Transforming the Fashion Industry by: The Evolution of Design & Merchandising Education

Abstract

How do we prepare students for the fashion industry in the face of an ethical awakening when issues of climate change are complicated by political turmoil, social injustice, and food insecurity, where advances in technology ignite concerns over surveillance, data privacy, equity, and dependence? What if those working in the fashion system had a deeper sense of responsibility for their product creation? As the fashion industry shifts, awareness of the ethical implications has become a necessity and responsibility not only for industry professionals but for educators who are teaching the next generation. Fashion design and merchandising curricula may skim the surface of ethical design and strategy but often falls short on how to integrate ethical decision-making into coursework.

The authors seek to answer this overarching question: are students who study fashion design and merchandising better prepared after graduation when ethics and entrepreneurship are an integral part of their curricula?