Foundations of Sustainable Wardrobes

This unit introduces core concepts of sustainability in fashion and practical consumer strategies to extend garment life, reduce waste, and make informed purchasing decisions. Students will audit wardrobes, learn care and circularity practices, and evaluate brands and secondhand options to prepare for deeper study of sustainable design and merchandising.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze the environmental, social, and economic impacts of fast fashion by comparing lifecycle factors and calculating cost-per-wear for selected garments.
• Apply sustainable shopping and consumption strategies by conducting a personal closet audit and producing a prioritized action plan to repair, repurpose, resell, or replace items.
• Demonstrate garment and footwear care, repair, and circularity techniques (e.g., appropriate laundering, basic mending, upcycling, donation/resale workflows) through creation of care guides and documented small repair/upcycle projects.
• Evaluate brands, retailers, and secondhand sources using defined quality and sustainability criteria to justify selection and acquisition of at least three sustainable or used items while implementing strategies to avoid impulse buys.