THE DIGITAL MULTILOGUE ON FASHION EDUCATION 2020 THE PROCEEDINGS FRANZISKA SCHREIBER & RENATE STAUSS (EDS.) »A MUCH »A TRULY NEEDED SPACE!« INSPIRATIONAL BÁRBARA ESTREAL, MEXICO MULTILOGUE CONFERENCE!« POLINA STEPANOVA, POLIMODA, FLORENCE, ITALY »The conference was absolutely amazing. There have been some silver linings that have come from the current global pandemic, and I believe that this conference being hosted online has been one of them.« »An incredible event… I was so happy HEATHER CLARK, to meet and work with non-American WILSON SCHOOL OF DESIGN, KPU, CANADA scholars and educators who had some really refreshing perspectives … This is the first time since the pandemic began, really, that I’ve felt hopeful about the future of fashion education and »A GREAT the fashion industry.« LAUREN DOWNING PETERS, OPPORTUNITY; COLUMBIA COLLEGE CHICAGO, U.S. IT HAS BEEN VERY INSPIRING.« GIULIA MENSITERI, IDHES-PARIS NANTERRE, FRANCE »GREAT INTERACTION« »What a fantastic, dynamic, pioneering and exciting event… The multilogue was SHAWANA KHALIL, PAKISTAN INSTITUTE OF FASHION AND DESIGN, PAKISTAN 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 – so important right now.« »Such an inspiring line up of speakers … DILYS WILLIAMS, THE CENTRE OF SUSTAINABLE so much of what they had to say is still FASHION, LCF, UK resonating and making me think of new approaches to our pedagogy. Such an incredible afternoon and an excellent way for us all to engage before the »AWESOME conference when it comes.« INFO AND ANDREW GROVES, INSPIRATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF WESTMINSTER, UK CONTENT« IYESHA STOLARCZYK, VILLIOTI FASHION INSTITUTE JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA THE DIGITAL MULTILOGUE ON FASHION EDUCATION THE DIGITAL MULTILOGUE ON FASHION EDUCATION 2020 THE PROCEEDINGS FRANZISKA SCHREIBER & RENATE STAUSS (EDS.) WITH CONTRIBUTIONS BY ZOWIE BROACH MATTHEW DRINKWATER KIMBERLY JENKINS SARAH MOWER ALISTAIR O’NEILL DILYS WILLIAMS ET AL. THE DIGITAL MULTILOGUE ON FASHION EDUCATION 2020 INTRODUCTION 5 by Franziska Schreiber & Renate Stauss THE PROGRAMME 9 PROVOCATION by Dilys Williams 10 Habits of Dress: Habits of Mind PROVOCATION by Kimberly Jenkins 16 The Fashion and Race Database: Building a New Home for Fashion Education CONVERSATION 23 Fashion | Education | The Digital A conversation with Matthew Drinkwater, Sarah Mower and Alistair O’Neill PROVOCATION by Zowie Broach 30 Fashion+++ THE WORKSHOPS 37 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 61 4 THE DIGITAL MULTILOGUE ON FASHION EDUCATION COME TOGETHER INTRODUCTION TOWARDS A COLLABORATIVE COMMUNITY OF FASHION EDUCATORS. Participants of the Digital Multilogue on Fashion Education 2020 were invited to join this global community mapping. Please join! https://padlet.com/rstauss/43wzlizj7jujju8n THE DIGITAL MULTILOGUE ON FASHION EDUCATION As such, the MULTILOGUE was a key moment in on 25 September 2020 was an open-access space for fostering much-needed cross-disciplinar and trans- collaboration. It brought fashion educators together cultural reflection and collaboration. – not just to listen, but to meet and start multiple international dialogues. ThisMULTILOGUE brought We originally planned to meet in person at The together more than 300 participants from 200 American University of Paris for the Fashion institutions, 40 countries, five continents – fashion Education conference for two days in October educators and students, who took three-and-a-half 2020. Yet, through this online format, we were able hours and paused. We paused to think and talk about to have four times as many participants sharing a what we do, how and why we learn and teach space – and our collective carbon footprint was fashion today. much smaller. ThisMULTILOGUE was not meant to substitute the conference. It was a prelude. Hope- The MULTILOGUE offered a series of short provoca- fully many of us will be able to meet this year for tions, a conversation and at the heart of it 18 small- the conference; in person or online. scale workshops – all generously facilitated by some of the most inspiring voices in fashion education We take the fantastic response to this MULTILOGUE and on the edge of it. Framed by thought-provoking as a sign of two contradictory things: firstly, fashion talks, the workshops were important opportunities education1 is fashionable. Secondly, fashion educa- to meet, exchange experiences, learn from each tion is in crisis. otherand develop ideas together. 5 THE DIGITAL MULTILOGUE ON FASHION EDUCATION INTRODUCTION Since the 1990s fashion education has hugely ex- Education’ gives insights into the development, panded, for the past ten years even more so.2 We challenges and opportunities of building a resource have seen its global expansion and marketisation, to de-centralise fashion studies. She poses the cen- its privatisation, hierarchisation and digitisation.3 tralquestion: “When we talk about beauty ideals and There are many chances and challenges. We teach the Western beauty ideals, or the Western beauty more and more students every year to go into fewer cannon, how can we situate the racialised body in and fewer jobs. In the UK, for example, every year there?” 4000 students graduate in fashion design to less than 500 jobs.4 Covid-19 has only amplified these The Fashion and Race Database illustrates the enor- developments. The didactic and pedagogic questions, mous potential of the digital realm for fashion the pragmatic and philosophical questions we studies and education. ‘Fashion | Education | The are asking ourselves as fashion educators have Digital’ is the topic of the Conversation facilitated changed significantly in recent years and more by Alistair O’Neill, curator and professor of Fashion so in the last twelve months. How relevant is the History and Theory at Central Saint Martins. “We current fashion education system? How and why are witnessing a seismic shift in how we engage do we learn and teach fashion in times of a global with fashion, as both a physical and remote ex- health crisis, in times of social, environmental and perience”, he opens the conversation with Sarah democratic crises? These questions stood at the in- Mower, MBE, chief critic for Vogue.com, and ception of this MULTILOGUE. We wanted to explore Ambassador for Emeging Talent at the British together: What questions and challenges do we Fashion Council, and Matthew Drinkwater, Head share? What experience and solutions can we share of The Fashion Innovation Agency at London and develop together? We need collaboration not College of Fashion. competition. Introducing his latest experimentations in cloth This online, open-source publication brings together simulation, virtual creation and immersive show the program and outcomes of THE MULTILOGUE; experiences, Matthew Drinkwater argues that “[the] transcriptions of the three Provocations and the blending of physical and digital allows us to imagine ensuing dialogues, the Conversation, descriptions new ways of making and new ways of consuming.” of the workshops and some of their outcomes. As Sarah Mower champions the innovative spirits of such, it constitutes not only a continued multilogue, the Class of 2020. “[They] and so many more prove but also an important resource in a field that is little […] their potential, not just to make clothes, but also reflected and documented.5 their ready-made generational ability to crack the conundrums of blending meaning and creativity into In the opening Provocation ‘Habits of Dress: Habits communicating fashion in a very near future.” of Mind’, Dilys Williams, founder and director of the Centre for Sustainable Fashion at the London College of Fashion, introduces ideas on creating conditions for transformation and recognition of our interdependence. The interrelatedness of habits of mind and habits of dress exemplify the distinction 1 We propose that “Fashion Education” designates the enabling of fashion and significance of fashion design for sustainability. making and fashion thinking in combination. This understanding is shaped She argues: “Fashion is very well placed to be part of by our respective specialisation in design (Franziska Schreiber) and theory (Renate Stauss), the potential of which unfold in collaborative practice and a necessary transformation of consciousness; from calls into question overtly commercial fashion education which sees itself as part of the existing fashion industry and is primarily aimed at the more individualisation and consumption to interdepen- efficient design, marketing and sale of fashion. dence and care.” 2 Lightfoot, Liz (2015) ‘UK fashion schools top global rankings, but are their students ready for work?’ in: The Guardian. 24 August, (https://www.theguardian.com/ education/2015/aug/24/fashion-school-ranking-students-central-saint-martins- csm) (28.9.2019). Kimberly Jenkins, the founder of the pathbreaking 3 Schreiber, Franziska & Stauss, Renate (2020) ‘Mapping Fashion Education: Fashion and Race Database and Assistant Professor Kontext, Dimensionen und Zukünfte’ in: Design & Bildung. Vol. 3, pp. 118–29. 4 Dhillon, Kam (2016) ‘Failure to Launch: Is Fashion Education Failing Young of Fashion Studies at Ryerson University in Toronto, Designers?’ online resource, 1 June, https://www.notjustalabel.com/editorial/ fashion-education-failing-young-designers (27.2.2019). shares her journey and work. ‘The Fashion and 5 Schreiber, Franziska & Stauss, Renate (2020) ‘Mapping Fashion Education: Race Database: Building a New