Fashion for Change

Course Overview

Critical Fashion Design can be defined as a small provocation with the aim of stimulating fashion students and practitioners, to engage in a discussion expressing critical concepts through fashion design. It challenges the traditional conception of what fashion can do, using it as a tool to raise questions in relation to politics, economy, gender, sustainability, social justice, and so on. In terms of the course structure and content, the programme starts with a brief introduction to critical thinking and critical theory. The aim is to direct students on a specific line of thought, that can be applied in a design context later on. The purpose of this lesson series is for students to reflect on critical questions, such as who they will design for and why, who will benefit the most from their practice and who can be affected by their designs. Later on, students will examine and understand what critical design is, its purpose and how it differs from conventional design. This programme will help students to evaluate the different fields within the industry, forming a personal opinion about where the right space is for critical approaches to take place in the sector. Halfway through the course, students will explore critical fashion under a range of categories called ‘Fields of Action’. The objective here is to create connections among issues that can be critically addressed within fashion design. The categories covered are intentionally limited as it is a short course, but overall they create a general provocation that can induce inspiration and understanding.