Socially responsible fashion design education has the potential to transform not only the ways in which we view and understand the nature of our garments, but the entire fashion industry. This site hopes to bridge the gap between theory and practice within existing perceptions of socially responsible fashion design education to create lasting change through transformative fashion design education.
This site is interdisciplinary in nature. Developed with fashion and textile design educators in mind, it also acts to create a platform for design educators to benchmark themselves against other educators not only within their own field, but across various design disciplines. In order to create real lasting change, designers of all disciplines must work together to foster transformation.
The hope is that design educators will take the information they have learned here, and incorporate it into their design curriculum, to share not only with their students, but with other design faculty and instructors within their department or educational institution.
This site also hopes to serve as a networking platform for anyone interested in SR and fashion design. It will aim to explore and discuss the interconnectedness of design and SR, with the hopes of further understanding the relationship between both ethical issues surrounding working conditions and environmental concerns within the supply chain of the textile and apparel industry.
Fashion design educators have a social responsibility to educate their design students on the social and environmental issues facing the industry. In order to facilitate transformative learning within design classrooms, design instructors must become educated on the issues at hand.
Mary Hanlon, Founder of Social Alterations, brings her expertise in facilitation through online learning and interdisciplinary fashion education to this project. Mary has an MA in Integrated Studies through Athabasca University, with a concentration in Cultural Studies and Work, Leadership and Organization, where her research was awarded High Distinction. In 2009 Mary won the international award Fashioning the Future through the London College of Fashion for her visionary research into “Systems for a Sustainable Fashion Industry”. Mary holds a BA in International Development Studies from Dalhousie University, and a Diploma in Textile Art from Capilano University. To this project, Mary brings over 8 years of research and teaching experience in both Asia and North America.
As Co-Founder of Social Alterations, Nadira Lamrad will bring outstanding insight and experience in corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the apparel industry to the table. Nadira is a PhD Candidate at City University of Hong Kong, where she is currently based. She holds an MA in Social Science with a concentration in Development Studies from City University of Hong Kong, where she outlined the current CSR trends in China’s supply chains, graduating with distinction at the top of her class. She also holds a BA from McGill University, with a major in Political Science and a minor in Economics and Sociology. Her current research is focused on CSR in the fashion and textiles industry. To this project she will bring over 8 years of teaching and research experience in China.
Katrine Karlsen, Contributing Partner at Social Alterations, has recently completed a placement year with Scandinavia’s largest footwear retailer Euro Shoe Group where she held the position of CSR assistant, developing the company’s sustainable business strategy. She is in her third year of a BA (Hons) Fashion Management degree at London College of Fashion, specializing in sustainable challenges and opportunities within the fashion industry with specific focus on the supply chain. Katrine has a Diploma in Peace and Conflict Studies from Oslo University College in Pondicherry, India. In May 2009 she executed a consultancy project with Marks & Spencer focusing on the use of Fairtrade/Organic cotton across all departments, and was awarded with a distinction for the quality of her work. Katrine brings to the team her expertise in strategy implementation and fashion management.
Matt Lambert is a designer based in North Vancouver, BC, Canada with over 10 years of experience in Web & Graphic Design. In the past, Matt has been employed by Electronic Arts & Maxem Eyewear. He currently works for SOLE as a Front End Web Designer/Developer. In the late 90’s, Matt completed his design education at the Art Institute of Vancouver. He has also studied Advertising & Graphic Design at Langara College in Vancouver. In 2004, Matt founded Cardeo Creative, a freelance design studio which has now grown into a design blog. He has helped to develop Social Alterations, providing invaluable technical support to the online development of this project.
