Can micro and small fashion businesses revolutionise fashion?

UK fashion designers are widely acknowledged as creative influencers on the world stage.  The Fostering Sustainable Practices project (FSP)—with partners at CUSP—investigates creative practices in design-led fashion micro and small enterprises (MSEs) as an evidence base for change towards a more sustainable fashion industry. For two and a half years the project has worked with more than forty fashion MSEs, who demonstrate sustainable prosperity in and through fashion.

This series of events will be exploring how design-led fashion MSEs create distinction and energy in their work when practising four dimensions of prosperity; social, cultural, economic and environmental. Looking at the MSEs business models and their impact; how the visions, values, capabilities and design practices used by fashion MSEs can be transformative and the role of support organisations in nurturing MSE innovation.

Through conversation and exploration, the project team will be delving into how we can cultivate fashion as sustainability in action.

The projects findings have been used to develop a number of outcomes including a guidebook for alternative business support systems, to benefit MSEs, support organisations, and the industry. The launch of this guidebook will follow this event series, join the CSF community to be the first to hear when the new guidebook is available to explore online.

Event 1 – Visions, values, capabilities and the design practices of fashion designer-entrepreneurs

🗓 Monday 17 May, 4.00pm– 5.20pm (BST)

Exploring how design-led fashion MSEs create distinction and energy in their work when practising four dimensions of prosperity; social, cultural, economic and environmental. Asking, is it the synergy or conflicting elements of these dimensions that make these fashion MSEs who they are? Discussing the multiple roles and trajectories of these fashion designer entrepreneurs, their working time patterns and practices.

This session will include a short welcome and introduction to the FSP project.

Event 2 – Business models and networks of fashion-related MSEs

🗓 Thursday 20 May, 4.00 – 5.00pm (BST)

Business models and networks of fashion-related MSEs incorporating their vision of sustainable prosperity.  We explore through the research findings of FSP how these visions might be scaled out to impact and transform the wider fashion industry. Discussing the formal and informal networks that fashion MSEs so often rely on to create and realise these alternative business models.

Event 3 – The role of support organisations in the development of sustainable innovation in fashion MSEs

🗓 Friday 21 May, 3.00 – 4.00pm (BST)

What is lacking and what more can be done to support fashion design and service-based entrepreneurs in embedding social, cultural, economic and environmental prosperity in their practice.

With an introduction to the FSP guidebook created for support organisations, Fashion as Sustainability in Action, a guide for fostering sustainable prosperity in micro and small fashion businesses.