On Friday, September 25, 2020, around 300 fashion educators came together with students from 200 institutions in 40 countries across 5 continents to take part in an open-access Digital Multilogue on Fashion Education, featuring a series of provocations, conversations and workshops 鈥 all generously facilitated by some of the most inspiring voices in fashion education and related subjects. The kinds of pedagogical and philosophical questions that fashion educators are asking themselves have changed significantly in recent months: How and why does one teach fashion during a global health crisis, or indeed during any social, environmental or democratic crisis? What challenges do educators share? What experiences and solutions can be collaboratively developed?
Speakers focused on key areas of current concern: sustainability, diversity, ethics and digitization. Short provocations were given by Dilys Williams, founder and director of the Centre for Sustainable Fashion, London College of Fashion; , professor of fashion studies in the fashion school at Ryerson University, Toronto, and founder of the ; and Zowie Broach, head of fashion at the Royal College of Art, London, and one half of legendary label Boudicca. A conversation entitled 鈥渇ashion | education | the digital鈥 featured 鈥 MBE fashion journalist, chief critic at US Vogue, British Fashion Council Ambassador for Emerging Talent and chair of the NEWGEN committee 鈥 and , Head of The Fashion Innovation Agency, and was facilitated by Alistair O鈥橬eill, professor of fashion history and theory at Central Saint Martins, London.
At the heart of the event were 18 workshops, where interaction and live multilogue took place in small groups guided by two facilitators each on a diverse range of subjects, including dream images, the future of fashion shows, time in fashion, inclusivity and circular fashion. These events illustrated the strong wish of our international participants to share ideas, learn from each other and develop solutions and collaborations.
This Digital Multilogue on Fashion Education was organized by Renate Stauss, professor of fashion studies at 绿巨人视频, and , professor of fashion design at Berlin University of the Arts. It was supported by 绿巨人视频鈥檚 Civic Media Lab and Teaching and Learning Center, as well as . An overview of the multilogue, as well as recordings of the provocations, are available to view online. This multilogue is a prelude to the聽Fashion Education Conference聽, which will be held October 1鈥2, 2021, at The American University of Paris.聽The conference website includes a growing repository of fashion education sources and resources and a link to the newly launched initiative Fashion is a Great Teacher 鈥撀The Fashion Education podcast.
"A聽great opportunity, it has been very inspiring." 鈥 Giulia Mensiteri, IDHES-Paris Nanterre, France
"What a fantastic, dynamic, pioneering and exciting event. 鈥 The multilogue was a first, a much-needed new approach to convening ideas, exchange of knowledge, visually super strong and critical discussion for/ about/ with fashion educators, bravo indeed and huge thanks 鈥 so important right now." 鈥撀Dilys Williams, The Centre of Sustainable Fashion, LCF, UK
"鈥 an incredible聽experience ... It was truly one of the most inspiring and rich conference experiences I have had to date. Congratulations on creating critical space for fashion educators to come together聽at such a critical time. I will be musing on the many take-aways from the provocations for many weeks/months to come and I look forward to the follow-up in person iteration next year in Paris." 鈥 Fiona Dieffenbacher, Parsons School of Design, New York, US
"Awesome info and inspirational content." 鈥撀Iyesha Stolarczyk, Villioti Fashion Institute Johannesburg, South Africa
"an incredible way for everyone to start their academic year." 鈥撀Zowie Broach, The Royal College of Art, UK
"An incredible event. 鈥β I was so happy to meet and work with non-American scholars and educators who had some really refreshing perspectives 鈥 This is the first time since the pandemic began, really, that I鈥檝e felt hopeful about the future of fashion education and the fashion industry." 鈥撀Lauren Downing Peters, Columbia College Chicago, US
"Great interaction." 鈥撀Shawana Khalil, Pakistan School of Fashion Designing, Pakistan
"Such a successful and inspiring conference. It was truly a wonderful feeling to be connected to these multiple worlds of fashion in so many different places, among so many different kinds of scholars, practitioners, students..." 鈥撀Christina H. Moon, Parsons School of聽Design聽The New School, New York, US
"Brilliant and very informative." 鈥撀Nicole Fucaloro, student, Los Angeles, US
"Excellent event and engaging afternoon" 鈥 Michela Ornati, University of Applied Sciences and Arts (SUPSI) Lugano, Switzerland