FashionSEEDS

 is a free toolbox for design educators around the world to teach sustainable (fashion) design processes.

The platform was developed in partnership with top European design universities: London University of the Arts, Estonian Academy of Arts, Polytechnic University of Milan and Kolding School of Design, under the leadership of Professor Dilys Williams, Director of the Centre for Sustainable Fashion at the London College of Fashion. FashionSEEDS provides educators and researchers with expertise and a range of resources to help educators think about why, what, how and with whom fashion education works. The platform offers ways to think and act to demonstrate the positive impact and discipline of sustainable fashion design in today's world.

The platform is the result of three years of research, analysis and collaboration by a group of researchers and tutors from the four aforementioned universities, including more than 70 university educators and over 60 corporate professionals from around the world.

 EKA faculty and researchers contributed to the FashionSEEDS Sustainability Platform by mapping course catalogues, conducting material surveys, research and analysis, and aligning the platform with environmental policies.The EKA team included Reet Aus, Senior Researcher and Head of Circular Design at the DiMa Sustainable Design and Materials Lab, who is one of the leading international experts on responsible fashion, specifically on recycling and waste reduction. The Estonian team helped to map out the role and responsibilities of future designers, bringing policy makers, design educators and industry professionals to the table to discuss how the different players are driving the changes of the green revolution.

 In addition to Reet Aus and Piret Puppart, the Estonian team included Harri Moora, consultant and lecturer at the Fashion Design Department of the EKA, Julia Valle-Noronha, associate professor, and Triin Amur, lecturer.

HOW THE PLATFORM WORKS?

FashionSEEDS is designed for all kinds of teachers, from those who are just starting to integrate sustainability into their teaching to those with deep knowledge. It is a resource that instructors can return to as their needs evolve while teaching fashion design. The tools are applicable to a wide range of educational settings, from universities to vocational schools, and can also be used in general education schools.

FashionSEEDS includes a brand new guide, Tutor's Toolkit, to help educators consider ways to put nature and equity at the heart of fashion design curricula. It includes:

Course Designer: The aim is to equip teachers and curriculum leaders to introduce and apply the principles of sustainability in fashion design, to be followed and practised in the design of teaching and learning.

Design canvas: supports academics, managers and practitioners in setting their strategic priorities through a holistic approach to sustainable fashion design.

Maps:  Provide practical examples for fashion educators on how to adapt and implement sustainability-oriented course content to reform, modify or enhance current teaching and learning.

Teaching tool:  Broken down into 24 learning activities designed to integrate with existing courses or to inspire the creation of new course content.

In addition to the toolkit materials, the FashionSEEDS team has created key resources to help put the practical aspects of teaching and learning into practice. These include:

Reader – a platform pocketbook - which acts as a standalone reference for higher education sustainability in fashion design education

Libary – a curated list of reviewed external platforms - Fashion Education as Sustainability, developed to assist tutors in their practice

FashionSEEDS project reports, which support the foundational documents developed during the creation of the platform itself.