For just over a year I’ve been a member of the Gedling Fairtrade Group involved in campaigning for Fairtrade and working towards Fairtrade Town status for Gedling Borough.

23rd February 2009 sees the beginning of Fairtrade Fortnight, a time to celebrate and shout about Fairtrade even more than usual. The Gedling Fairtrade Group has lots of plans for the fortnight, including a glamorous fashion show and we’re fortunate enough to have the support of 3 fashion marketing students from the famous Nottingham Trent University’s School of Art & Design.

These 3 motivated students are all specialising in ethical fashion for their final dissertations. This is their choice but when I met them I wondered whether there are whole courses dedicated to ethical fashion. If so, just imagine what education could do to the industry, producing designers, makers and marketers with a sound understanding of the social and environmental impacts of their trade and a drive to make it better.

So of course my next port of call was Google, I thought that if I found at least a little information about ethical fashion courses then I could share it here and it may be useful for potential students. I honestly had no idea what I would find but I was genuinely (and pleasantly) surprised…

University for the Creative Arts (UK)
MA Ethical Fashion (in Epsom, Surrey)
This was the first MA in the UK in ethical fashion. It focuses on the business side of fashion, including consumerism, the supply chain, recycling and marketing of ethics in fashion.

London College of Fashion (UK)
Developing an Ethical Fashion Brand and
Developing an Ethical Footwear or Accessories Brand
These are one day courses providing introductions to understanding sustainability, developing a green supply chain, impacts of legislation and the future of ethical fashion.

MA Fashion and the Environment
Aimed at recent graduates and industry professionals this course is about looking forward and considering sustainable fashion development.

The Ethical Fashion Forum
Fashion Business Workshops
The EFF organises a number of workshops for those interested in entering the business of ethical fashion

Chelsea College of Art & Design (UK)
Textiles Environment Design (TED)
This research project looks at the role designers can play in creating textiles which have a reduced impact on the environment.

Fashioning an Ethical Industry
Staff and Student Workshops
This ‘Labour Behind the Label Project’ provides tutor and student courses which focus on themes related to working conditions and workers’ rights in garment manufacture.

The Higher Education Academy (UK)
Teaching Ethical Fashion
This was a conference which took place in April and although it has passed I though it was still worth a mention, just in case it takes place again next year. This event was for tutors and educators teaching ethical issues on fashion related courses.

I’m sure there are many more courses, workshops and seminars in the UK and overseas. If you know of more ethical fashion courses get in touch and we can share them here on GGG.

Yesterday saw the start of London Fashion Week and I am oh so sad not to be going. For now I have to be content with keeping up to date with things online at www.londonfashionweek.co.uk

If you are going though be sure to check out estethica, the green fashion exhibition now in its fifth season.

It’s really amazing to learn how popular this part of the event has become in such a massive mainstream show. There are over 30 green fashion labels exhibiting this year and the British Fashion Council are happy to report even more labels joining in 2009.

London Fashion Week are also collaborating with the BBC’s Thread in their Stylesearch competion to find the UK’s most ethical dressers. The four finalists will be taking part in a task to find the ultimate winner who will assist the stylist at the Thread fashion show – lucky thing!

Check out the competition entries on the Thread website and you might see a familiar face!

I’m going to make a confession so promise not to judge me, OK?

Here goes… I love the fashion programmes on TV. There, I said it!

From ‘America’s / Britain’s Next Top Model‘ to ‘Gok’s Fashion Fix‘ and ‘The Clothes Show‘ I consider having the time to watch them a real treat and when I get the chance happily soak in all the beautiful, glittery frivolousness of them. I love the colourful fabrics, art direction of the photo shoots and the seemingly mystical techniques of accessorizing.

These days my Netvibes profile is full of feeds from fashion, style and craft blogs and every now and then I indulge in a copy of British Vogue.

Being as I’m beginning to learn dressmaking myself my interest in these things is becoming a little more than entertainment into something rather educational. Well that’s my excuse anyway.

I have to say though that so often I find a very big gap in the conversations on these TV shows and magazines. Why is no one in the mainstream talking about the ethics behind fashion? OK, so occasionally we’ll get a ‘green’ feature here and there or a dedicated show like ‘Blood Sweat and T-Shirts‘ but ethical fashion is really treated as an aside or optional extra, not a necessity.

With the recent news about Primark’s factories I was horrified to hear a young lady being interviewed on the radio saying that she didn’t care if clothes were made by children and that it’s the price tag that really matters! I guess I’ve naively thought that if people knew of the pain and suffering caused by the production of their clothes then they wouldn’t want to contribute to it but I guess I was wrong. Similarly, what about other issues such as the environmental impact of clothing production and the use of animal skins or fur?

On some of the TV shows I’ve seen them present items of clothing from particular labels that I would not buy because they’re known to sell fur or use sweatshop labour. Why aren’t these shows taking the opportunity to talk to their audience about becoming aware of how and where their clothes are made? Of course they won’t want to name and shame particular labels but how about presenting some of the green or Fairtrade options and using that as a reason to buy an outfit? Encourage the fashion show fans like me to ask questions of the high street shops, it doesn’t need to preach but at least make it an intrinsic part of the decision making like the reasons for choosing a particular cut of jacket or shape of trouser leg.

With the amount of money that goes through the mainstream fashion industry I can’t help but think that it’s not such a frivolous interest after all.

I was quite pleased to see that BBC Thread (BBC’s online ethical fashion magazine) are supporting the movement of ethical fashion into the mainstream by running a contest to find an ethical fashionista to help style a show at London Fashion Week. Oh how I’d love to have the time and experience to give it a try! Check it out at: www.bbc.co.uk/thread/stylesearch