Fashion Design

Executive Course

Out of Fashion

Recontextualizing fashion, redefining fashion system design and production in the post-Covid 19 and climate change era

Course provided and managed by Connecting Cultures in collaboration with POLI.design

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Italian

Course

Edition: VIII

Price: 1.500,00 € + vat

Duration: Nov. 2022 – May. 2023

Language: Italian

Available seats: 33

Out of Fashion is an advanced training course on Sustainability in Fashion with the aim of building an overview and a systemic approach to the priorities and issues in today’s textile and clothing sectors.

Also in the wake of the post-pandemic crisis between 2019-20 and the increases in energy costs after the Russian aggression against Ukraine, the most important changes this year will take place within the framework of the European Union programmes and the New Green Deal desired by the European Commission.

From the autumn of 2022 and for the next few years, the transition to sustainable and circular models of production, consumption and trade will become mandatory for those who want to stay in the textile/clothing/leather goods market with the imposition of a series of standards and guidelines that will make the sector grow in terms of quality and safety for the health of the planet.

These are challenges and at the same time important new opportunities that no one in the sector can afford to ignore, not only so as not to be left out of the new market that is emerging, but also to be able to understand the meaning of the new integrated approach to the problems of climate change that Out of Fashion has been pursuing for many years. In the various modules that define the Out of Fashion training project, new strategies and visions will be proposed for transforming and relaunching the fashion system, starting from Made in Italy’s vocation for quality.

Sustainability plays a key role in this path: transparency and traceability of the supply chain, innovation of business models in a circular logic, innovative research in the textile field, biomimicry applied to materials, technology applied to recycling and upcycling, reshoring, and the enhancement of local manufacturing traditions are value contents destined to renew the old production systems, giving new impetus to a manufacturing sector capable of dialoguing with a new generation of consumers and intercepting their needs and desires.

Out of Fashion proposes a systemic and all-round vision on the theme of sustainability in fashion, tackled in all its multiple aspects: new business models, fibres, organic and synthetic materials and environmental sustainability, technological innovations, traceability of the supply chain, corporate responsibility and workers’ rights, communication and consumer relations, successful case histories.

Who is it aimed at?

The course is aimed at professionals, executives, emerging entrepreneurs and young workers in the fashion, textile, accessories and retail sectors coming from functional areas related to product development, design, fashion design, technical planning, public relations and communication, marketing. The course is also open to students and new graduates who are strongly motivated to deepen the themes of sustainability in their curriculum studies.

For registration: https://www.connectingcultures.it/out-of-fashion/

Application deadline: November 20, 2022

Faculty

For information about the Faculty it is possible to visit the following website: https://www.outoffashion.it/docenti/ .

Faculty

Federica Vacca Scientific Coordinator

Anna Detheridge Director

Didactics

Attendance

The Out of Fashion course consists of seven modules of two days each, on Friday and Saturday, for a total of 84 hours.

The courses will be delivered mainly in Italian, with the exception of the lessons of the foreign teachers, which will be in English.

Training objectives

The objective of Out of Fashion is to train key figures who are willing to bring the culture of sustainability into their working environments, an indispensable element for competing in the markets of the future.

At the end of the course, participants will acquire knowledge of more efficient production processes, will be able to orient themselves in the complex context of sustainability and propose viable solutions having acquired the know-how to begin this vital journey.

Didactic Plan

Duration: 7 months (November 2022 – May 2023)

The Out of Fashion course consists of seven modules of two days each, on Friday and Saturday, for a total of 84 hours.

Didactic method: online + workshops and in-person company visits.

Didactic Modules

Module 1 – THE CULTURE OF SUSTAINABILITY: NEW BUSINESS MODELS FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

IN PRESENCE

Why a Culture of Sustainability is necessary. The changing global scenarios of the fashion and textile/clothing industry in the post-Covid era. Innovative business models in fashion. The processes of traceability, transparency, circularity. Collaborative consumption. Innovation and social impact. The introduction of Inclusive Prosperity. The European scenario: the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, the Next Generation EU, the Taxonomy Regulation as an instrument of facilitation for green investors, financing opportunities at international and local level for SMEs that focus on sustainability.

Module 2 – SUSTAINABILITY AS A PROCESS: MATERIALS, CHEMISTRY AND PRODUCTION

The sustainability of materials and processes: fibers, fabrics and raw materials used in the textile industry, their life cycle and the environmental impact of production and processing. Analysis of statistical data on consumption trends of world demand.

The control of processes throughout the supply chain to protect the environment and consumer health. Good natural fibers and bad synthetic fibers: let’s debunk a commonplace. The role of innovation and the materials of the future: biodegradable polyester, biopolymers and biomaterials.

Module 3 – ETHICS AND TRANSPARENCY: A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE

The founding values of sustainable fashion: respect for the environment, for the individual and for work through an assumption of responsibility.

The theme of ethics in its complexity: the traceability of the supply chain, the opportunities and risks of blockchain technology, certifications, delocalization and reshoring, the working conditions of workers and their contracts, the new European legislative context, the management of the supply chain with a view to sustainability and the assessment of environmental and social impact throughout the supply chain.

Module 4 – DESIGN AFTER DESIGN

The aims of the new design in the culture of sustainable fashion: not only aesthetics and functionality but also awareness of durability, maintenance and environmental impact of production. The rise of digital manufacturing technologies and the active involvement of conscious consumers in the creation of alternative business models to mass production.

On-demand production with business figures aware of new technological opportunities: from smart fabrics to parametric 3d printing.

Module 5 – REUSE, REPAIR, RECYCLE

IN PRESENCE IN PRATO

Systemic approach and partnership at local level: the case of the Prato district.

Visits to the main textile recycling companies in Prato.

The recycling system: recycling, downcycling and upcycling.

The potential of recycling and new technological experiments.

Module 6 – THE NEW LANGUAGES OF SUSTAINABLE FASHION

Sustainable fashion communication: strong value content information for brand promotion and the competitive advantages of transparent communication. Marketing and greenwashing. Social platforms and influencers.

Cultural appropriation: respect for sources, awareness of the origin of visual languages; Black Fashion.

Sustainable retail as a communication tool.

Module 7 – MADE IN ITALY BETWEEN HERITAGE AND INNOVATION

The importance of the Made in Italy manufacturing tradition in the fashion and textile sector. Heritage and Design: Cultural Identity as a Narrative Vehicle. The recovery of business archives as a strategic element for Italian fashion companies. Mapping of Italian textile-manufacturing districts and analysis of their potential. The virtuous chains of districts that give competitive value to their heritage.

Title Released

At the end of the lessons, a certificate of attendance to the Out of Fashion Course will be issued by Connecting Cultures in collaboration with POLI.design. To receive the certificate it is necessary to attend 70% of the lessons.