It's news to no one that fashion is built on inequality. From its education system all the way to the upper echelons of the industry, success within the field is largely determined by wealth and who you know, with those from lower income backgrounds, and particularly people of colour, held back from entering.
One initiative looking to change this is the Slow Factory, which offers free, equity-centred education to Black, Brown, indigenous, and minority ethnic people through its Open Edu program. Originally kicking off in 2020, the adidas-supported program’s first semester saw over 6,500 students from around the world tune in.
Now, it’s getting ready for its second outing, which begins next week. Covering a vast number of fashion-focused topics, the curriculum includes lectures on sustainability, agriculture, prison labour, and fashion’s supply chain.
Others offer the chance to dive into activism, spiritualism, colonialism, and racism within fashion, with all lectures led by an esteemed line-up of Black and Brown scholars and critical thinkers.
As the organisation puts it: ‘We teach the necessary and radical subjects you didn’t learn in school’, with the whole schedule geared towards decolonising fashion education.
With the new term kicking off on February 12, events run right the way through March and into April. Check out the schedule and sign up here.