Global Denim and Anahuac University Teach Students Sustainable Denim Design
When it comes to preparing students for a career in denim, who better to impart knowledge than a local industry player?
For the past year and a half, Mexico-based denim mill Global Denim has been collaborating with Anahuac University in Mexico City. Their partnership includes a semester-long project tied to the Practicum 1 course that Fashion Design students take in their sixth semester. For the initiative, 22 students were asked to create a collection based on the theme “Chaos.”
“Radical change leads to evolution and constant growth for humanity,” said Anatt Finkler, creative director of Global Denim. “Thus, a new form of beauty emerges from imbalance and disaster—a beauty that arises from transformation, change and an uncontrollable force. It represents a creative reset and creations derived from the unknown.”
Another pillar of the collaboration is sustainability and preparing participants to deliver on the growing consumer demands for transparency and responsibility. Students planned, developed and created collections using low-impact materials, including recycled cotton and TENCEL™ fibers, and eco-friendly production models and technologies. Of particular focus in the students’ work were two of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals: SDG 3, which covers Good Health and Well-Being, and SDG 12 on Responsible Consumption and Production. The collegiates also used the Circular Economy Butterfly Model, which aims to keep materials circulating, as a guide.
“Our goal is to initiate, empower and strengthen the conversation about denim in the fashion design classrooms, aiming to teach students to become respectable, creative and innovative professionals with a deep-rooted love for the material, particularly in terms of circularity and sustainability,” said Anatt.
In total, the students made seven collections, each of which feature three looks. Through the month of June, the winning collections will be on view at Expo Diseño, a showcase of the top projects chosen by the university’s Faculty of Design.
For Global Denim, this collaboration is also about encouraging the future talents in the national denim industry.
“Mexico is gradually positioning itself as one of the most important players in the denim world, experiencing significant momentum in manufacturing and fabric production, thanks to nearshoring,” said Anatt. “The country is filled with creative individuals and doers who are leading the way and redefining how we perceive Mexican fashion.”
