The role of ethics and sustainability in Fashion: The Social Outfit

Driven by increased competition, high levels of consumption through increased product drops and high customer demand, the fashion industry now sends 92 million tonnes of waste to landfills globally based on statistics from Earth.Org – much of it barely worn.

Furthermore, there is little transparency around how garments are made. From microplastic pollution in waterways to unfair working conditions for workers, the fashion industry has room for improvement to do its part in uplifting the global community.

At Billy Blue College of Design, we’re committed to using design as a force for good, and strive to instill these same values into our community.  That’s why a core element of our Branded Fashion Design courses is sustainable and ethical fashion design, encouraging students to examine the entire supply chain, production processes and product afterlife.

Not only do we teach that theory, we also provide our students with opportunities to put those learnings into practice. One example is our ongoing partnership with Australian social enterprise, The Social Outfit, which gives students the opportunity to work on a live brief for the ethical fashion design company.

Who is The Social Outfit? 

Based in Newtown, Sydney, The Social Outfit (TSO) is a social enterprise charity providing employment and training to refugee and migrant women in a manufacturing studio and retail store.

The Social Outfit invests in upskilling its employees so they can master their craft, gives them a place of belonging in a new country, and helps them assimilate into Australian society, while also practicing slow fashion. Every piece is designed and sewn in their Sydney workshop.

The ethics and methods of production also bring customers along for the journey. Customers who learn about these women’s stories form a community of women supporting women. This creates an emotional connection to the clothing to encourage more frequent use, increasing the lifespan of the garments in wardrobes.

Students designing and producing sustainable ethical dresses 

As part of the latest design challenge, Dressed to Frill, students were tasked with using ruffles or frills to design a top, skirt or dress for The Social Outfit. All the designs were sent to The Social Outfit to select the winning design, which would be produced in-house and sold in-store and online.

Branded Fashion Design senior learning facilitator, Yan Pothin, is passionate about offering students real-world experience before they graduate and has been crucial in facilitating this collaboration.

"The designs presented to The Social Outfit from the most recent challenge, Dressed to Frill, are part of a live brief offered to students each trimester,” says Pothin.

“Students get to experience working on a brief for an actual client, which gives them a real-world scenario to explore. Our partnership with TSO allows both student and client to engage in our shared philosophy of change for good and to contribute to a more sustainable slow fashion system."

Kelly and Zachary on working with The Social Outfit 

Of all the designs submitted, two students ruffled some feathers and came out on top. Kelly Bingham from Brisbane and Zachary Webster from Sydney had their designs chosen to be produced.

We spoke to Kelly and Zachary about their experience working on the live brief with The Social Outfit. They praised the organisation for their positive contributions to the community as well as the invaluable, real-world experience this Billy Blue partnership offers students.

The whole process gave Kelly insight into how the design process goes from a sketch to making it into retail stores.

“It’s quite a process to reflect on,” she says.

“After seeing the final design that has now been put into production, I couldn’t believe how much the design had shifted and evolved from my original ideas in my sketch book, yet the essence of my original inspiration still shines through, and it is this design process that I adore and find so much joy and fulfilment in. To go through this process alongside The Social Outfit has been an amazing learning experience that I will carry throughout my design career.”

Zachary enjoyed the challenge of staying true to his design aesthetic while collaborating on the design process with another brand and staying true to their audience as well.

“I loved having the opportunity to receive and apply feedback to the garment, I felt like I got a taste of the real world of design,” he says. “I loved that the design team at The Social Outfit still wanted to keep the essence of my design strong, and I felt that the collaboration resulted in a beautiful piece that really captured both of our aesthetics and the ease of the collaboration. I really appreciated that.”

Billy Blue partnership with The Social Outfit 

Proudly certified as a B Corp organisation, Billy Blue College of Design powered by Torrens University is committed to utilising education to enhance the lives of our students, society and the world. We do this by instilling best practices in our students as well as partnering with other organisations like The Social Outfit to strive to be a force for good in society.

As Pothin says, The Social Outfit’s positive environmental and transparent production practices, and social positivity makes the organisation a natural fit for Billy Blue. Our partnership allows us to mentor the next generation of designers for good.

Fashion design subjects with a focus on sustainable practices

Studying fashion at Billy Blue means you don’t just graduate industry ready. It means you’re future-industry ready.  We prepare our students for the fashion industry of tomorrow and a big part of this is preparing them to be leaders in sustainability as society becomes increasingly conscious of the impact of fast fashion.

To manage the amount of waste, pollution and negative social impacts the fashion industry generates, certain countries are starting to regulate the industry. Governments are looking to set design requirements for textiles to ensure they last longer, and are easier to repair and recycle to extend the lifespan of clothing. They are aiming to discourage the destruction of unsold or returned textiles – a practice often used by luxury brands to maintain the exclusivity of goods.

Gaining work experience in our Branded Fashion Design and Fashion Marketing and Enterprise degrees with social and sustainable fashion brands like The Social Outfit puts our students at the forefront of sustainable fashion – future fashion leaders if you will.