Kering and London College of Fashion launch the world's first open-access digital course in sustainable luxury fashion

Kering and London College of Fashion launch the world’s first Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) dedicated to sustainability and luxury fashion, with an event hosted by the British Fashion Council during London Fashion Week.

Kering and London College of Fashion, UAL (LCF), are launching the world’s first open-access digital course in luxury fashion and sustainability. Entitled “Fashion & Sustainability: Understanding Luxury Fashion in a Changing World”, the course aims to strengthen sustainability education in the luxury and fashion realms in order to promote the wider adoption of more sustainable practices.

Co-developed by LCF academics and Kering sustainability experts, the course is built on six key modules including: Why Sustainability Matters in Fashion, Contextualising Sustainability for a Changing World, Sustainable Sourcing for Luxury Fashion, and Informed Decision-Making. Through a mix of films, podcasts, activities and discussions, the course covers both the theoretical aspects of sustainability as well as real-life business cases that luxury fashion brands face when integrating sustainability. Over a six-week period, spanning a total of 18 teaching hours, learners will have the possibility to complete the course at their leisure via the mobile, tablet and desktop-friendly platform.

As part of the platform’s rollout, LCF and Kering are teaming with the British Fashion Council (BFC) to reinforce the wider adoption of sustainable practices by industry professionals and future talents alike. Via the BFC, young British designers are currently previewing the platform, to ensure upmost relevancy to creative designers and luxury fashion professionals seeking to expand their sustainability knowledge.

Fran?ois-Henri Pinault, Chairman and CEO of Kering said: “At Kering we believe that the shift towards sustainability and innovation in luxury fashion is not only an imperative, in our world of finite resources, but also a goldmine of opportunity. We actively work with our Houses to craft tomorrow’s luxury via our 2025 sustainability strategy, but also wish to contribute to the evolution of luxury fashion as a whole, by sharing our expertise with industry counterparts and educating future generations. Today I am proud that Kering’s partnership with London College of Fashion takes a new step, making education accessible outside of the classroom with this the world’s first open-access digital course on sustainable luxury fashion.”

Professor Frances Corner, Head of London College of Fashion, UAL said: “Over a year in the making and based on the research, teaching and practice of Centre for Sustainable Fashion at London College of Fashion, UAL as well as the expertise and leadership of Kering’s Sustainability team, we are delighted to present the world’s first luxury fashion online course developed between higher education and industry. This is significant because it signals a real desire and commitment from the industry to the ‘open sourcing’ of knowledge. Only through collaboration and the sharing of experience can we face the enormity of the challenges that lie ahead together. Often we can feel overwhelmed or unsure what sustainability means for our industry – we feel disempowered because there is no ‘one size fits all’ solution - but this course aims to empower aspiring and existing fashion professionals alike and help them develop their own manifesto for change.”

Caroline Rush, Chief Executive of the British Fashion Council said: "In 2018 London Fashion Week focuses on Positive Fashion, an initiative designed to promote and celebrate diversity, sustainability, and openness; encouraging fashion to be used as a platform to promote global positive change, so we are thrilled that Kering and LCF have chosen to launch their new open-access digital course dedicated to sustainability with us today. Every season we see an increase in designer brands at LFW adhering to sustainable principles within their businesses and in turn promoting and contributing to positive change within our industry."

About Kering
A global Luxury group, Kering develops an ensemble of luxury houses in fashion, leather goods, jewelry and watches: Gucci, Bottega Veneta, Saint Laurent, Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga, Brioni, Christopher Kane, McQ, Stella McCartney, Tomas Maier, Boucheron, Dodo, Girard-Perregaux, Pomellato, Qeelin and Ulysse Nardin. Kering is also developing the Sport & Lifestyle brands Puma, Volcom and Cobra. By ‘empowering imagination’, Kering encourages its brands to reach their potential, in the most sustainable manner. The Group generated revenue of €12.385 billion in 2016 and had more than 40,000 employees at year end. The Kering share is listed on Euronext Paris (FR 0000121485, KER.PA, KER.FP).

About London College of Fashion: Shaping Lives Through Fashion
London College of Fashion, UAL is a world leader in fashion design, media and business education. In boundary-pushing research where fashion intersects with science, engineering, and technology, and in enterprise, where it partners with top brands and helps launch new businesses. It has been nurturing creative talent for over a century, offering courses in all things fashion. Across every subject, it encourages students to examine the past and challenge the present. To have inventive, assertive ideas that challenge social and political agendas. It gives them the skills, opportunities - and above all, the freedom - to put those ideas into practice. LCF moves fashion forward, by looking beyond it. We partner with fashion’s most successful brands and labels - both high street and luxury. LCF graduates are in key positions across every dimension of the fashion industry, from established designers like Jimmy Choo OBE, Sophia Webster and JW Anderson to rising stars like Ryan Lo and respected entrepreneur and former Chairman of the British Fashion Council, Harold Tillman CBE as well as fashion journalists Melanie Rickey and Sarah Harris.