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My Positionality

As a practitioner, my industry experience in upcycling, sustainable fashion design and campaigning is instrumental in my teaching style and approach. Since graduating from the BA Fashion: Womenswear course at Central Saint Martins in 2017 and the MA Fashion course in 2020, I have worked with global organisations such as Fashion Revolution, Slow Factory and the British Fashion Council towards fostering a dialogue around social, racial, and climate justice within the arts. Since 2022, I have been the only Sustainability Lecturer for the Fashion Design Programme at Central Saint Martins.

In 2021, I co-founded Trash Club, a global community and support network for independent creatives and students worldwide. Trash Club is an advocate of knowledge exchange and well-being, acknowledging the intersectionalities and lived experiences of its members, particularly working-class creatives such as myself.

As a white gay European man working within fashion and academia, I understand that my position is one of privilege, and I’m considered a majority demographic of staff at University of the Arts London (UAL, 2022). Throughout this course, I’ve aimed to re-evaluate my social biases, foster conversations around diversity and inclusion within my teaching practice, and implement diverse and radical pedagogy into the curriculum. (Freire, 1971)

My intersectionalities are that I am neurodivergent, I am queer, and I am from a working-class mixed-heritage background (Czech and English). I have always lived in the UK, and my first language is English. Yet, my dual-cultural upbringing has influenced me to learn about different cultures and relate to student experiences of dual heritage (not belonging to one place).

Living with my partner, a Muslim man from the British Bangladeshi diaspora, has given me insights into the challenges that underrepresented minority groups are exposed to in the arts. This discrimination is recurringly nuanced within fashion academia, a sector in which he also teaches. 

References

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Research Methods

Quantitive

Analyse staff interviewee demographics, with reference to UAL data and interview response data, through graphs and charts. 

Qualitative

To assess staff interviews through thematic analysis, observing patterns and recurring topics that may inform how, why, and what factors influence the ability to teach social, racial and climate justice to fashion design students in higher education.

Interview Schedule

  1. Is it possible to teach social, racial, and climate justice within higher education? 
  2. What are some of the difficulties that you have in your role? By instilling these new ways of thinking? 
  3. What makes for a good fashion educator?
  4. What accountability is needed to embed these approaches?
  5. If it were mandatory, would it make a difference in student engagement? 
  6. Have you encountered similar resistance in other places you’ve taught at?
  7. Imagine an ideal scenario; how would we teach?  
  8. In your opinion, has the purpose of fashion design education evolved?
  9. Why do you think CSM Fashion has the reputation it does? Is this the same now?
  10. Are students today more aware due to their education, or is it intrinsic? 
  11. How do you approach the potentially subjective task of evaluating student work that is socially and culturally motivated?
  12. How can we teach social, racial and climate justice within a framework rooted in white Western perspectives and teaching methods? 
  13. How do you balance acknowledging cultural diversity and adhering to academic standards?
  14. How do you encourage a more inclusive evaluation that respects diverse cultural aesthetics and avoids imposing a singular viewpoint?
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Action Research Project: Rationale

With a shift in the zeitgeist leading academic institutions to question how climate, racial and social justice is embedded within design pedagogy, I am interested in understanding, as a department, where our resistance is placed in this shift. We know that sustainability is rooted in deep ethical and spiritual commitments (Hawken, 2007). So this research project will investigate whether this can be taught and assess the factors that influence the fashion programme contributing to Central Saint Martins becoming a Social Purpose University (UAL, 2023).

The questioning of my positionality within my job role and the unconscious bias that may come with it have catalysed this research project. Please see post from Unit 2 on Unconscious Bias here. Throughout the Pg Cert, I have asked myself whether my opinions and knowledge around sustainable methodologies are inclusive and expansive enough to create a culturally relevant teaching environment (Aronson B., Laughter J. 2016) or if my experience has been influenced by the western gaze of the industry, often reappropriating indigenous sustainable techniques within fashion education (Ahmed, T, 2019).

My research will analyse and evaluate how staff and students believe that we currently embed these themes within our curriculum and what the limitations are. Although some fashion design degree programmes currently embed debates around broader ethical issues concerned with sustainability, climate change, and consumption (Fletcher & Grose, 2012), I aim to understand whether the fashion programme at Central Saint Martins would be considered in this group. I will be interviewing staff members and asking students to complete feedback on a workshop series I host with them currently. 

Through this research project, my personal motivations are to aid my personal and professional development in my role as an educator and creative practitioner. I would like to use this project to gauge a greater understanding of how I can utilise my role to embed social, racial, and climate justice into my teaching methods and the course curriculum.

Ahmed, T. (2019) Anti-Fashion: using the sari to decolonise fashion. Modes of Criticism, Vol 4. Available at: https://www.academia.edu/41404957/Anti_Fashion_using_the_sari_to_decolonise_ fashion (Accessed: 19 Dec 2023)

Aronson B., Laughter J. (2016). The theory and practice of culturally relevant education. Review of Educational Research, 86, 163–206. Crossref ISI. Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3, 77–101.

Traditional teaching and learning in universities largely ignores ecological principles, and prepare learners to be successful in unsustainable cultural systems, thus perpetuating these systems.

(Burns, H. 2011) 

References

Aronson B., Laughter J. (2016). The theory and practice of culturally relevant education. Review of Educational Research, 86, 163–206. Crossref ISI. Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3, 77–101.

Burns, H. (2011). Teaching for Transformation: (Re) Designing Sustainability Courses Based on Ecological Principles. Journal of Sustainability Education, 2. Available at: https://agsci.oregonstate.edu/sites/agscid7/files/teaching_for_transformation-_redesigning_sustainability_courses.pdf (Accessed 10 Jan 2024).

Fletcher,K. and Grose,L. (2012) Fashion and Sustainability: Design for Change UK: Laurence King

Freire, P. (1970). Pedagogy of the Opressed. London: Continuum.

Hawken, P. (2007). Blessed Unrest. New York: Penguin Group.

UAL (2023). Our Strategy 2022-2032. Available at: https://www.arts.ac.uk/about-ual/strategy-and-governance/strategy (Accessed: 20 Jan 2024).

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My research question: Can Climate, Racial, and Social Justice be taught to Fashion Design Students in Higher Education?

This study is part of my research on the PgCert Academic Practice in Art, Design and Communication at UAL.

I am conducting an enquiry into whether climate, racial and social justice can be taught to students within higher education and embedded within the curriculum. With a shift in the zeitgeist leading academic institutions to question how these themes are embedded within design pedagogy, I am interested in understanding, as a department, where our difficulties and strengths are placed. I will be interviewing staff members at random and asking students to complete feedback on sessions I host with them.

My research will analyse and evaluate how we currently embed these themes within our curriculum, and which factors come into play by analysing data collected. The methodology will be both quantative and qualitative, taking a responsive evaluation approach. This will consist of interviews with staff members and questionnaires wit students. Responses will be transcribed and analysed anonymously.

Please see my first ever blog post here where I outline my Academic Practice context.

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Support Relationships

“Support is a type of relationship between people, objects, social forms, and political structures, in the same way that participation, or conflict, are other forms of relations; each proposes a specific mode of operation, language, and further relations. Support allows a particular investigation in how we might work together toward change, and becomes critical in allowing a form of political imagination to take place, both as a position and a practice; it invites readings and inhabitations of relationships between power structures, social realities, and institutional forms. There are many forms of support, but nothing is inherently supportive just as nothing is inherently conflictual” Condorelli, C. and Weizman, E. (2007). ‘Support, Participation and Relationships to Equity’, in (ed.)

Miessman, M., The Violence of Participation. Sternberg Press.

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Faith: Reflecting on ‘Religion in Britain: Challenges for Higher Education.’ Stimulus paper (Modood & Calhoun, 2015)

6379_lfhe_stimulus_paper_-_modood_calhoun_32pp-2Download

The three headings I chose to look at were:

  • ‘Multiculturalism’ written by Professor Tariq Modood
  • ‘The ‘vaguely Christian’ UK’ written by Professor Craig Calhoun
  • ‘Western European moderate secularism’ written by Professor Tariq Modood

Multiculturalism

Having read the text that provides an overview of the term ‘multiculturalism’ and its evolution since the 1960s, I believe that incorporating discussions and definitions of multiculturalism into my teaching practice will create an environment where students can express and navigate their views through their work in our increasingly diverse and interconnected world. This, to me, is paramount when considering the multicultural voices of our home and international students at UAL. It was interesting to learn that this was a term used only since the 1960s, to reflect the new social movements of the time.

To incorporate this, I could begin the session by reading the text aloud and encouraging students to share their experiences of ‘difference’, similar to my artefact workshop introduction. Allowing students to express dominant societal norms, such as masculinity or heterosexuality, from their perspectives can serve as a foundation for critical discussions on the implications of these biases within fashion, art, and culture. I could also give examples of organisations and brands that have embraced multiculturalist views to offer students concrete examples of its implementation and challenges.

Students could then undertake a design project with multicultural sensibilities at the forefront of research and development. For instance, developing work related to their opinions on how fashion can challenge “difference-blindness” and genuinely represent multicultural values.

Drawing upon my network, I could invite diverse voices to share their experiences and work related to multiculturalism. I currently programme visiting lecturer talks on the Master’s degree with a talk series called “Innovators”. These talks could evolve to become a creative workshop with the innovator around this topic.

By incorporating a discussion around multiculturalism and its significance in fashion and identity into my teaching, I aim to cultivate an environment where students not only become aware of diverse perspectives but also actively champion multicultural values and reflect them within their work. I would be interested to know of Tariq Modood’s background, and what provoked him to write this text. Given that there are no hard facts included in the text, I’m wondering if his opinion was influenced by personal experience, or if the text was researched and confirmed with data to back it up.

‘The ‘vaguely Christian’ UK’

I was most attracted to this text as I have felt an uncomfortability with religion being imposed onto children in school since I was young, attending a C of E primary and Catholic secondary school in the Midlands myself. After reading the text, two significant insights emerged for me. Firstly, the UK being ‘vaguely Christian’ is interesting to consider as a phrase. The subtle yet pervasive ways in which faith influences public life here in the UK without being overt, unlike some other countries, could be likened to the same ‘British’ subtlety often referred to surrounding discussions about race. Secondly, the text describes the blurring of religious and ethnic labels in the UK, which suggests that social identities imposed upon us often extend beyond spiritual beliefs, serving as markers for potential profiling. This felt like an obvious point; however, it was interesting to consider it when put in simple terms. I was unaware that the Archbishop of Canterbury coined the term ‘welfare state,’ which was interesting to learn. As a senior member of the House of Lords, the Archbishop can vote on law-making here in the UK. The text mentions Tariq Modood’s opinions on how other religious groups within the UK are said to be included in the ‘multicultural’ fabric of society yet, often portrayed, within popular belief, as demographics to be fearful of, particularly in the case of the Muslim community.

The author, Craig Calhoun, is an American sociologist who was Director and School Professor of Social Science and the London School of Economics and Political Science when the paper was published. Considering his positionality as a white American straight cis-male with a University degree from Oxford, his opinion would inevitably be influenced by these traits and experiences. I’d like to know how his faith and non-British background affect the religious and social commentary he writes about here.

In the context of my teaching practice, I would like to explore how these nuances around faith in the UK can inform discussions on multiculturalism and identity with students studying at UAL. I could incorporate sessions allowing students to delve into the intersections of their relationships to faith and fashion education, using their findings to develop an outcome. It’s fascinating when considering how pattern-cutting garments have colonial roots and how religion and fashion have influenced one another. It could be a great starting point for understanding the complexities of this process through a making project driven by an unobvious subject matter such as faith.

Western European moderate secularism

In the text, two main points caught my attention. First was the concept of religion as both a public good and a potential societal disruptor, specifically when the lines between public and private applications of religion are blurred. This insight highlighted the multifaceted role of faith in societal structures to me, bridging welfare, education, and national identity, which here in the UK are closely interlinked. For example, the Archbishop of Canterbury is a senior member of the House of Lords and can vote on national law-making. Secondly, the term ‘radical secularism’ itself was interesting to learn. After researching to understand its meaning further, there were contradictions highlighted by Madood. The French word ‘laïcité’ made me consider the possibilities of varied embodiments of secularism across West European landscapes ad the rest of the world and how they influence how we educate and teach within University institutions. If religious bodies can influence national law-making, then who’s to say that educational institutions cannot? Could this fundamentally impact how we teach art and fashion from a Eurocentric perspective?

One question that arose for me is how other countries balance their historic religious ties with modern secular philosophies and if we, in the UK, could reflect on their models. This could be an interesting insight to integrate into my teaching practice. For instance, students could engage in a comparative analysis of secular models across Europe, drawing parallels and contrast within fashion. Furthermore, students could discuss the nuances of ‘radical secularism’ and ‘laïcité’, examining their implications in contemporary society and influence within their design work. By doing so, I would aim to enhance their critical thinking skills and foster a broader understanding of the delicate interplay between faith, politics, and identity within the European fashion system.

Bibliography

Modood & Calhoun, 2015. Religion in Britain: Challenges for Higher Education. Stimulus paper. Available here: http://www.tariqmodood.com/uploads/1/2/3/9/12392325/6379_lfhe_stimulus_paper_-_modood_calhoun_32pp.pdf [Accessed 30th July 2023]

Arizona State University (no date). Craig Calhoun. [online] Available at: https://calhoun.faculty.asu.edu [Accessed: 30th July 2023].

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Faith: Reflecting on Kwame Anthony Appiah’s BBC Four Reith lecture on Creed.

‘Creed’ (2016) The Reith Lectures, BBC, Radio 4.

What first came to mind when listening to philosopher and cultural theorist Professor Kwame Anthony Appiah’s Reith lecture on Creed is that it is delivered using highly intellectual language and subject-specific terminology. The talk was challenging due to its dense academic content, and due to its presentation on BBC Four, it could be assumed that the talk was intended for a more informed audience. After considering this, I reflected on how the accessibility of shared knowledge can ultimately impact who engages with it and how. This is significant when considering how lacking familiarity can hinder engagement with complex topics like Creed. Such reflections make me reconsider how I should approach discussions with my students, especially on topics like sustainability and the specific terminology used within the industry. Creed is interesting to consider within pedagogy as it’s less widely spoken about than, for example, race. However, according to the Student Profile Data at UAL (2023), 41.3% of students declared they have spiritual or religious beliefs. This statistic has increased by 1.34% since 2020. 

Despite my atheistic beliefs, I recognise and value spirituality’s role in shaping human experiences and perspectives. Just as Professor Appiah highlighted the richness of diverse religious interpretations, I view the broad spectrum of spirituality, including atheistic spirituality, as integral in fostering holistic understandings. My atheistic spirituality allows me to appreciate the depth and breadth of human belief systems without being tethered to any one doctrine.

An audience member criticised Dr Appiah for interpreting religious scriptures through the lens of 20th-century fundamentalism. I found this point particularly interesting as it describes the historical context of the talk. This criticism reminded me of Dr Francesca Stavrakopoulou’s research, which I came across a few years ago, suggesting that the Hebrew Bible was a compilation of creative writings because earlier societies did not clearly distinguish between fiction and non-fiction. This could be likened similarly to the speaker’s comment about how fundamentalism regarding religious texts depends upon the point in history. This makes me think about my pedagogical practice, as much of the teaching is always encouraged to reflect the zeitgeist. 

A comment from an audience member at SOAS University touched on Kwame’s identity as a gay man, prompting me to reflect on the intersections of my identity, religion, and feelings of exclusion. This could relate to my views of religion and feeling excluded, reinforced by Kwame’s later point, “I think many gay people have left religious traditions for this reason”. Grayson Perry was asked to speak as an ‘expert’ on identity. Controversially, students’ opinions on the Grayson Perry fashion and print project, which Grayson has hosted for several years at Central Saint Martins, have become negative. Feedback from students, which I’ve received first-hand, highlights their concerns that Grayson, despite his gender-related views, still categorises himself as a straight white man. Within fashion, identity is a recurring topic of research for my students. This also relates to the start of the lecture where Kwame discusses identity as a “boom in popularity in recent years” – where many individuals resonate with a social identity. Kwame’s later point describes how he thinks many individuals worldwide would be ‘sceptical of the claim’ that their religious identity is essential to who they are.

Thinking about implementing this into my teaching practices, a project surrounding religion could be an exciting starting point. Considering the current zeitgeist within fashion; Catholicism, Christianity, and Islam, in particular, have been referenced frequently. For example, Patrick McDowell’s “Catholic Fairytales” collection, released in 2021, or Hussein Chalayan’s Spring 1998 collection, a British designer of Turkish Cypriot descent, showcasing European models in yashmaks to explore his experience of growing up amongst a Muslim culture. There is also a rising popularity in modest dressing, which I have seen more of in recent years in student projects. This lecture could be the starting point for this project, prompting students to examine their personal and social identities and how these shape their fashion outcomes. Students could examine their outcomes by asking whether the result is educating, preaching, or discussing religious identity or identity, in general, should be a freedom of speech and expression within their work. 

Bibliography

‘Creed’ (2016) The Reith Lectures, BBC, Radio 4. [online] Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07z43ds (Accessed: 30th July 2023)

Murray-Nag, B. (2020) Patrick Mcdowell: How I Created My First Fully Digital Fashion Collection, Eco-Age. [online] Available at: https://eco-age.com/resources/patrick-mcdowell-digital-fashion-collection/ (Accessed: 30th July 2023)

Pounds, G. (2016) ‘Subverting The Avant-Garde: Nudity and Inferiority in Hussein Chalayan’s Spring/Summer 1998 Collecti’, The Courtauldian. [online] Available at: https://www.courtauldian.com/single-post/2016/03/04/subverting-the-avantgarde-nudity-and-inferiority-in-hussein-chalayan-s-springsummer-1998 (Accessed: 30th July 2023).

(2023). ‘UAL Student Profiles: Characteristics’. Available at: https://dashboards.arts.ac.uk/dashboard/ActiveDashboards/DashboardPage.aspx?dashboardid=5c6bb274-7645-4500-bb75-7e334f68ff24&dashcontextid=638264972209882060. (Accessed: 30th July 2023)

University of Exeter (no date). Staff profiles. [online] Available at: https://theology.exeter.ac.uk/staff/stavrakopoulou/ (Accessed: 30th July 2023).

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Faith: Reflecting on Faisal Hussain’s ‘Suspect Objects Suspect Subjects’ Exhibition BBC News article (2017) – SoN Resource.

I was drawn to this article because it resonates with my artistic practice. I often explore the value of everyday objects and our connection to them; a theme evident in my recent 2022 exhibition at the Sarabande Foundation, entitled ‘The Anthropologist’. Faisal Hussain’s 2017 exhibition explored how objects can illuminate the prejudice faced by him and other Muslim individuals.

My life partner is Muslim, as are many of our close friends. Because of this, we regularly attend art shows, exhibitions, and performances relating to the experiences of the British-South Asian diaspora, particularly in London. Growing up in Leicester, which is close to Birmingham, where Hussain’s exhibition was held, I’ve been surrounded by friends of South Asian heritage, mainly Muslim individuals. I’ve been acutely aware of the segregation felt by many in the Midlands. Many of the themes included in these spaces are connected to heritage, identity, and inequality, which are often framed as celebrations. However, the very need for these conversations highlights the underrepresentation of Muslim and South Asian communities. For example, there are no exhibitions relating to ‘the white diaspora experience’. 

In the video, Faisal displays an open suitcase packed with belongings he takes on regular trips to visit friends and family in Europe. He explains that every time he travels abroad, his suitcase undergoes “a second search or potential search” solely because of his faith. Although Faisal’s work creates a platform for these conversations, there is little known about his own viewpoints as an artist, as his output in this exhibition could be seen as a community-wide representation of the societal unconscious biases imposed upon Muslim individuals. While Faisal, as an artist, can communicate these feelings through creative outputs, this freedom of expression isn’t available for all Muslim individuals, especially women. I’ve observed firsthand while shadowing my partner on community projects with Muslim hijrah women: opportunities for business success and self-expression are largely discouraged and predominantly reserved for males.

Faisal Hussain’s ‘Suspect Objects Suspect Subjects’ exhibition exemplifies how I could include my practice with objects and explore our connections to them within my pedagogical approach. Hussain’s exploration of the prejudice surrounding everyday objects is a stark reminder of the depth and complexity of biases some of my students might face or inadvertently perpetuate. By exploring this questioning and encouraging artistic commentary, I could ask my students to confront their unconscious biases and their personal association with materials and objects. I can facilitate a more responsive, critically-engaged, and culturally-aware classroom environment by grounding my teaching in these tangible artistic and societal discussions. Faisal’s other works are related to themes of critical terrorism studies (CTS), cultural policy, and climate change. 

 (2017) ‘How a Muslim’s suitcase became art‘ [online] Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-birmingham-41391091/how-a- birmingham-muslim-s-suitcase-became-art [Accessed 27th July 2023].

Hussain, F. (no date) ‘Suspect Objects Suspect Subjects‘ Faisal Hussain Website [online] Available at: https://www.faisalhussain.com/works/suspect-objects/ [Accessed 27th July 2023].

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Race: Reflecting on SoN’s Article ‘White Academia: Does This Affect You’ by Aisha Richards, Founder of Shades of Noir.

When reading this interview article with a Senior Academic at UAL, conducted in 2018, I couldn’t help but envision certain colleagues I have encountered as the anonymous academic being interviewed. Little information is given about the demographic of the academic being interviewed; however, it’s implied that they are female, white, and potentially someone of an older generation, considering they are in a senior administrative position.

My most striking takeaway from this article is that the responses are rife with stereotypes of white individuals who are unaware of their positionality and unconscious bias. I’ve always believed everyone should experience equality and equal opportunity; however, in 2018, I may have responded similarly to some of the questions Aisha asked, specifically relating to the people in my surroundings or awareness of racism and discrimination at UAL. This article echoes some points Josephine Kwahli made in her 2016 UCU “Whiteness Unconscious Bias” interview she participated in in 2016, explicitly surrounding the benefits of responding to the inclusivity zeitgeist that benefits the white middle-class women in charge, more so than the underrepresented and marginalised individuals at the centre point of the discussion.

Another notable point was the interviewee’s statement that all their colleagues are white, yet discussions about race, ethnicity and whiteness come up only “in relation to students’ numbers and experience”. My programme-wide role at Central Saint Martins was created with funds from UAL to bring awareness to social and environmental justice within the curriculum. In this role, I have repeatedly experienced conversations regarding student diversity, and in most instances, as an urgency to counteract the overall whiteness of the courses. As a Caucasian-European individual, I have experienced other white staff members stating “they have to be PoC” when recruiting for new job roles, for example. I have given more detailed references to this in my reflective essay about my teaching artefact. However, as Sustainability Lecturer, I must convey the historical and cultural connections to the global south and sustainability as a harmonious way of life from most cultures other than Caucasian Western. Being a white man, I recognise my limitations in this regard. Therefore, I am in a position where it’s essential to use this opportunity to create an open and honest dialogue where this acknowledgement is known to both students and staff members.

Towards the end of the article, Aisha Richards says, “I would love to interview you again in 18 months to see and hear of any changes?”. Out of interest and intrigue, I’ve looked for a follow-up article but have yet to find one. SoN’s resources since 2018 have been more resouce-driven, providing brilliant academic references; however, they have not continued publishing journals in similar formats.

Bibliography

Richards, A. (2018). ‘White Academia: Does this affect you?’ Peekaboo We See You: Whiteness. [online] Available at: https://shadesofnoir.org.uk/graduate-case-studies/my-shades-experience-mica-schlosser/ [Accessed 27th July 2023]