DESIGN

As one of the key stages of the fashion value chain, design refers to the conception and development of fashion products, services, and systems. Fashion design should consider the social, environmental, cultural, economic, aesthetic, and ergonomic implications of products. This also means taking into account all stages beyond the point of sale, including use, servicing and repairs, as well as onward journeys of products and what happens with them at the end of their useful lives. In this way, design can be a powerful tool and one of the key enablers of a more sustainable and prosperous future of fashion. However, it must also be accompanied by radical cuts in the volumes of production and material throughput.(1) There is a critical need for designers to understand multiple dimensions of sustainability in order to develop relevant, creative practice. Education in fashion, design and sustainability takes place in some leading universities, and courses in fashion design for sustainability are increasingly being sought by current and prospective fashion students and professional designers.(2)