Social Purpose

Our agenda includes:

• Social responsibility
• Sustainability
• Diversity
• Conscientious learning

How we do this:

• Working with brands on projects to improve sustainability processes.
• Embedding social responsibility, diversity and sustainability into the curriculum of our undergraduate courses.
• Working with women in prison to aid their rehabilitative journeys, by giving them professional skills and qualifications in fashion and textiles, and supporting them on release. Find out more on our Making for Change page.
• Engaging groups and individuals in our local communities. Find out more about our participatory art and fashion education projects.
• Working with young people in partner schools and FE colleges in Greater London, whose parent(s) or guardians do not have a university degree. We support students in applying and progressing on to our courses, or other courses within UAL.

LCF Education for Sustainability Transformation (EST) Report 2021

LCF first formally foregrounded sustainability into curriculum ethos, course content, assessment and learning outcomes in 2007, with the creation of the world’s first MA course in fashion and sustainability, led by Centre for Sustainable Fashion (CSF).  Since then, LCF has supported the development and integration of sustainability into the curriculum across all courses and levels at the college. Since 2016, this has been formally recognised in the LCF Education for Sustainability Transformation (EST) Strategy and Action Plan; which is working towards transformative education based on principles of ecological and social equity.

This new report offers a summary of achievements and changes that have been made since 2016, building on the EST Interim Report 10.4MB (published 2019).  It draws on current, past and future activities across, LCF and at University of the Arts London (UAL) and Centre for Sustainable Fashion (CSF).  The evidence demonstrates our alignment with and commitment to PRME – Principles of Responsible Management Education, which LCF has been a member of since 2015.

Professor Dilys Williams, Director of Centre for Sustainable Fashion at London College of Fashion said: “Whilst the picture of change is clear, there is an imperative to go from areas of good work to a college-wide challenging of the status quo in the education and fashion sectors.” Nina Stevenson, Education for Sustainability Leader, at CSF continued:  “It is essential that the teaching and learning of fashion acknowledges our complicity as humans in ecological collapse and social inequity. Through education, fashion design, business, and media can be explored safely and radically with the goal of restoring and regenerating our social, economic, cultural and ecological systems.”

The report also outlines recommendations for ensuring the teaching and learning of fashion is foregrounding principles of sustainability, operating within planetary boundaries, pursuing climate and social justice and equity for all in line with the emergent UAL 10 year strategy currently under development. Connections are made to ways in which colleagues across UAL are also working towards these ambitions.

LCF Sustainable Fashion Style Guide

Sustainable fashion and the red carpet, a 2020 collaboration between LCF and BAFTA, promoting sustainability on the red carpet and throughout the fashion industry.

This awards season BAFTA are doing more than ever before to consider sustainability across its awards ceremonies, including inviting guests to ‘dress sustainably’. To help navigate some of the issues around fashion and sustainability London College of Fashion, UAL are supporting BAFTA with more information on how you can dress sustainably.

Download the Sustainable Fashion Style Guide (PDF File 1.44MB) to help make different fashion choices and become a voice for change.