When it comes to sustainable fashion and design, it’s not just about the materials used; it’s also about how a garment or product is made, who made it, what resources were used to create it, how it was sold, and how it was bought—all while taking into account how its existence will affect the environment and how it will eventually deteriorate or be reused.

The shift to sustainable, conscious fashion is not a new concept but has definitely picked up in the last decade. The fashion and design industry as a whole is taking targeted steps to move toward a sustainable approach. However, there’s also a need for the new generation of learners to consider how the sector can be altered to create a sustainable future.

Antonio Maurizio Grioli, Dean, School of Fashion & School of Design, Pearl Academy says, “With the changing scenario across the world amid uncertainty, sustainability models are at the heart of many fashion companies. Therefore, the industry requires sustainability experts whose function is to ensure that the company is constantly looking for ways to incorporate environmentally friendly practices into the business and drive projects that positively impact the planet.”

There are several fashion and design institutes that have introduced course requirements in this area to maintain the carbon neutrality of fashion items. So, let’s take a look at the courses which will help design students to create a better world.

Postgraduate in Fashion Design

This Postgraduate (PG) in Fashion Design Program by Pearl Academy equips the aspirants to explore the creative realms of contemporary fashion with holistic learning through a process-driven blend of theoretical, practical hands-on experience to function, strategize and render services to the Fashion and Lifestyle Industry. The curriculum also focuses on combining technical expertise and contemporary practices with aesthetic skills, sustainability, branding and brand management.

Postgraduate in Textile Design

This Postgraduate (PG) in Textile Design Program by Pearl Academy provides a broad intake of graduates from any discipline to imbibe an integrated approach to design and technical subjects of textiles with a thorough understanding of the market. The basic aim of the course is to provide a functional understanding of textile design and its application in the commercial context. The curriculum also focuses on the understanding of materials (conventional and futuristic), sustainable processes, tools, and techniques (both traditional craft and contemporary practices) which helps students to create an awareness of both local and global contexts that affect design and production parameters.

Post Graduate Program in Accessory Design

This Post Graduate Program in Accessory Design by Pearl Academy provides learning in various paradigms of accessory design its fundamental skills and techniques such as human factors, materials & processes, trend research & forecasting, semiotics, CAD-CAM inputs, design & business strategy, sustainability and understanding of global luxury markets. It also lays a special focus on understanding and integrating Indian crafts for contemporary luxury.

Post Graduate Diploma in Textile Crafts & Sustainable Product Design

The National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) provides a Post Graduate Diploma in Textile Crafts & Sustainable Product Design (TCSPD). This one-year course is a perfect fit if your interest is in the production side of sustainable fashion. It is centred around traditional crafts, which are fundamentally more sustainable than modern conventional production practices. It also includes a focus on sustainable product design.

M.Des. in Furniture and Interior Design

The discipline of Furniture and Interior Design at the National Institute of Design (NID) looks at shaping and functional analysis of living, working and interaction environments through the study and development of objects, structures and systems operating on a human scale responding to their collective impact on everyday life. The program addresses concurrent issues of sustainability and human relationships with resource and environmental concerns by taking up an in-depth study of materials, techniques, processes, aesthetics, projections and resonance of a product in its social context. The discipline helps to build technical, pragmatic and research skills to perform in practice-oriented industries as well as engage with new emerging models of design practices.