Sustainable Fashion Design
Introduction
Welcome to Sustainable Fashion Design! This course is designed to provide students and design professionals with in-depth knowledge of sustainable fashion principles, with a strong focus on circular economy practices. The Sustainable Fashion Design course aligns with the three pillars of the New European Bauhaus—Sustainability, Aesthetics, and Inclusion.
Sustainability: The course emphasizes circular economy principles, teaching students to use sustainable materials, eco-friendly production methods, and design for longevity, modularity, and disassembly. These practices align with the Bauhaus vision of environmentally regenerative fashion.
Aesthetics: Students learn to balance sustainable design with aesthetic appeal, creating garments that are not only eco-friendly but also stylish and timeless, supporting the Bauhaus’s goal of merging beauty with sustainability.
Inclusion: The course addresses ethical supply chains and fair labor practices, ensuring students and design professionals, understand how to create fashion that respects both people and the planet, reflecting the Bauhaus’s values of inclusivity.
The Futures Designed needs analysis identified a gap in skills related to sustainable materials, circular design, and ethical production processes in the fashion industry. This course directly addresses those needs by providing knowledge on sustainable fibers, eco-friendly dyeing techniques, and circular fashion strategies, ensuring students are equipped to lead the industry’s green transition.
Moreover, the course supports key Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly:
SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production by promoting sustainable design and production methods.
SDG 13: Climate Action by teaching students to reduce environmental impact.
SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth by emphasizing ethical labor standards.
By integrating the Futures Designed needs analysis with the vision of the New European Bauhaus, this course equips students with the knowledge and skills to innovate in sustainable fashion and drive meaningful change in the industry. So let’s dive in and discover what’s in store!
Index
Module 1: Introduction to Sustainable Fashion Design
This module provides a foundational understanding of sustainability within the context of fashion. It explores the definition and principles of sustainable fashion, examining its significance in addressing environmental and social challenges. Students will trace the history and evolution of sustainable fashion, learning how the movement emerged in response to the negative impacts of traditional fashion practices. Key sustainability challenges in the industry, such as resource depletion, pollution, waste, labor exploitation, and the need for transparency in supply chains, will be discussed to set the stage for deeper exploration of solutions and innovations.
Key Topics
1.1 Overview of Sustainability in Fashion
1.2 History and Evolution of Sustainable Fashion
1.3 Key Sustainability Challenges in the Fashion Industry
Goals
- Analyze and Evaluate the Environmental and Social Impact of Fashion
- Analyze the Historical Evolution of Sustainable Fashion
- Identify and Evaluate the Key Sustainability Challenges in the Fashion Industry
Required Reading
- Chain, E. (2022) British Vogue: 16 Things Everyone Should Know About Sustainable Fashion. Available at: vogue.co.uk/fashion/article/sustainable-fashion#:~:text=What%20does%20sustainable%20fashion%20mean?%20What
- Geneva Environment Network (2024) Environmental Sustainability in the Fashion Industry. Available at: genevaenvironmentnetwork.org/resources/updates/sustainable-fashion/#scroll-nav__7
- Change Oracle. (2021) 10 Reasons Why Patagonia Is the World’s Most Responsible Company. Available at: changeoracle.com/2021/09/10/10-reasons-why-patagonia-is-worlds-most/
- Exposing the secrets of Sustainable Fashion (Marketplace)
Activity
Quiz: Choose the right answers about questions related to this module.
Module 2: Sustainable Materials
This module introduces students to a diverse range of sustainable materials and innovative textiles used in fashion design. It focuses on understanding the environmental impact of these materials while highlighting their advantages over conventional options. Students will explore natural fibers such as organic cotton and wool, delving into their cultivation, processing methods, and ecological benefits. The module also examines innovative sustainable materials like mushroom leather, recycled fabrics, and biodegradable textiles, providing an in-depth analysis of their production processes and potential applications in sustainable fashion. Through this, students will gain a comprehensive understanding of how material innovation drives sustainability in the fashion industry.
Key Topics
2.1 Materials and Sustainability
2.2 Sustainable Fibers & Fabrics
2.3 Organic Fibers
2.4 Alternative Materials
Goals
- Identify and Differentiate Sustainable and Conventional Materials in Fashion
- Evaluate the Environmental Impact of Various Textiles
- Analyze the Production Processes and Applications of Innovative Materials
Required Reading
- Keellabs (2024) Harnessing the power of the ocean to create materials. Available at: keellabs.com
- Ananas Anam (2017) Ananas Anam: The pioneers of Innovative Natural Textiles from Waste Pineapple Leaves. Available at: ananas-anam.com/about-us/
- QWSTION International GmbH (2024) Bananatex®: A Textile Revolution. Available at: bananatex.info
- Murray, S. (2016) NRDC: Fixing the Fashion Industry. Available at: nrdc.org/stories/fixing-fashion-industry
- Nooteboom Textiles (2024) What Does GOT Stand For? Available at: nooteboomtextiles.com/pages/gots-global-organic-textile-standard
- Stella McCartney YouTube (2021) Stella McCartney and Bolt Threads: The World’s First Mylo™️ Vegan Mushroom Leather: https://youtu.be/AAyy8v_5Ox8?si=H6A5lp8lSusJ8IRH
Activity
Quiz: Choose the right answers about questions related to this module.
Module 3: Eco-Friendly Dyeing and Printing Techniques
This module focuses on sustainable dyeing and printing techniques that prioritize environmental responsibility and minimize ecological harm. Students will explore both traditional and contemporary approaches, including: Natural Dyeing Techniques, Low-Water Dyeing and Digital Textile Printing. Throughout the course, students will examine the environmental benefits of these techniques, comparing them to conventional dyeing and printing methods. This comprehensive approach emphasizes eco-conscious practices in the textile industry.
Key Topics
3.1 Environmental Benefits to Eco-Friendly Dyeing and Printing Techniques.
3.2 Natural Dyeing, Low Water Dyeing and Digital Printing.
Goals
- Apply Sustainable Dyeing Practices
- Utilize Digital Textile Printing
- Critically compare the ecological advantages of sustainable dyeing and printing methods to conventional practices.
Required Reading
- Manufacture3D (2024) How Adidas is leveraging 3D Printing in the Footwear Industry. Available at: manufactur3dmag.com/how-adidas-is-leveraging-3d-printing-in-the-footwear-industry/
- Medium (2023) Smart Textiles: The Next Frontier in Fashion Design. Available at:medium.com/@Geniemode/smart-textiles-the-next-frontier-in-fashion-design-e85e0afdf483
- Rethinking the Future. (2022) Eco-Friendly Fashion: How Sustainable Clothing Printing is Changing the Industry. Available at: re-thinkingthefuture.com/technologies/gp1957-eco-friendly-fashion-how-sustainable-clothing-printing-is-changing-the-industry/
- Stella McCartney YouTube (2021) Stella McCartney and Bolt Threads: The World’s First Mylo™️ Vegan Mushroom Leather: https://youtu.be/AAyy8v_5Ox8?si=H6A5lp8lSusJ8IRH
Fisher, E. (2024) Eileen Fisher. Available at: eileenfisher.com/a-sustainable-life/first-life.html
Euronews Next (2017) Dyed without waste – developing a process to save water in the textile industry. Available at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHiSlnq9Kaw
Victoria & Albert Museum (2015) How Was it Made? Indigo Dyeing. Available at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=hes05oYzd6c
Dann, TA (2021) How to make eco print on fabric | Tutorial. Available at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=oW618–w918&t=4s
Activity
Quiz: Choose the right answers about questions related to this module.
Module 4: Circular Fashion Designing for Longevity and Reuse
This module explores Circular Fashion and the fundamentals of a Circular Economy. It focuses on the fashion industry’s efforts to establish a closed-loop system, where clothing, accessories, and textiles are designed, produced, consumed, and then reintroduced into the cycle, minimizing waste and pollution.
Key topics include the Circular Fashion Model, Product Life Cycle, as well as strategies that reduce environmental impact and extend the lifecycle of garments such as designing durable, versatile, and timeless pieces that are meant to be worn for many years.
Key Topics
4.1 Circular Fashion
4.2 Fundamentals of Circular Economy.
4.3 Closed-loop systems.
4.4 Designing for Durable and Adaptable Clothing.
Goals
- Understand and articulate the core concepts behind circular systems in fashion,
- Analyze a Product Life Cycle in Fashion.
- Apply strategies for creating durable, versatile, and timeless clothing that extends the lifecycle of garments, aligning with circular fashion principles.
Required Reading
- Bajekal, N. (2023) TIME: Stella McCartney on Wanting to Make Fashion More Sustainable. Available at: time.com/6302562/stella-mccartney-sustainability-interview-lvmh/
- Fashion (2019) CIRCULAR DESIGN KIT Design strategies for material cyclability and longevity. Available at: www.circular.fashion/downloads/2021_circular.fashion_circular_design_kit.pdf
- Sustainable Fashion Forum. (2024) What is Circular Fashion? Available at: thesustainablefashionforum.com/pages/what-is-circular-fashion
- European Commission (2024) EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles. Available at: Textiles strategy – European Commission
- Ellen Macarthur Foundation (2024) Redesigning the Future of Fashion. Available at: www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/topics/fashion/overview
- Bajekal, N. (2023) TIME: Stella McCartney on Wanting to Make Fashion More Sustainable. Available at: time.com/6302562/stella-mccartney-sustainability-interview-lvmh/
- Patagonia (2020) Recrafted | These Are Clothes Made from Other Clothes. Available at: youtube.com/watch?v=aBpSziExmA8
- Samatvam Academy (2016) Patagonia: The Sustainability Champions. Available at: youtube.com/watch?v=bB8ZWOKoygY
Activity
Quiz: Choose the right answers about questions related to this module.
Module 5: Designing for Disassembly
This module looks at how to design garments that can be easily disassembled for recycling or repurposing, facilitating a circular economy in fashion. Techniques for creating garments with parts that can be easily separated. Selection of materials that support disassembly and recycling. Design of non-permanent fastenings that allow easy garment disassembly. As well as strategies for planning the end-of-life phase of garments, ensuring they can be recycled or repurposed.
Key Topics
5.1 Designing for Disassembly in Fashion
5.2 Techniques for Creating Disassembled garments
5.3 Modular Design in Fashion
Goals
- Understand and apply the Key Principles and Strategies used for Designing for Disassembly.
- Identify and use materials that support easy disassembly and recycling, enhancing the garment’s potential for reuse.
- Implement Modular design in fashion collections.
Required Reading
- Anastas, P.J. and Zimmerman, J.B (2003) Design of Through the 12 Principles of Green Engineering. Environmental Science and Technology. Available at: www.pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/es032373g
- Clarke, R. (2021) Magazine: Design for Disassembly. Available at: www.molteni.it/magazine/en/article/design-for-disassembly
- Cotton Incorporated (2024) Renewing Denim with Purpose. Available at: bluejeansgogreen.org/about-us/
- Org (2024) Design Award Winne. Awarded for Good: Fu Zhih-Chi. Available at: www.designers.org/design.php?ID=61414
- Flavialarocca (2024) Introducing the Modular Concept. Available at: flavialarocca.com
- Hertantyos, S. (2024) 14 Textile recycling companies Pushing for Circularity in Fashion. Available at: consciousfashion.co/guides/textile-recycling-companies
- Marfa Stance (2024) Make It Modular: Reversible. Buildable. Adaptable. Available at: marfastance.com/pages/make-it-modular
- Resortecs (2022) Innovative Threads and Disassembly for Efficient Textile Waste Management.. Available at: resortecs.com
- Mome Budapest (2024). Material Design for Disassembly. Available at: youtube.com/watch?v=2d58g6-15_4
- Portwest (2022) Red Dot Award Winner 2022 Design Concept – Ultimate Modular Work Trouser. Available at: youtube.com/watch?v=53R05F9MXA4
Activity
Quiz: Choose the right answers about questions related to this module.
Module 6: Ethical Fashion Supply Chains
This module focuses on creating and maintaining ethical supply chains in the fashion industry, ensuring fair labor practices and transparency from raw materials to finished products. This will include Fair Labor Practices and the understanding and implementing of ethical labor standards. It will also include a study of certifications like Fair Trade and GOTS, their criteria, and how to achieve them.
Key Topics
6.1 What is Ethical Fashion?
6.2 Building and Managing Ethical Supply Chains
6.3 Fair Labor Practices and Certifications
Goals
- Evaluate Ethical Supply Chains
- Implement Fair Labor Practices
- Understand and Apply Certification Standards
Required Reading
- Hakansson, E. (2022). Total Ethics Fashion: Bringing the Planet, People and Animals Together. Collective Fashion Justice. Available at: collectivefashionjustice.org/articles/total-ethics-fashion
- Fair Labor (2024) The Fair Labor Association Promotes Human Rights at work. Fair Labor Association. Available at: fairlabor.org
- Fashion AI Insights (2023) Decoding Ethical Fashion: A Guide to Certifications. Available at: youtube.com/watch?v=KkZ9VTaG9Xg&t=630s
Recommended Reading
- Social Accountability International (2024) SA8000® Standard. Available at: sa-intl.org/programs/sa8000/
- Arengo, E. (2019) Future of Fashion: Worker-Led Strategies for Corporate Accountability in the Global Apparel Industry. International Labor Rights Forum. Available at: www.laborrights.org/sites/default/files/publications/Future_of_Fashion_ILRF.pdf
Activity
Quiz: Choose the right answers about questions related to this module.
Final Test
This test will assess your knowledge and understanding of the material covered throughout the course.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the authors) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.” Project number 2023-1-CY01-KA220-HED-000160668