contribute to fairer working
the Label (UK). conditions for the workers that stitch our clothes. Fashion
European-wide Fashioning an Ethical Industry website: students have the opportunity and responsibility to design
www.fashioninganethicalindustry.eu and do business in a fair way. We provide them with the
tools and knowledge they need in order to locate their
austria: My design. My responsiblity. role in cleaning up the international fashion industry. Hence
- südwind agentur our slogan: Upgrade your ethical fashion skills!
Südwind Agentur coordinate the Clean Clothes Campaign Fair Fashion works mostly with colleges that provide
(CCC) in Austria, which focuses on improving working undergraduate and postgraduate courses at a polytechnic
conditions in the global garment and sportswear industry level, such as fashion branding, fashion management and
and empowering the workers in it. The Südwind Agentur fashion design. In the coming period, we are looking to
project, ‘Mein Design. Meine Verantwortung’ (My design. My expand our activities to the different art academies and
responsibility.), builds on the aims of the CCC by working other educational institutions that offer fashion related
with fashion schools and fashion educators on social and courses, and the community colleges (MBOs).
environmental responsibility in the clothing industry. The
project provides a variety of opportunities for educators and Our website, www.fairfashion.org, is designed to be a
students. Together with fashion educators, we develop new starting point for all students interested in fair fashion.
study units and run training sessions for educators about Another important tool in the project is a publication, Fair
social responsibility and methods of teaching. We support Fashion Files, a practical manual about what students can
fashion educators with their projects, give lectures and do while at university and college, to engage with ethical
run workshops in schools. We also produce regular email- issues in the fashion industry so that they – as the next
newsletters and provide a web-page to disseminate news generation of industry players – can fashion a more ethical
and information about teaching materials and projects. industry in the future. The manual is accompanied by a cd-
rom for educators, containing a PowerPoint presentation,
8
sustaInaBlE FashIon : a handBooK For Educators
