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sustaInaBlE FashIon : a handBooK For Educators
We are including two new course units related to ethical
fashion as we hope they will inspire you and highlight
what is currently out there. In addition to these units,
you can find information about how other colleges and
universities (mainly in the UK) are approaching ethical and
sustainable fashion at http://www.fashioninganethicalindustry.org/
ethicalcourses.
london collEgE oF FashIon:
EthIcal FashIon ElEctIVE unIt
Heather Pickard, Director of Programmes, BA (Hons)
Fashion Management, and Dilys Williams, Director, Centre
for Sustainable Fashion, London College of Fashion,
University of the Arts, UK.
Heather Pickard [email protected]
Dilys Williams [email protected]
This unit is offered to second year BA (Hons) students at
the London College of Fashion. Alongside the main course
units, students have the opportunity to select a number
of elective units, to enable them to contextualise their
knowledge base and specialist skills in preparation for their
final projects. The unit offered in the second term of the
second year from January 2009 will introduce students
to the challenges that companies now face in operating
commercially and in an ethical way. Students examine the
use of ethical principles and their application across the
fashion industry in the context of wider academic debate
and social policy. The unit will also provide a coherent
framework in which to introduce relevant aspects of design
processes, critical path management, buying culture and
overall considerations of corporate social responsibility.
In the unit, students will be challenged to demonstrate:
- Knowledge of the academic debate surrounding
the alignment of commercial interests and ethical
commitments within the fashion industry. - An application of the key macro factors such as
PESTEL (political, economic, social, technological,
ethical / environmental and legal) and corporate social
responsibility impacting on the fashion supply chain. - Recognition of how fashion retailers can meet the ethical
and environmental expectations of consumers and other
stakeholders. - An awareness of current company practices and
suggested initiatives to enhance ethical practices within
the fashion industry.
unIVErsIty oF thE crEatIVE arts:
gloBal FashIon outlooK
Caroline Gilbey, Lecturer, University of the Creative Arts
(Epsom)[email protected]Students on the BA (Hons) Fashion Management and
Marketing course at University of the Creative Arts
(Epsom) take a mandatory course unit in their second year
of study called The Global Fashion Outlook. This explores
the new global fashion market and the impact of this on
small and/or local manufacturing communities. It explores
the ways in which changes and practices related to fast
fashion and western phenomena present both challenges
and opportunities for the future. Students consider the
ways in which global fashion impacts on cultural, social,
ethical, ergonomic and environmental contexts.outline Syllabus^1- Global sourcing: myth, reality and opportunity
- Co-location, hidden and visible costings
- The end of quota
- Transformation of China
- Responsible buying
- Supplier selection
- Overseas versus domestic sourcing
- Retailer/supplier relations and the balance of power
- The impact of globalisation and brand complacency
- Eco-design, ethical PR
- Turning ethical fashion into a key profit driver
(^1) The course was offered for the first time in the autumn term 2008 and is subject to
alteration