Foundations of Sustainable Fashion

This unit introduces core concepts of sustainable fashion and develops practical consumer skills to reduce waste and extend the life of clothing and footwear. Students will audit wardrobes, evaluate the impacts of fast fashion and brand practices, and practice care, repair, and circular actions that prepare them for design and merchandising decisions in subsequent units.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze core principles of sustainability and articulate the environmental, social, and economic impacts of fast fashion, citing lifecycle examples and common misconceptions
• Evaluate a personal wardrobe through a closet audit to quantify patterns of use and waste and produce a prioritized action plan with at least three interventions to extend garment life
• Apply sustainable sourcing and shopping strategies (secondhand, quality assessment, brand practice review, and impulse-control techniques) by creating a sustainable shopping checklist and a simulated purchase plan that meets defined criteria
• Demonstrate garment and footwear care, basic repair, and circular practices by completing at least two care/repair tasks and documenting outcomes plus a plan for donation, resale, or upcycling