In response to growing demand for sustainable apparel products, Kering and London College of Fashion, UAL (LCF) are launching the world’s first open-access digital course in luxury fashion and sustainability. Entitled “Fashion & Sustainability: Understanding Luxury Fashion in a Changing World,” the course aims to strengthen sustainability education in the luxury and fashion realms in order to promote the wider adoption of more sustainable practices.

“At Kering, we believe that the shift towards sustainability and innovation in luxury fashion is not only an imperative, in our world of finite resources, but also a goldmine of opportunity,” said François-Henri Pinault, Chairman and CEO of Kering. “We actively work with our Houses to craft tomorrow’s luxury via our 2025 sustainability strategy, but also wish to contribute to the evolution of luxury fashion as a whole, by sharing our expertise with industry counterparts and educating future generations. Today I am proud that Kering’s partnership with London College of Fashion takes a new step, making education accessible outside of the classroom with the world’s first open-access digital course on sustainable luxury fashion.”

Co-developed by LCF academics and Kering sustainability experts, the course is built on six key modules including: Why Sustainability Matters in Fashion, Contextualizing Sustainability for a Changing World, Sustainable Sourcing for Luxury Fashion and Informed Decision-Making. Through a mix of films, podcasts, activities and discussions, the course covers both the theoretical aspects of sustainability as well as real-life business cases that luxury fashion brands face when integrating sustainability. Over a six-week period, spanning a total of 18 teaching hours, learners will have the possibility to complete the course at their leisure via the mobile, tablet and desktop-friendly platform.

“Over a year in the making and based on the research, teaching and practice of Centre for Sustainable Fashion at London College of Fashion, UAL as well as the expertise and leadership of Kering’s Sustainability team, we are delighted to present the world’s first luxury fashion online course developed between higher education and industry. This is significant because it signals a real desire and commitment from the industry to the ‘open sourcing’ of knowledge,” said Professor Frances Corner, Head of London College of Fashion, UAL.

“Only through collaboration and the sharing of experience can we face the enormity of the challenges that lie ahead together. Often we can feel overwhelmed or unsure what sustainability means for our industry — we feel disempowered because there is no ‘one size fits all’ solution — but this course aims to empower aspiring and existing fashion professionals alike and help them develop their own manifesto for change.”

Registration for the course is now open, with the first six-week edition to begin on 9 April. It is openly available to all those who wish to participate, with the specific aim of educating future talents, designers, luxury fashion professionals and members of the public with an interest in fashion.

As part of the platform’s rollout, LCF and Kering are teaming up with the British Fashion Council (BFC) to reinforce the wider adoption of sustainable practices by industry professionals and future talents alike. Via the BFC, young British designers are currently previewing the platform, to ensure upmost relevancy to creative designers and luxury fashion professionals seeking to expand their sustainability knowledge.

“2018 London Fashion Week focuses on Positive Fashion, an initiative designed to promote and celebrate diversity, sustainability and openness; encouraging fashion to be used as a platform to promote global positive change, so we are thrilled that Kering and LCF have chosen to launch their new open-access digital course dedicated to sustainability…Every season we see an increase in designer brands at LFW adhering to sustainable principles within their businesses and in turn promoting and contributing to positive change within our industry.”