Transition Design and Fashion

Abstract As the discipline of fashion design desperately tries to remake itself more sustainable through the introduction of transparency in supply chains, ecological materials, and various modes of recycling and circularity, the question remains if these initiatives have enough impact to make a difference as the markets of fashion keep growing. Across the design field, there have been calls for more fundamental changes to the discipline. One such approach runs under the banner of Transition Design. This paper applies a perspective of Transition Design to fashion design to unpack a series of arenas where change has to happen in fashion design. Using the Transition Design framework, the following text paraphrases levels, systems approaches, and points of concern and translates them to the context of fashion. This endeavor aims to show how possible synergies may arise between these seemingly disconnected parts and how fashion educators can grapple with some of these complex issues, scales, and systems in order to push students to explore more pluralistic avenues of success and test how fashion intersects with the social realms.