Intro to Fashion + Sustainability
by Timo Rissanen (UTS) and Laura Washington (TAFE NSW)
Sustainability is a critical challenge for the fashion industry today. How do we achieve it? How far do we have to go to be called sustainable? Will we be able to implement changes in our business that are authentic and enduring?
The Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Fashion and Textiles was launched in 2021. TAFE NSW and UTS, two institutions leading fashion design education in NSW, joined forces to create the Centre, and we are now excited to offer our first industry short course on fashion and sustainability. This groundbreaking collaboration between traditionally competitive institutions aims to bring together some of the best minds in fashion to create an innovative course that will provide industry professionals with the knowledge and skills they need to stay ahead of the curve. This course strives to put participants at the cutting edge of sustainability, allowing them to shape the future of fashion in the contexts they work and live in.
This course is the Centre’s first in responding to the urgent need for professional development opportunities for industry. In developing the course we’ve aimed to be as comprehensive as possible, introducing the most critical topics over six weeks. Each week we also provide additional resources for anyone wanting to dig deeper. Investing time into professional development by taking a short course on fashion and sustainability is an effective way to stay current in a highly dynamic industry. We know working in the fashion industry is fast-paced: there are always deadlines and seemingly never enough time. Before setting down to write the course, we surveyed industry professionals to better understand their needs and priorities, to ensure the course best served them. Its pacing and content are informed by what you, the industry, told us it wanted and needed.
Our hope is that the course attracts a diverse range of fashion professionals: we all have a lot to learn from each other. Different perspectives are critical in developing a range of solutions to the many challenges that our industry, its businesses and people face. The collaboration between TAFE NSW and UTS models the kinds of radical collaborations that are required: the transition to a more sustainable future is not a competition but a collaborative effort. How do we collaborate in new ways, not just within companies but also across the industry? Collaboration can lead to better solutions, as experts from different fields come together to help the industry transition. We hope that this short course on fashion and sustainability not only provides valuable professional development but also serves as a platform for fostering collaboration among people who might not otherwise come together.
This short course is not a theoretical overview: it is grounded in practice and aims to provide participants with relevant, easy-to-apply knowledge. While we facilitate the sessions, leading professionals and experts will visit each week to share their expertise and experiences with us and hypothesise a new future of fashion. We are excited to be at the cutting edge of fashion industry transformation with you!
Laura Washington and Timo Rissanen