Sustainable Fashion: Business and Practices MA

Why choose this course?

The programme sets out to affect systemic change in the fashion industry by offering alternatives to the mainstream fashion system. It focuses on developing a deep understanding of the multi-dimensionality of sustainability as it relates to fashion. Sustainable solutions are embedded in all coursework, using fashion as a medium to affect social change, resulting in innovative and ethical solutions, transformational systems, and organisations.

Based on critical thinking and problem solving, the program offers the opportunity to plot a new future for the fashion industry that challenges existing practices with practical and inspirational alternatives. Project work adheres to the four pillars of sustainability: economic, environmental, social, and cultural as an alternative to fashions unsustainable footprint.

This is a practice-based MA offering a multitude of tangible outcomes that make a positive contribution to society, culture, and ecology. Students can choose their area of focus with either a practice, business, or a systems-design outcome. The creative freedom offered by the program results in a variety of degree outputs, from websites and apps, services, new systems and models, exhibitions, installations, and product development, all based on design futuring. This is the business of design as a problem-solving tool, not a means to produce more stuff.

What you will study

Students will study the human and environmental impacts of the mainstream fashion system throughout the entirety of the value chain. The programme will offer sustainable methodologies for the development of fashion businesses, services and practices. It will provide students with the knowledge and skills required to effect positive change through creative problem solving, and equip them with the management, business and creative decision-making skills to develop their own career path.

After you graduate

The Sustainable Fashion Business and Practices curriculum helps to prepare students for a multitude of sustainably-focused undertakings and employment opportunities. These range from brand development, products, systems, models, and services, communication vehicles, not limited to medium, and expressed both physically as well as digitally through to websites, blogs, aps, magazines, e-zines, exhibitions, installations and more. This course will address the gap between intent and the in-depth knowledge required for diverse application.

The curriculum prepares students for a rapidly shifting industry where the old models of career development no longer apply, impacted as they have been by the fourth industrial revolution, climate change, the global pandemic and a myriad of social and cultural movements that have shifted our collective value systems. Students may choose to set up their own international business or freelance across the creative and production industries.

A 2:1 or above honours degree in a fashion or business-related undergraduate course including, but not limited to, fashion design, fashion buying, international business, retail, communication, product design or marketing. A 300-word personal statement will be required as part of the submission criteria, that highlights your motivation for application. Evidence of 3-to-5 examples of creative exploration that demonstrate forms of creative thinking via projects that show concern for social and environmental sustainability.