The partners in this project consulted their industry partners in a variety of sectors of fashion attempting to cover the entire cycle from concept to consumer and labour market. From professionals in the global fashion industry, officials at the Ministry of Education and Economic Affairs, EU Commission, and international colleagues in fashion and design schools we got signals that graduates lack business and entrepreneurial skills. Furthermore, we researched the international programme offerings and we found there is a lack of opportunity for students to study the business of fashion at an academic master’s level. There is no Master specifically in fashion industry in the Netherlands and very few in any other European countries According to a global survey on fashion education in 2015, organized by one of the most important online fashion magazines in the world Business of Fashion (BOF), fashion students say they need more business training. Next to this, the fashion industry itself is constantly changing. This requires new business models and therefore also new types of education. Therefore, the aim of this project is to develop three high-quality courses which target the current lack of programs at the master level in fashion, which are aimed at training students in the ever-changing reality of the fashion industry and which also include a focus on business and entrepreneurship. The main objectives are: 1. To develop three fully functioning high quality courses addressing current educational and labour-market needs. 2. To foster a functioning network of complementary academic partners and other stakeholders. 3. To encourage non-academic stakeholders to contribute to the curriculum, quality enhancement and internships. This project will be done by 3 universities, namely: the Erasmus University (NL), Politechnika Gdanska (PL), Universite Paris Dauphine (FR). Within this project three high quality fashion courses will be developed (IO1, IO2 and IO3). The first course (IO1) will be dedicated to sustainability in fashion, the second course (IO2) will be dedicated to entrepreneurship in fashion and the third course (IO3) will be dedicated to local heritage in fashion. In IO4 the overall methodology for the development of the courses and the evaluation of the project results is developed. The IO’s will be supported by a Multiplier Event which will be aimed at extensively including the fashion industry in the development of the courses. By including the relevant stakeholders from the industry, the courses will be connected to the wishes of the industry and will ensure high employability of the students when they graduate. This project will result in three high quality fashion courses which will be the stepping stones towards developing an international Master in Fashion Industry (IMFI). Next to this a methodology will be developed for courses based on case-based learning. The methodology can be used for other fashion-oriented courses, but also towards HE courses in general.
RE-FRAME FASHION was a 28-month project co-funded by the Erasmus+ Strategic Partnerships for Higher Education Programme of the European Union. It was designed and executed by three Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) - the coordinator Erasmus University Rotterdam and the project partners Université Paris-Dauphine - PSL and Gdańsk University of Technology - together with fashion industry partners. The fashion industry is developing as a global industry, interlinked and intertwined with other creative and non-creative sectors of the economy, but also very much place-specific in nature. This requires a deep understanding of the economic, social, cultural and historic contexts in which the industry operates, at the local, national and international levels. Usually graduates of masters in fashion lack the instruments and the skills to understand fashion and contribute to its sustainable development. Furthermore, graduates of fashion schools lack business training. RE-FRAME FASHION innovated education in fashion in HEIs in close collaboration with fashion stakeholders. Its main objectives were: • To develop and pilot three fully functioning high quality courses addressing current educational and labour-market needs, • To foster a functioning network of complementary academic partners and other stakeholders, • To encourage non-academic stakeholders to contribute to the curriculum, quality enhancement and internships. A needs analysis was performed as preparation to the development of the new courses. A total of ca. 60 interviews were made with fashion stakeholders from NL, FR, PL, UK and Italy. Following the needs analysis, three high quality courses were developed and piloted in close collaboration with fashion industry partners: 1. “Sustainability in Fashion” (IO1) led by Université Paris-Dauphine – PSL, 2. “Entrepreneurship in Fashion” (IO2) led by Gdańsk University of Technology (GUT), 3. “Heritage in Fashion” (IO3) led by the Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR). An underlying methodology for the three courses was developed (“Methodology Development” - IO4), which ensured the use of a variety of methods to foster students’ engagement, critical thinking and the involvement of stakeholders, as well the evaluation of the project results. The three new courses have involved a total of 94 masters students (21 at EUR, 33 at Dauphine, 40 at GUT) coming from EU and non-EU countries. A total of ca.16 stakeholders were involved in the piloted courses as main partner or for guest lectures and fieldtrips. In particular, “Sustainability in Fashion” was developed together with key industry partner Le Coq Sportif, a French manufacturing company of sports equipment. “Entrepreneurship in Fashion” was developed with key industry partner You’ll, a Polish marketing agency based in Gdansk. “Heritage in Fashion” was developed with a key fashion partner, the European Fashion Heritage Association (EFHA), an international hub, in which fashion GLAMs (Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums) and brands share their digital heritage assets. It is worth mentioning that all courses developed in this project were affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. As the courses relied heavily on field trips and interaction with students and fashion industry stakeholders, some parts of the courses had to be re-adapted to a digital learning environment. Nevertheless, the project team used all the tools to ensure the best learning experience for the students, and with all adaptations the courses were well received by both students and fashion industry partners. The courses are continued in curricula of the same masters where they were piloted as well featured in new curricula too. The results were presented and shared at the International Conference / Multiplier Event RE-FRAME FASHION – Innovation in Fashion Education. Almost 200 people registered for the multiplier event. Among them, 86 were academics, 61 professionals and 51 students; 141 from European countries, 57 from outside Europe. The event was very well received. It was found very interesting, “very impressive what you have achieved so far”, amazing, strong presentation, highly professional, offering new perspectives, “the project results bring valuable, powerful impact on society”, “this was far away the best digital event experience that I have had this year”. In conclusion, RE-FRAME FASHION managed to contribute to the acquisition of sustainability skills, cognitive and emotional attitudes, interdisciplinary knowledge, community and social learning, aspects that are highly valued by the European Commission. The three new courses are the stepping stones towards an International Master in Fashion Industry (IMFI) that is international, transdisciplinary, and inclusive. The team is looking forward to continuing working together, enlarging the network of partners, building on the new courses and methods and inspiring other academics, professionals and students to engage in innovative education.