“Traditionally leather has been seen as a material that can tell a story. In a sense it’s about recognising and honouring the narratives embedded within a garment or accessory’s life cycle”
During September 2024, we have been driving our mission led messaging, encouraging consumers, designers and students to repair, re-purpose and re-use – particularly with the backdrop of global Fashion Weeks in full flow.
We caught up with Lindsey Riley, Associate Dean, School of Design and Technology at London College of Fashion, University of the Arts London. In this conversation, we explore the use of sustainable materials in student designs and why we need to optimise undergraduate understanding for the quality and longevity of leather.
Lindsey has an impressive track record in fashion education spanning over 10 years at London College of Fashion, leading a BA (Hons) course in Fashion Bags and Accessories at the start of her career.
Where it all began
“I studied fashion design at Manchester University and graduated in 1982. I came to London as a student to showcase my portfolio and secured a role consulting to Nigel French Trend Forecasting, where I eventually took a full-time role.
I subsequently joined a training consultancy called Insight, specialising in leather and footwear. At the time it was a company making prototypes of shoes. I was brought in to lead their trend forecasting. I eventually bought into the business, became a co-owner and helped build its growth over 25 years.
Following the 2008 economic crash, we faced a point of fundamental change. Client budgets were being driven down and we were facing huge competition from digital knowledge platforms like WGSN. It was almost impossible to compete with 24-hour coverage!
From trend forecasting to teaching
After a career as a Fashion Trend Consultant, I was given the opportunity to pivot towards teaching and I became a Course Leader at London College of Fashion. With my background in business, I approached my work with a similar mindset, with the same commitment and approach to my students and their development as I would a commercial team and customer base.
Whilst at first, I found it very different to working in industry, I really enjoyed my role and after 5 years became Programme Director and then subsequently became Associate Dean – driving day to day operations, team leadership, troubleshooting and working closely within the leadership team.
I maintained my own learning whilst teaching and studied for an MA. I am currently studying for a Doctorate in Education at the Institute of Education, UCL researching interpersonal skills and teamwork.
How important is fashion sustainability in teaching at the London College of Fashion?
London College of Fashion and UAL have spearheaded sustainability for many years now. We have a Centre for Sustainable Fashion and it’s always been a big focus for us. It is built into everything that we do.
We recruit Climate Advocates from the student body ensuring that we always integrate student perspectives to ensure we are getting things right. For many years, students have been engaging with sustainable materials but they are often constrained by what they can get hold of in small sets of stock and samples. However, students are ever inventive in how to use repurposed materials.
At London College of Fashion, we are constantly challenging ourselves to consider social responsibility, inclusivity and diversity. We are alive to the fact that in a western society moving towards wasting less, we must also encourage our students to think about how to consider and reduce overproduction.
Use of leather materials
The sustainability conversation around leather and its alternatives is nuanced. Our role as educators is to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of both to address misconceptions and ensure young designers can make informed, ethical, and sustainable choices in their design practices.
This means critically examining not only the origins of materials but also their life cycles, environmental footprints, and cultural significance. Naturally, many vegan students won’t be able to justify using leather and will seek synthetic alternatives, so it’s important that we can offer a complete picture.
Repurpose and repair of materials
The re-use of materials is a significant trend amongst students. In fact, a recent denim competition provided an opportunity for our students to design new repurposed items which resulted in some incredible pieces created from upcycling thrift store denim garments.
What does the future of teaching sustainable fashion look like?
The climate crisis, sustainability, inclusivity, diversity and social justice are key themes embedded within our courses.
“We have a wide range of specialty courses such as footwear and leather accessories, outside of traditional clothing designer courses, which are so important for our students’ specialist career development and for the preservation of heritage crafts”
“At MA level, our craftsmanship courses are incredible”!
I am particularly passionate about emotionally durable design. Keeping clothing, footwear and apparel in the system longer happens when we have an emotional connection to what we wear. We need to treasure family heirlooms and value heritage pieces.
This is why traditionally leather has been seen as a material that can tell a story. In a sense it’s about recognising and honouring the narratives embedded within a garment or accessory’s lifecycle.