May 2023 marked the end of the second work package of the ,AHRC-funded ,‘Decolonising Fashion and Textiles’ project. Through this participatory action research, we aim to investigate and value the lived experiences of London-based refugees and asylum seekers, in relation to the themes of cultural sustainability and community resilience. We are continuously listening to the needs and aspirations of our collaborating refugees, making informed decisions and planning together the types of activities and outcomes they would like to see. We have embarked on a mutual process of textile making to con ..read more

What would fashion look like if it developed alongside natural seasons rather than the market driven fashion calendar? Natural seasons are cyclical, they include periods of excited anticipation that precede seed germination and budding, followed by months of intense activity and sheer abundance. But they also include quieter times with less resources, devoted to rest and careful preparation for the next growing season. In contrast to this, the seasons of the fashion calendar are linear. Although they seemingly emulate natural cycles, their pattern is driven by unceasing growth and renewal wit ..read more

Focused on bringing to the fore the perspectives of refugees whose voices are often underrepresented, we kickstarted the AHRC-funded Decolonising Fashion and Textiles project with an ethnographic research phase involving key members of East London communities. From a dual position of cultural insiders and outsiders, we collected insights on the needs and aspirations of the participating communities. We invited Cecilia Casas Romero, Lecturer in Photography and Social Design at ESDA in Spain, to facilitate ‘photo-voice’ workshops for London-based refugees and asylum seekers. The workshop brief ..read more

“If today we can think about equity, being able to live well together and how we do that through fashion, then we’ve done something really powerful.” - Dilys Williams, Founder and Director of Centre for Sustainable Fashion The ,Fashion Values Challenge Brief is a global call-out for transformational ideas and innovations across the fields of design, media and/or technology. Open to all, this Challenge asks applicants to respond to a central question: “how can fashion value society?” The Challenge calls for applicants to demonstrate how their idea will help to shift the fashion industry toward ..read more

“As a designer working in the humanitarian field, humility, listening and the reimagining of one’s own sense of what ‘progress’ should look like, has been key to carrying on.” In some ways it feels like it has taken seven years to get to this moment. The possibility of a form of curricular collaboration, which delivers economic freedom for the refugee makers of Zaatari, has always needed to follow the ‘in country’ legal and political path – navigating the freedoms of refugees; those who have fled from war or persecution in Syria. Every nation and Government that hosts hundreds of thousands of ..read more

Many sustainable design tools address only the concept development, or the production stages of fashion. While these approaches can offer visible improvements on the environmental impacts of goods and services, they often fail to address the root causes of unsustainability in the sector. It is widely acknowledged by businesses and research that while changes in material selection and manufacturing processes are necessary, they need to come hand in hand with long term strategies to redefine how businesses operate in a climate emergency. “...current solutions and business models will not be suf ..read more

The ReModelling Futures Method was developed as a key outcome for the ReModelling Fashion project, part of the Business of Fashion, Textiles and Technology (BFTT), a five-year industry-led project, which focusses on delivering sustainable innovation within the entire fashion and textile supply chain. The central aims of the work were to embed sustainability at the core of fashion practices in the design of products, services and business models. The success of this approach is measured in the capacity of the products and service concepts that come from it to demonstrate extended value includi ..read more

One of the key outcomes of the ReModelling Fashion project, is the ReModelling Futures Method – which aims to support a transition to sustainable fashion practices across the industry. It takes the form of worksheets and a guidebook available via our Online Resources. The ReModelling Futures Method was launched on 30 June 2022, at The Design Research Society (DRS) Conference in Bilbao. ReModelling Fashion is part of the Business of Fashion, Textiles and Technology (BFTT), a five-year industry-led project, which focusses on delivering sustainable innovation within the entire fashion and textil ..read more

Fashion and society are interlinked and entangled, both reflecting and influencing one another — and in turn changing and evolving our relationship with the world. In the places where society and fashion meet, there’s not always a positive outcome. In fashion’s current state of over production and fast turnaround, we have seen a damaging effect on society, particularly on those most vulnerable. This is most apparent in the supply chain where people’s safety is often overlooked for profit. This is the root cause of devastating catastrophes such as Rana Plaza, where a clothing factory collapsed ..read more

With the mass displacement of people on the rise, it is clear that we need to rethink and address the needs and aspirations of refugee communities, and find ways to honour their diverse cultures. Moreover, besides the three commonly recognised pillars of sustainability (i.e. environmental, economic, and social), there is also a need to consider a cultural dimension as an essential component of a sustainability agenda. Until now, the textile heritage of minorities has often been the object of abusive cultural appropriation practices undertaken by fashion brands, or has been systematically obsc ..read more