Renowned trend forecaster Lidewij Edelkoort and international fashion school Polimoda have started collaborating with the aim to bring a radical transformation in fashion design starting from the creation of fabrics.
As a result from this collaboration, Polimoda will hold a new course, the Master in Textiles from Farm to Fabric to Fashion, to start in fall 2022. The two-year program will provide students with experimental knowledge regarding the whole process of making a garment, from the origin of fiber to industrial and artisanal textile production, through to design and fashion creation. The course will focus on a conscious educational program based on innovation, aimed at training future professionals capable of making a difference in the rebirth of the sector.
The new course was recently disclosed within “A Declaration of Change: Radical Metamorphosis” presented by Edelkoort in conversation with Massimiliano Giornetti, director of Polimoda, Linda Loppa, advisor of Strategy and Vision of the school, and Philip Fimmano of Trend Union and mentor of the new course.
According to “A Declaration of Change”, consumers are becoming more selective, seeking quality rather than quantity, well-being rather than stress, and are careful of their impact on the planet. For these reasons, fashion needs to adapt to such changes, rethink its whole business model, and redefine their timing and objectives according to these new dynamics. Along with it, the industry shall return to a more sustainable form of production and a fairer society.
“Education has largely participated in the demise of fashion by closing textile design departments, neglecting fabric knowledge and promoting virtual sketching over draping and pattern making. This is why we need to reconstruct the system and introduce a radical new educational model based on the ancestry of textiles and its affinity with fashion,” explained Edelkoort. “We believe that in order to understand fashion design we need to teach the origin of clothes, which can be found on the farm and in the forest, even in the ocean. We know that regenerative farming and foresting are on the cards of a future where brands will be involved from the very start of the creation of their goods, responsible for alternative crops, humane animal treatment, and measured cellulose and algae production. Some houses are already embracing this responsibility.”
In the second year they will continue their exploration of fabrics making them expressive and innovative, using hybrid techniques that combine craftsmanship and technology. They will study anthropology and archeology to explore the human psyche and tribal behavior. They will refine embellishment techniques such as embroidery, patchwork and beading to emphasize their creative identity.
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