How do we design for under-consumption

Fashion and textiles have always captivated, amazed, provoked, and fascinated. It is also an industry that drives gross consumption with a catastrophic impact on the environment. At The Scandinavian Design College we treat artistic and creative proficiency; general education; and a respect for the natural world; and our global community as a holistic whole.

Last August the college had the opportunity to put this approach into practice. We invited thought leaders from across the creative and academic landscape to the symposium "How do we design for under-consumption?" to discuss how we collectively can invent new tools and methods to drive the fashion and textile industry towards lower consumption and a significant reduction of its environmental burden.

Our hope is for the symposium to be the beginning of a movement, a budding community coming together to talk and practise real life practical solutions. We believe it is through the sharing of skills, knowledge and creativity, that great impact can be made, both in the short and the long term. Together we can create design tools, that are the results of community and of a generosity of spirit. These tools can be a catalyst for designs and conversations for all of us to share.

Let this be our ambition: to foster a belief and determination that we can develop a fashion and textile industry that continue to captivate, amaze, provoke and fascinate us, but with much less negative impact on nature and its resources.