The University of Technology Sydney (UTS) has partnered with TAFE NSW to create the Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Fashion + Textiles.
The new centre will offer education and research to support the transition of the Australian fashion industry towards sustainability. The first course 'Intro to Fashion and Sustainability' will commence in April 2023 and is currently open for enrolment.
The online course is six weeks in duration and includes an assortment of self-led learning, live webinar-style lectures and discussions.
This program has been co-designed by academics and industry partners from the UTS and TAFE NSW, and will be taught by associate professor Timo Rissanen and TAFE Fashion Design School (FDS) head of school Laura Washington.
“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,” Rissanen said.
The course is recommended for individuals working in fashion. Laura Washington said the short introductory program is not a theoretical overview.
“It is grounded in practice and aims to provide participants with relevant, easy-to-apply knowledge,” Washington said. “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.”
The course introduces core concepts in fashion sustainability, including the industry's ecological, social, cultural and economic impacts. As well as covering environmental impacts of materials and fashion production, the course will cover human rights concerns within the supply chain, and the four pillars of people, planet, profit and culture.
Students will also learn about the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), circular fashion design, advanced manufacturing, right shoring and digital sampling. The course costs $500, with Australian Fashion Council members receiving a 15% discount.