The fashion industry makes a significant contribution to the economy, however, the negative impact of garments and textile waste, unfair labour practices, the appropriation of indigenous knowledge and designs as well as the digital divide cannot be ignored. The changing demands of the fashion world and fashion’s ‘eco-awakening’ have created new job opportunities for the industry.
According to LinkedIn https://news.linkedin.com/2022/february/our-2022-global-green-skills-report the fashion and apparel industry has seen rapid growth in demand for green skills.
In response to growing concerns and progressive change in thought regarding the manufacturing and consumption of fashion, institutions of learning must reassess the courses they offer to adequately prepare graduates for an evolving world. Inscape is therefore thrilled to announce its reimagined Bachelor of Design specialising in Fashion Design and the Higher Certificate in Fashion Design. These courses and the modules therein are designed to provide students with relevant, updated, quality and future-oriented skills and knowledge in fashion and its value chain.
Reimagining the courses is a result of research, commissioned in 2020, to review the fashion landscape and how recent changes might impact the higher education fashion programmes offered by the institution. Inscape’s accredited fashion courses include the Bachelor of Design specialising in Fashion Design and the Higher Certificate in Fashion Design.
Commissioned research was conducted by Dr Erica de Greef, co-founder of the African Fashion Research Institute and Jackie May, founder of Twyg. The findings of the research resulted in a comprehensive report in which Greef and May note “…a call to imagine and enact a fashion ecosystem that recovers, repairs and regenerates cultural and environmental diversities for future generations”. Additional insights into the future of fashion, the job market and fashion education were garnered from Inscape fashion graduates, as well as current Inscape students and lecturers.
The report provided support for Inscape’s strategic objectives as an innovative institution to centre design thinking, contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and adopt Circular Economy and Circular Design approaches to bring about change, positively impact communities and drive economies. Ultimately the institution’s objective is to enhance the student experience and to ensure a long-term positive impact on the fashion industry.
To achieve the reimagining, Inscape has shifted the programmes to include the history of local and African fashion, African archives, textiles and fabrics. Students will consider economic, social and environmental sustainability and the broader strategic aspects of supply chain management, forecasting, manufacturing, merchandising, buying trends, entrepreneurship, and events and experience coordination for sustainable fashion.
The Bachelor of Design specialising in Fashion Design is a three-year full-time course and the Higher Certificate in Fashion Design is a one-year full-time or two-year distance learning course. Numerous non-accredited fashion short courses are available via Grip Learning.Online as well as After 5.
Watch the space for more information on the reimagined fashion programmes. Visit our website for subject-specific information https://www.inscape.ac/ and to apply for the fashion course of your choice.