Sociocultural Sustainability and Fashion Culture (4cr)

Objective

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

• Explain the concept of fashion culture and its significance as a form of social and cultural expression.
• Identify key sociocultural issues related to fashion, including identity, representation, equity, and heritage.
• Describe the principles of social and cultural sustainability within the context of fashion and textile systems.
• Critically analyse the role of fashion in both reproducing and challenging societal norms and power structures.
• Reflect on their own fashion consumption, cultural context and possible design practice using sustainability and cultural awareness frameworks.

Content

Key contents of the course are:

• Fashion culture and identity: fashion as symbolic communication, identity formation, and cultural practice.
• Social sustainability in fashion: labor rights, equity, inclusion, working conditions, and representation.
• Cultural sustainability and fashion heritage: preservation of traditional practices, cultural diversity, and decolonial perspectives, cultural appropriation vs. appreciation.

Qualifications

This course is designed for Bachelor and Master’s level students or professionals in the fields of fashion, textiles, design, or related areas. A basic understanding of fashion systems, sustainability, and/or cultural studies is recommended. The course does not require theoretical knowledge, but students should be prepared to engage critically with social and cultural concepts in the context of fashion.

Assessment criteria, approved/failed

To pass the course, the student must demonstrate the following competences and completed work:

• Understanding of fashion culture: explains the concept of fashion culture and its significance as a form of social and cultural expression using appropriate terminology.
• Identification of sociocultural issues: identifies and gives examples of key sociocultural issues in fashion, such as identity, representation, equity, and heritage.
• Knowledge of sustainability principles: describes the core principles of social and cultural sustainability in relation to fashion and textile systems.
• Critical perspective on fashion and society: provides a basic critical analysis of how fashion both reproduces and challenges societal norms, values, and power structures.
• Personal reflection and cultural awareness: reflects on their own fashion consumption, cultural position, and/or design practice using relevant sustainability and cultural awareness frameworks.
• Completion of course assignments: completes and submits all required course assignments within the given timeframe, demonstrating adequate engagement with the course content and learning tasks.

Further information

Sociocultural sustainability in fashion refers to practices that preserve, respect, and enhance the social and cultural dimensions of human life through fashion. It goes beyond environmental and economic aspects by focusing on how fashion impacts fairness, communities, traditions, identities, and well-being. Sociocultural sustainability in fashion asks not only how garments are made and what they are made from, but also who they affect, whose voices are heard, and what values are upheld. It seeks a fashion system that supports cultural diversity, social justice, and human dignity.

This course introduces you to the cultural and social meanings of fashion and the ways in which fashion shapes everyday life. You will learn how fashion connects to issues like human rights, representation, and heritage, and how these relate to broader questions of sustainability. The course also encourages you to think critically about how fashion influences – and is influenced by – societal norms, power, and global systems.

Through readings, visual materials, and interactive activities, you will engage with both theoretical perspectives and real-world examples of the sociocultural dimensions of fashion as well as reflect on your own relationship to fashion practices. By the end of the course, you will be able to explain the concept of fashion culture, identify key sociocultural issues, and understand how fashion can support a more just, and culturally respectful future.