“Intra-actions involve transformative encounters, seductive moments that generate new modes of coexistence.”   – Kirksey, Eben. 2015. ‘Multispecies Intra-Actions'. Antennae, Issue 32:5. In 2022 I was invited as Guest Curator at LABVERDE Speculative Ecologies residency in the Brazilian Amazon rainforest. The experience has been one of transformation and re-attunement.   With a full embodiment in the weather as a total experience, to quote feminist cultural theorist Astrida Neimanis, the whole sensorial functions become attuned to the environment. We become immersed ..read more

Over the course of the Decolonising Fashion and Textiles project (DFT), we became acutely aware of the shortage of not only safe spaces for refugees and asylum seekers but also of spaces of belonging and interaction with others whom they might never come into direct contact with. We reflected on the parallel lives that diverse communities in the UK live alongside one another, where some interactions that could shift perspectives and create changes in perception never happen. Through our intensive workshop programme and a student project brief we facilitated  ..read more

“Storytelling can be a vehicle to share the impact of innovations and contextualise the support we need on our road to action.”  – Interwoven  The Next Gen Assembly, in collaboration with Global Fashion Agenda, convenes talented students and young professionals in an impactful advocacy programme. Our goal is to enable the next generation of sustainability changemakers to gain access to the industry, have their voices heard, and their ideas nurtured. Members are supported by our Fashion Values team in following a curriculum and developing advocacy and communications sk ..read more

There are three short words that circle the ceiling at COP 28: Unite, Act and Deliver. The first of these words appears to be the most difficult for humans to achieve. The convening role is critical in our ability to unite and within it, to create agency and empathy for all involved. The ability to participate is implicit in the act of uniting and this requires social, cultural and political plurality in worldviews, priorities and values. This plurality must be brought to the table at COP and elsewhere to be reflected in decision-making&n ..read more

On 5 October 2023, Centre for Sustainable Fashion ,launched its partnership with ,The Lab E20. This year long programme of reciprocity between ourselves, RÆBURN and Get Living is a significant element in us marking 15 years of co-inquiry, mutuality, co-learning, listening, respecting and guiding fashion relationships. We are calling this a year of Imagining Possibilities – inviting ideas for living well together in a more than human world, in and through fashion. We are exploring and applying ways for contrib ..read more

Amid the ever-evolving tapestry of fashion, politics, and societal transformation, there lies an intersection of hope, creativity, and action. This is not just about the clothes we don, but the narratives they sculpt, the values they reflect, and the revolutions they can ignite. The MA Fashion Futures course pushes students to critique the nature and purpose of design in a rapidly changing world, and to imagine and envision alternative ways fashion will be created and experienced in the future. On 23 September 2023, The Lab E20 was abuzz with vibrant energy as the MA Fashion Futures students ..read more

One of our ongoing aims at CSF is to ,drive up standards in sustainability learning at universities. Funded by the ,Quality Assurance Agency (QAA), we are working on a project led by ,University of Gloucestershire and in collaboration with ,King’s College London, drawing on best practice and an Education for Sustainability assessment framework. Our Student Associate Roberta Davico shares insights on this collaborative project below. A survey conducted in 2020 by ,Students Organising for Sustainability (SOS) UK revealed that 84% of students expect sustainable development to be integrated into ..read more

For those able to vote in the UK, the time is now to speak to your MP about the world that you wish an elected government to champion. The UK’s political parties are, I hope, reflecting on their histories, the circumstances and ambitions that joined them together, and what this could look like in the present and mean in the future. It is the job of governments to balance their immediate concerns with those of their constituents, and to understand the cause and effect of their actions. The political parties are preparing to say what they stand up for and would seek to implement in terms of pol ..read more

“All that we create, recognise and present, whether a collection, images, words or actions, are directly related to our mindsets; how we perceive and understand the world. It is our values, translated into mindsets that shape us, shape the world and in turn, shape our abilities as humans, to look after each other and ourselves in our precious home on earth.” – Dilys Williams, Centre for Sustainable Fashion, LCF, UAL. Contributing positively to change means imagining new systems, new narratives, new services and new products. Solutions addressing efficiency gains can only go so far. Increasing ..read more

As we approach ,Refugee Week with hopes to galvanise action, CSF researchers ,Francesco Mazzarella, ,Helen Storey and ,Lucy Orta explore the connecting threads between their work. In conversation, they reflect on shared values, themes and learning experiences, highlighting hope and opportunities amidst present challenges. “The value of this work we do is more than the sum of our parts. It shows how we can work on individual parts of a larger whole, in different ways, with different partners, and in different contexts.” – Helen Storey How would you summarise your long-term projects with refuge ..read more