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What’s Going On? A Discourse on Fashion, Design and Sustainability

We held a Global Fashion Conference in 2018, it was the first to exclusively examine the area of fashion, design, and sustainability. The conference featured over 20 keynote speakers and panelists, and the presentation of 89 original academic papers from 34 countries.

What's Going on Conference posters on wall. Image by Valentin Russo

In 2018, as part of the ten year anniversary of Centre for Sustainable Fashion, we hosted the conference ‘What’s Going On? A Discourse on Fashion, Design and Sustainability’. This conference was the first to exclusively examine this area. Academics, industry leaders, educators and students from all over the world gathered to explore the dynamics, challenges and propositions of fashion and sustainability through the lens of design thinking and practice. The diversity of our assembled perspectives proved an exciting exploration, through the four guiding themes of Power, Nature, Culture and Society.  

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The conference was organised in partnership with Global Fashion Conference, and took place at London College of Fashion, University of the Arts London.

We asked delegates to examine ‘What’s Going On?’ in this emerging field of study. CSF was keen to represent a multiplicity of voices and perspectives, including those from the Global South, those within, between and of no traditional disciplinary tribes, and from all types of research experience. After our call for papers, we received approximately 250 submissions of original unpublished works.  

 

The conference welcomed  280 attendees from 34 countries, and featured over 20 keynote speakers and panelist, as well as the first presentation of 89 academic papers in the field.  

Organising Committee

  • Dilys Williams – Centre for Sustainable Fashion, London College of Fashion, UAL 

  • Paul  Yuille – London College of Fashion, UAL 

  • Nina Stevenson – Centre for Sustainable Fashion, London College of Fashion, UAL 

  • Zoe Norton – Centre for Sustainable Fashion, London College of Fashion, UAL 

  • Katy Barker – Centre for Sustainable Fashion, London College of Fashion, UAL 

  • Isabel Cantista, Universidade Lusíada do Porto

  • Stéphanie Kunert – University of Lyon

Contributors 

  • Claire Bergkamp – Global Director of Sustainability & Innovation, Stella Mccartney 

  • Sandy Black – Professor of Fashion and Textile Design and Technology, Centre for Sustainable Fashion, London College of Fashion 

  • Otto Von Busch – Associate Professor of Integrated Design, Parsons New School of Design 

  • Orsola De Castro – Co-Founder, Fashion Revolution 

  • Frances Corner – Professor of Art and Design Education, Head of London College of Fashion; Pro-Vice Chancellor, University of The Arts London 

  • Mary Creagh – Member of UK Parliament 

  • Helen Crowley – Head of Sustainable Sourcing Innovation, Kering 

  • Heta Dobrowolski – Co-Founder, Raw Power Movement 

  • Edwina Ehrman – Senior Exhibition Curator, Curator of Fashioned From Nature, Victoria & Albert Museum 

  • Kate Fletcher – Professor of Sustainability, Design, Fashion, Centre for Sustainable Fashion, London College of Fashion 

  • Lynda Grose – Associate Professor, Chair of The Fashion Program, California College of The Arts 

  • Katharine Hamnett – Fashion Designer 

  • Angela Mcrobbie – Professor of Communications, Goldsmiths University of London 

  • Praveen Nahar – Senior Faculty Member in Industrial Design, National Institute of Design – India 

  • Deepa Patel – Creative Facilitator 

  • Sophie Slater – Director, Birdsong 

  • Stephen Sterling – Emeritus Professor, University of Plymouth 

  • Dana Thomas – Fashion and Culture Journalist 

  • Harold Tillman CBE – Fashion Retailer Entrepreneur and Former Chair of British Fashion Council 

  • Dilys Williams / Professor of Fashion Design for Sustainability, Director of Centre for Sustainable Fashion 

  • Lola Young OBE – Baroness Young of Hornsey 

  • Ania Zoltkowski – Designer and MA Fashion Futures Alumni, London College of Fashion

Scientific Committee

  • ​Prof. Lilyan Berlim – UVA, Brazil 

  • Prof. Sandy Black – (CSF) London College of Fashion, UAL, UK 

  • Dr. Jessica Bugg – RMIT, Australia 

  • Prof. Burak Cakmac – The New School Parsons, NYC, US 

  • Dr. Isabel Cantista – Universidade Lusíada do Porto, Portugal 

  • Prof. Simonetta Carbonaro – University of Borås, Sweden 

  • Prof. Luisa Collina – Politecnico di Milano, Italy 

  • Prof. Frances Corner – London College of Fashion, UAL, UK 

  • Dr. Damien Delille – University of Lyon, France 

  • Prof. Rebecca Earley – Chelsea College of Arts, UAL, UK 

  • Dr. Joanne Entwhistle – Kings College London, UK 

  • Dr. Yolanda Espiña – School of Arts – Catholic University of Portugal 

  • Prof. Kate Fletcher – (CSF) London College of Fashion, UAL, UK 

  • Dr. Lynda Grose – California College of the Arts, US 

  • Dr. Dominique Jacomet – IFM Paris, France 

  • Dr. Stéphanie Kunert – University of Lyon, France 

  • Prof. Cláudio Magalhães – Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro – Brazil 

  • Dr. Praveen Nahar – National Institute of Design, India 

  • Dr. Marco Pedroni – University of eCampus, Italy 

  • Prof. Viebeke Riisberg – Design School Kolding, Denmark 

  • Dr. Teresa Sádaba – ISEM University of Navarra, Spain 

  • Dr. Rita Salvado – University Beira Interior, Portugal 

  • Prof. Yoko Takagi – Bunka Gakuen University, Japan 

  • Dr. Paula Von Wachenfeldt – Stockholm University 

  • Dr. Sophie Woodward – Manchester, UK 

  • Prof. Dilys Williams – (CSF) London College of Fashion, UAL, UK 

  • Dr. David Zajtmann – IFM Paris, France 

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