A Sustainable Fashion Safari

Abstract

Design is the art of application of design and aesthetics to apparel and accessories influenced by diverse factors. Fashion varies over time and place. The global clothing and textile sector is a highly significant socioeconomic player. All fashion stakeholders/actors: academia, practitioners, end-users and governments are challenged to address fashion's unsustainable production and consumption by adopting sustainable/ eco/slow fashion and implementing almost all UN SDGs. Slow fashion is a paradigm shift from "quantity to quality" or garments produced for extended use, thus postponing their disposal. Numerous models, toolkits, theories, concepts, methods, techniques, and pedagogical approaches have been developed to promote sustainable fashion production and consumption. This paper explores the author's sustainable fashion safari from the year 2000 to date. Safari is a Kiswahili word for journey, expedition, or adventure. The safari includes practice, PhD study, pedagogy, postgraduate thesis supervision and examination, research, conference/seminar presentations, and publishing. The safari has opened many opportunities for acquiring and advancing my knowledge and skills about sustainability theories, models, research methods, pedagogy, publishing, and grant writing as well as collaborative research. Fulfilment emanates from knowing that I am participating in the global discourse about sustainable fashion, and in creating a pool of future fashion design professionals who are responsive and empathetic. I am open to more engagements and collaborations.