Cultivating Seeds of Sustainability in the Classroom

By Saran Davaajargal

The creative expression of Humber College’s core values is manifested throughout the campus community. In particular, the value of sustainability—one of Humber’s six core values—is expressed in a myriad of ways, from program curriculums to student-led volunteering to collaboration with global partner institutions.

In this article, we’d like to shine the spotlight on a series of Humber-led sustainability case studies developed by Rossie Kadiyska and Vladimira Steffek, faculty members in Humber’s Fashion Management postgraduate certificate program. Rossie and Vladimira are researchers and educators who are passionate about teaching and promoting sustainability inside and outside of the classroom.

United by their shared passion for fashion and sustainability, Rossie and Vladimira started collaborating in 2019 when Humber introduced Fashion Innovation and Sustainability as part of the Fashion Management program.

Addressing the gap in existing case studies

Rossie and Vladimira's collaborative endeavour was ignited by three main questions: How can classroom learning be more fun and interactive? How can students be offered a global and cross-disciplinary opportunity? How can sustainability be communicated in an
impactful way?

As the team started reviewing existing literature from leading publishers, they found that there was a lack of sustainability-focused case studies. To address the gap, the team decided to create case studies based on examples of local entrepreneurs taking innovative approaches to sustainability in fashion.

Reflecting on the motivations for undertaking the project, Vladimira stated:

“Our prime objective was to prompt and propel students to make a real impact in a conscious, sustainable future. As an academic institution, we are instrumental in creating sustainably engaged and sustainably educated citizens. We wanted to create a space for dialogue and knowledge exchange, thus merging theoretical and practical application of skills acquired.”

Asked about the goals and challenges of the project, Rossie responded:

“We were inspired to create a library of local, sustainable fashion cases and bring these cases into the classroom. Through these cases, we aimed to invite local grassroots sustainability entrepreneurs and Humber alumni to share their real-world experiences in sustainability with our students. As researchers, the challenge we faced was finding and selecting the cases. We found out that some Humber alumni were already doing a lot in the sustainability space; thus, we wanted to represent the wide diversity of those cases to inspire and encourage our students. An additional challenge was recognizing that, generally, education and curriculum on sustainability is very context-bound.”

Seed and Cultivate Research and Innovation Funds

Rossie and Vladimira decided to create their first case study on KLWD, a Toronto streetwear brand, in 2019 by applying to the then-Teaching Innovation Fund (TIF) enabled by the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) at Humber. The team was able to successfully create the case study, which paved the way for four additional rounds of TIF-funded case studies covering a wide range of areas from sustainable denim and bespoke tailoring to Indian fusion wear and sustainable furniture.

In 2021, TIF was restructured into the Seed and Cultivate Research and Innovation Funds to better address the needs of Humber’s growing community of researchers and scholars.

Here is a video of Rossie and Vladimira giving a brief overview of the case studies:

Humber Learning Outcomes

Through the case studies, the research team sought to explore how to better prepare students for their future careers while developing their innovative thinking, creativity, engagement, and satisfaction with the learning experience. The pedagogy framework used in the case studies—which epitomizes Humber Learning Outcomes (HLOs)—is based on six main pillars:

• Interdisciplinary learning
• Internationalization at home
• Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL)
• Systems design thinking
• Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI)
• United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
   

The case studies brought together students from various disciplines such as fashion management, fashion communication, furniture design, arts management, and public relations. Through exploring the case studies collaboratively, the students developed their knowledge of sustainability in fashion and applied the principles of circular economy and systems design thinking in real-life cases. By doing so, they learned to view the fashion industry through a new lens and developed their own suggestions and ideas on fostering sustainability in the fashion industry.

Collaboration with global partner institutions

When the COVID-19 pandemic shut down in-person class sessions in 2020, the research team quickly pivoted and adjusted to the new reality by viewing the virtual environment as an opportunity. Thanks to the virtual environment, the team’s subsequent case studies became interdisciplinary, collaborative endeavours conducted in partnership with Senac University, Brazil and Nottingham Trent University, UK.

Asked about the importance of the interdisciplinary approach to collaboration, Rossie and Vladimira responded:

“We want to show that in order to teach sustainability, you have to do it across the boundaries, whether it is imposed by the discipline or the physical location. We believe in dismantling the boundaries. That is what education for sustainability is for us.”

—Rossie Kadiyska, Professor and Program Coordinator Fashion Management PG certificate, Humber College

“Although we have been hit by the new reality of lockdowns and closed campuses during the process, the online learning and the new reality, in fact, have enabled us to approach and connect with international partners because, in the virtual world, the physical borders no longer exist. We strongly believe that through forming cross-functional and cross-cultural teams, we can enhance collaboration, creativity, and synergy.”

—Vladimira Steffek, Professor, Fashion Management PG Certificate, Humber College

Sharing knowledge with the wider community

Rossie and Vladimira believe deeply in the importance of sharing their findings and insights with the wider community beyond Humber. All the case studies developed are open resources available to all who are interested. The team’s first case study, KLWD: Launching a Streetwear Start-up, has recently been published on Bloomsbury Fashion Central. The second case study about a sustainable denim company is scheduled to be published in Fall 2022.

The case studies have successfully received an eCampus Ontario grant, which enabled the project team to create an instructor’s manual and a student manual, as well as an immersive design thinking experience created through collaboration with the private provider Artha Learning. The immersive experience, which has been designed to be used in the classroom, recently won a Gold Hermes Award at the Hermes Creative Awards for creative professionals.

Garima Gupta, founder and CEO of Artha Learning, shared the following about the collaborative endeavour:

“This project was a learning designer's dream; it allowed the Artha team an opportunity to take a vision and make it a reality. Our team worked closely with the Instructors, Vladimira Steffek and Rossie Kadiyska, to understand the required strategies and skills and build an immersive experience of it. We hope that the students will enjoy the gamification in this tool, and it will give them a fun experience to learn the necessary elements and techniques in Systems Design Thinking outlined in this interactive 360 environment.”

Additionally, Rossie and Vladimira recently presented their research at the International Foundation of Fashion Technology Institutes (IFFTI 2022) conference hosted by Nottingham Trent University in the UK.

Here is a brief introduction video of the immersive design thinking experience created by the project team in collaboration with Artha Learning:

A vision for the future

Having successfully developed five case studies, Rossie and Vladimira are not planning on stopping anytime soon. They recently received a SoTL Cultivate fund of $10k, which they are using to create two new case studies about an Indigenous-led business and a local textile manufacturing facility using sustainable technology.

Reflecting on the connection between EDI and Indigenous learning in the case studies, Rossie states:

“We deeply believe that we cannot have sustainability unless we connect to the holistic principles of Indigenous learning. Sustainability cannot be separated from what land is about. When we bring that land acknowledgement into our classrooms, we always reflect, and we invite the students to reflect on the impact of what they make and what their responsibilities are in terms of preserving, protecting and connecting to the land that they are on now. That is the way for the vision forward.”

Rossie and Vladimira have many fruitful plans for the future ahead, including: collaboration with another industry partner to tackle real-life business challenges related to sustainable fashion; submitting their third case study to Bloomsbury Fashion Central; and presenting at the Global Fashion Conference in Germany later in the year. Their future plan is to expand the case studies to be a comprehensive and open-access repository that different universities around the world can collaborate on and learn from.

Case study 1: KLWD—Toronto streetwear brand

In the first case study, the research team sought to understand the youth consumer market and its contributions in the fashion industry by analyzing KLWD, a Toronto streetwear brand founded by Stuart St. Hill. The case study was conducted using the lens of Theory U—a systems design thinking/change management method—as well as interdisciplinary learning, EDI, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals #8 (decent work & economic growth), #11 (sustainable cities & communities) and #12 (responsible consumption & production). The case study KLWD: Launching a Streetwear Start-up is currently available on Bloomsbury Fashion Central.

Case study 2: Simply Suzette—sustainable denim brand

Inspired by the success of the first case study, the project team applied for their second SoTL grant to conduct a case study with Simply Suzette, a sustainable denim brand owned by Ani Wells, a Humber alum.

The case study became an interdisciplinary endeavour of collaboration with FMCA faculty members Annette Borger-Snel, Professor & Program Coordinator, PR Grad Certificate program, and Anne Frost, Professor & Program Coordinator, Arts Administration & Cultural Management.

In addition to the interdisciplinary collaboration at Humber, the research team also partnered with Luciana Chen, Professor & Program Coordinator, Production Design Graduate program, Senac University, Brazil, and her students. The case study was taught in the classroom with the participation of 29 students from Humber and Senac over a period of six weeks.

The research team has compiled the results and successfully submitted the case study to Bloomsbury Fashion Central. The case study is scheduled to be published in Fall 2022.

Senac student Poliana Santos who participated in the case study states:

“I thought it was amazing. Expanded horizons for so many different things, added so much! It was nice not only the cultural exchange but also the partnership and assistance here between us Brazilians. I feel very lucky to have been able to participate. In fact, it was a project that sparked a lot of hope within me.”

Humber student Anju Kallikattu Sebastian also shares:

“COIL (Collaborative Online International Learning) was a valuable experience for purposeful professional development. This enabled us to develop relationships through engaging online. I feel that the experience has penetrated through the surface of so many problems in the denim industry. Taking part in a multicultural workshop has helped me to develop my ideas in many ways.”

Case study 3: Nicholas Simon Tailoring

Spurred on by the collaboration with Senac, the project team decided to further extend their international network by partnering with Nottingham Trent University (NTU) in the UK. As part of the project, Humber’s Fashion Management students collaborated with Mary-Ann Ball, Senior Lecturer, Nottingham School of Art and Design and NTU’s Fashion Communications students.

The project team provided consulting services to Nicholas Simon Tailoring, a luxury tailoring brand based in the UK. Over the course of four weeks, the team created a strategy for targeting the business customers and enhancing the brand’s online presence.

Here is what a Humber student shared about participating in the project:

“NTU consultancy project was deeply immersive in terms of providing new skills and knowledge, but at the same time, it was also very fun. I loved getting different business perspectives from students and professors from NTU and Humber. This project has helped put my business-related knowledge to good use, that only further developed my love for the fashion industry. My favourite part of the project was when we got constructive criticism from our professors regarding our mock presentations because I could feel that the professors really believed in us and really wanted us to do better.”

—Kulpreet, Student at Humber College

Case study 4:Folklore—Indian fusion wear

For their next case study, Rossie and Vladimira decided to collaborate with Sana Sapra, a Humber alum and the founder of Folklore, a sustainable fashion brand that celebrates the Indian culture of traditional craftsmanship. As part of the case study, the research team conducted an in-depth study of Folklore’s market position. It sought to understand how Folklore’s Indian fusion wear impacts Canada’s fashion scene.

The project was also a collaborative COIL endeavour with Nottingham Trent University’s International Fashion Management students.

Watch Sana Sapra introduce Folklore and discuss her passion for sustainable fashion in the following video:

Mehakpreet Kaur, a Humber student who participated in the project, shares:

“The experience was very rewarding. It gave us an opportunity to work in a cross-cultural, multi-ethnic environment at a global platform and share our respective perspectives. The process of collaborating virtually under the guidance of a competent faculty was extremely satisfying and unique as it incorporates various viewpoints on a given issue and helps in enhancing our collective wisdom. It helped me to introspect and understand my own talents and abilities. It was a great activity to improve socialization and develop interpersonal skills. Looking forward to more such collaborative projects from Humber College.”

Case study 5: Wyrth & Dikta: Furniture for a better future

For the fifth case study, Rossie and Vladimira decided to broaden their study subject from local apparel businesses to home furniture companies. The project team collaborated with Dikta, a Brazilian furniture company, and WYRTH, a Canadian furniture company owned by Humber alum Rachel Benitah. With participation from students in fashion design, furniture design, public relations and fashion management, the project was a COIL collaboration with Senac University in Brazil. Using systems design thinking, the students studied the role home fashion plays in the evolution of the furniture industry.

The project team found that teaching sustainability using local case studies developed students’ engagement with their learning and helped them to be innovative and proactive while planning for their future. The project team concluded that the teaching materials allowed students to relate, observe and provide innovative solutions through applying their knowledge in real-world settings.

Here is what Meghan Myhal, a Humber student, shared about participating in the project:

“To me, it was very satisfying helping a sustainable company founded by a woman with their social media page. I think that looking forward to my career, I would like to work for an ethical company, potentially run by a woman or people who are generally underrepresented in the industry.”

Senac student Julia Yukimi Sato Kameda stated the following about their participation:

“I loved the opportunity of having an experience with students from another country and with different cultures, especially being able to get in touch with professors from a foreign university! My mentor, Annette, helped our group a lot, with lightness, spontaneity, and a very interesting point of view as a PR professional, which made me get interested in her area!”

The researchers would like to thank Senior Dean, Alvina Cassiani, for spearheading and inspiring the fashion innovation and sustainability stream at Humber and for her continuous support and dedication for sustainable fashion.

Special gratitude goes to the following individuals

Alphabetized by last name

Humber College
Rachel Benitah, Annette Borger-Snell, Deanna Ceelen, Renata Comin, Alanna Fairey, Anne Frost, Ginger Grant, Senay Habtu, Anouchka Huq, Peter Madott, Heidi Marsh, Somera Muzaffar, Cam-ly Nguyen, Laura Page, Sana Sapra, Bruce Sinclair, Sofiia Sopelnyk, Rebecca Trautwein, Brendan Wehby-Malicki, Siobhan Williams

Senac University, Sao Paolo, Brazil
Luciana Chen, Leandro Mastropasqua, Myrna Nascimento

Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, UK
Mary-Ann Ball, Elizabeth Bolt, Teresa Dymond, Amy Johns, Michael Marsden

Industry Partners
Stuart St. Hill, Founder, KLWD
Veronica Hinterregger, CEO Dikta, Brazil