Sustainable Fashion and Ethical Clothing

3 units

This course focuses on the study and understanding of sustainable clothing and its influence in today's fashion industry and modern life. Ethical fashion refers to the use of fabrics derived from eco-friendly resources, and the study of how these fabrics are made. Being green in fashion today means reducing the amount of clothing discarded to landfills, and decreasing the environmental impact of agro-chemicals in producing conventional fiber. Special emphasis will be placed on the vintage phenomenon and on recycling as fundamental parts of this complex subject. The course will analyze the impact of the reduction of raw materials and virgin resources, as it relates to fitting in the context of a more powerful globalized fashion industry as these two worlds often collide. The course will also look at how sustainability in the clothing industry can provide a new market for additional job opportunities.