Session/artefact to be observed/reviewed: MA Fashion Design project brief
Size of student group: 56
Observer: Dr Frederico Matos
Observee: Berni yates
Part One
What is the context of this session/artefact within the curriculum?
This is a project brief for a collaborative project with practitioners from Ghana and UK weavers. It also works across the M school more broadly with BA Textiles Weave 2nd years.
How long have you been working with this group and in what capacity?
I haven’t worked with MA Fashion before – but have been planning the project for around 1.5 years
What are the intended or expected learning outcomes?
- Ability to demonstrate a synthesis of in-depth creative research, using analytical and reflective methods to source and gather knowledge(s) informing design and production processes.
- Ability to undertake critical analysis to inform design development that recognises ethical awareness of individual and collective responsibilities and aspirations for contemporary fashion, broader diverse socio-cultural systems, and planetary justice and communicate this successfully through project work
- Ability to identify and develop design ideas within chosen specialism, that defines and articulates opportunities for sustainable and regenerative design propositions and outcomes
What are the anticipated outputs (anything students will make/do)?
I am not asking for anything definitive, it is more holistic learning, storytelling, so outputs can be garments, fabrics, performance, video documentary on process. They can work in groups or as individuals, I am encouraging working groups!
Are there potential difficulties or specific areas of concern?
This is the first time we have done anything like this, offsite for two weeks with multiple partners. Managing partners expectations. Making sure students understand the process and context of the project, so they feel confident enough to work in a new environment. Be mindful of working inclusively and ethically with visiting partitioners from Ghana. A balance of knowledge transfer. Online talks – Wi-Fi issues in Global South for first week of talks.
How will students be informed of the observation/review?
N/A
What would you particularly like feedback on?
Communications, explanation to students about the context of the project – no particular outcome – so how to be clear on this.
How will feedback be exchanged?
Written feedback
Part Two
Observer to note down observations, suggestions and questions:
Berni, thank you for sending the Makers Camp Workshop Project Brief and press release. I was fascinated by the project, and how you bring together issues relating to sustainability, decolonisation, and collaboration, amongst others. Every aspect of this project is very well thought-out from the participants and collaborators to the sessions themselves, to the sourcing of materials. Further, you address issues of material innovation to address the climate emergency we all face and reconsider the concept of waste.
By aiming to connect students to emergent practitioners and alumni, you are creating and enabling paths for their (future) practice, and, at the same time, demonstrating through making how we need to redefine innovation in the fashion industry. By learning different ways of making, by using different materials, by upcycling, there are many opportunities for the students to learn, engage, and have a positive impact in the world.
The fact that the output is open-ended is very empowering for the participants, though possibly daunting too. I am sure that throughout the workshops and the collective making, students will become clearer about their own projects and what they want to achieve from this workshop project. Something to have in mind possibly, and to make explicit to the students at each stage.
In terms of communicating this project more explicitly to students you can perhaps establish clear links with the different units of the MA Fashion Design and make these explicit. It may also be helpful to have clearer learning outcomes for this project so as to provide a clearer structure for their own work. This needn’t be in contradiction with the open-ended nature of the work they produce. I think mainly, it is about being more explicit and systematic about the possibilities and expectations, in order to provide a framework for students’ work.
It is really impressive that you brought together so many participants, sponsors and funding strands to support this project and make it happen. This has required an impressive amount of time and dedication from you, and I am very confident that the students will find this experience invaluable. It is teachers like you that are transformational, that create threshold moments in the learning journeys of our students. This project has everything to be that.
Part Three
Dr. Frederic’s feedback helped me step back and see the bigger picture of what this project could be — not just in terms of materials and making, but in how it brings people together, navigates ethical collaboration, and explores deeper questions around sustainability and learning.
One thing I’m now focusing on is making the intent of the project clearer. It’s not just about working with waste — it’s about rethinking our relationship to materials, sourcing responsibly, and questioning where value lies. I want to explore both reclaimed materials and locally sourced options, like British wool, as ways of responding to the climate crisis in grounded, tangible ways. This really supports the learning outcome around developing a reflective and sustainable creative practice — where materials are part of the story, not just tools.
Working with practitioners from Ghana is also central, and Dr. Frederic’s reminder about working ethically and inclusively was really important. I want this to be a real dialogue — not extractive or tokenistic. That means slowing down, listening, and making sure that Ghanaian voices shape the direction of the project. It’s also about decolonising how we understand materials and sustainability — recognising that innovation doesn’t always mean “new,” and that traditional or indigenous practices hold valuable knowledge for facing modern climate challenges. This links directly to the outcome around positioning your practice in relation to global contexts and diverse cultural perspectives.
On the teaching side, I’ve been thinking more carefully about how to support students working in groups. I don’t want to just assign roles and walk away — I want to create a space where students can co-create, negotiate, and reflect together, especially when they’re dealing with themes like climate, waste, and place. These aren’t simple topics, so the group structure needs to make space for complexity, care, and curiosity. That feels really aligned with the open-ended, holistic outcomes of the camp — and it’s something I’ll continue to refine as the project evolves.
Finally, the theme of thinking globally and reacting locally feels even more relevant now. Whether it’s choosing British wool instead of synthetic imports, or highlighting regenerative practices from Ghana, I want this project to help students see how small material choices connect to big global systems — and how looking back can help us move forward.
Overall, the feedback has helped me shape this into something more intentional, more inclusive, and more aligned with the values that really matter in this kind of work.
Looking ahead, I see this project as the beginning of something much bigger. Over the next 3–5 years, I’d like to develop it into a broader exploration of making systems — particularly by building deeper connections with practitioners across the Global South. There’s so much knowledge embedded in these practices — systems that have often remained intact or resilient in the face of industrialisation, colonial disruption, and climate shifts. In contrast, many of these approaches have been lost or devalued in the UK, and I think there’s real potential in revisiting and reviving local making systems — like wool production, repair culture, or community-based craft — by learning from and alongside those who are keeping similar practices alive elsewhere. This revival isn’t about romanticising the past, but about reimagining what sustainable, place-based making could look like in a future defined by environmental and social challenges. It’s also about amplifying the voices of Global South designers and makers as leaders — not just participants — in shaping these conversations. Their perspectives are not only relevant; they’re essential.