Teaching Sustainability in Fashion Design Courses Through a Zero-Waste Design Project

Abstract

With the increased importance of learning about sustainability in fashion design curriculum, this article reports the teaching zero-waste design in existing fashion design courses that teach skills needed to create and construct garments. This study documents the development and delivery of a zero-waste design project in two different levels of fashion design courses. Data were collected before and after the zero-waste design project implementation. By learning about zero-waste design, students’ interest in sustainable living and fashion and consciousness about generating fabric waste was increased. Written comments about student experiences also supported these findings and indicated that the zero-waste design project positively influenced their awareness of sustainability practices.