Challenging Excessive Fashion Consumption by Fostering Skill-Based Fashion Education

Abstract

The ambition of this work is to explore a participatory design dress making methodology and the potential to positively impact on more sustainable fashion consumption habits amongst young women. The argument that our apparel buying habits need to change is well-establish; what is becoming more apparent is that the efforts to recondition current consumers and their affaire with fast fashion are making little headway. This work centres the education environment and how the fostering of new skill sets, or arguably traditional making skills, can offer a pathway for change. Work towards altering a younger generations consumer habits that otherwise will likely develop inline with the expected fast fashion cycles of purchase and waste, shopping for homogenised and expendable clothing. A key outcome of the work is that engagement in garment designed and construction invoked an apparent positive emotional attachment not evident in typical fashion purchases. Interesting it is not lost that the there was evidence of contradictions towards fashion consumption. On the one hand participants demonstrated a positive attitude towards sustainability and an awareness of the broader negatives impacts of waste. Yet already at a relatively young age their evolving consumer habits show them to be drawn into the social values that are enmeshed in the perception of fashion. The value of the work is the willingness of the participants to be involved, the pride they felt in their achievements and most significant for a core element, enthusiasm to continue with making. If this same enthusiasm could be captured in a new imagining of fashion and retailing the values of quality, longevity, and individuality can remerge as anticipated standards for clothing.