Ravensbourne Ramps Up Remote Capabilities for Kingpins Project
During Covid, the fashion industry has adapted processes and workflows for the new virtual normal, and education is no exception.
The 2020/21 Denim Innovation Project, a collaboration between the Kingpins Show and London’s Ravensbourne University, brought together students in second year BA honors courses to create a new denim brand in just 10 weeks. Using sustainability as a theme, the classes developed designs using fabric and materials provided by sponsors.
Timed to coincide with Kingpins, the project kicked off in October during the fall show. On Jan. 29, a panel of experts judged the creations and decided the winners in six categories ranging from design and fabric usage to marketing and market readiness.
We are proud to have been one of the textile industry sponsors for the project, and TENCEL™ Denim team member Michael Kininmonth participated in the jury.
Carved in Blue spoke with the initiative’s industry mentors, Mohsin Sajid of Endrime and Sue Barrett of Denim Forum, to hear how the project came together in the midst of the pandemic and how the program gives students real world skills.
Carved in Blue: How have you adapted the program during the pandemic?
Mohsin: Actually, I’ve found teaching over Zoom not as bad as most. We have planned all our lectures very well, with 15 mins per student each session. I gave a four-hour denim history lecture at the beginning with over 20 short videos.
I normally have a suitcase full of samples with me, and encourage students to touch and feel the garments, and especially like to show the details that inspire them. Of course, not being on site and not showing a real vintage garment compared to an image on a screen does not compare, but we did our best.
Also, the practical sewing classes I teach have been put on hold. I’ve now filmed myself in every step and plan to do a live six-hour session with a few GoPro cameras strapped to my head in my studio for my practical sewing classes in Easter break.
I also found most of the students have got better at presenting as a result, and their confidence has grown throughout the pandemic. Mostly as they have to share their work digitally and explain or sell a concept. Most of the students are currently panicking, as most are going on their gap year since many have not found placements yet due to Covid.
Sue: Without question, the pandemic has accelerated the digital presentation skills of both students and teachers. Information about the future of the industry is changing so fast, it’s key to stay updated and pass on the latest information, yet anchored by past experience.
I’ve observed a richer dialogue between students and lecturers, which the intimacy of Zoom has enabled. Especially when working with students, you can really see where the handbrakes might be and try and work out how to facilitate moving through the blocks.
Despite the time pressures of tight one-to-one student sessions and also connectivity issues, it’s been a very rich experience. Obviously, nothing replaces face-to-face contact and being able to see actual samples and getting support on garment making.
Courses are more focused on creating industry-ready students. Far more so than in my day, where the focus was purely on creativity and onboarding skills. So the current challenges of connectivity issues, tight time management on projects as well as juggling uncertainty actually reflects the workplace fairly realistically. What is different now is that the students entering the marketplace have less time to be mentored but are expected to be ready for the industry. I’m not sure that’s how it should be. I think nurturing and mentoring in the early years of the industry are priceless and can really make or break a role.
Creating a balance of engaging online lectures alongside one-to-one support sessions has been the crux of what has felt apparent during course lecturing through the pandemic.
Compared to other courses or modules, where the students have had to work alone on projects, the Ravensbourne denim program created connections for the students who worked together in groups. Teamwork is a key skill to learn for the workplace, so this has been a digital hotbed on learning to show up for others, connect and work collaboratively with the support of other team members.
Carved in Blue: Why do you feel it is important for the industry to support programs like Ravensbourne?
Mohsin: Industry-led projects like this are super important, mostly so the students are equipped with fabric and supply chain knowledge for when they start their first jobs. They get a chance to understand the problems we face, and often come up with solutions and ideas which could work straight away. All the judges this year were impressed by this year’s group.
If there’s one thing I’m proud of, it’s the amount of knowledge younger designers are getting, so they don’t make the same mistakes we have. I can confidently say it’s one of the best industry-focused educational denim projects ever created. I’ve worked at 15 different fashion universities, and there’s nothing else like it.
The project now in its sixth year; I’ve been an industry denim tutor for every year from its inception. The project is very unique, as it lasts 10 weeks, and we planned it so it starts with Transformers: ED (which I also organized) by Transformers Foundation.
The students hear 30 short lectures from the denim industry and supply chain and got to ask questions before they even start the project. Then we also had denim history lectures from myself and deeper lectures from Sue. This time we also got graphics and branding expert Matt Duckett from Levi’s to give a branding lecture to the students. So each of the 75 students had a greater understanding of the denim industry before they each started the 10-week project. In the early weeks of the project, we also invited all the sponsor denim mills to join the design formatives, so they could see the progress of the students and help if there were any technical questions.
If anything, it was the best in six years we have been doing the project and the most engagement from the students.
Sue: This is a very different and pivotal time to be entering the design arena. The planet is at a critical point in the Anthropocene era. Understanding how to navigate through all the new discussions emerging around waste within the supply chain, how to reduce the impact of design, how to source fibers and what awkward questions might need to be asked of supply chain management. We’re enabling students now to be informed disruptors who can enter a rapidly changing design and production landscape. So the knowledge is needed to navigate design for the future has never been so alive. It’s more than just design; it’s also about throwing away the old rule books and ways of doing business and creating new business models with the help of the agile minds of these new students.