Abstract:

Ambition, emancipation, challenge ... are recurrent terms in the Resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly on 25 September 2015, when the "collective journey" to the desirable global future scenario begins. No civil society actor is exempt from taking action in order to implement the 169 goals set. Even the Fashion industry is called to make its contribution, characterized by products with very short life cycles, made in extremely dynamic and fragmented supply lines that access a complex supply chain of material (energy and raw materials) and immaterial (know-how, design, processing and communication) resources. These characteristics make the management of environmental, economic and social aspects on a global scale very complex, as the control of production strategies is not reliable to the mandatory standards (variable in the various geo-political contexts), but only to the responsible awareness of entrepreneurs and operators in the sector, who attribute real added value to the sustainability of the product. But there can be no product sustainability without process sustainability. It is already at odds with the design concept and the materials used, and it takes shape in the processing and marketing, i.e. in the entire production chain. The Fashion industry, on the model of the Triple Bottom Line (Elkington, 1994,1999), shows growing sensitivity to the three-dimensional approach of sustainability, from which it draws inspiration for innovation, improvement of performance and credibility in eco-oriented markets.

In the light of these considerations, the contribution presents a creative didactic experimentation that has led several groups of young future fashion designers to create digital capsule collections, inspired by the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of Agenda 2030. The occasion is given by the ColorAMA Award 2020, which awarded the Vanvitelli University with a second prize.

The design process was divided into four phases:
- Inspiration: the United Nations' Agenda 2030 with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has stimulated a parallel thinking that, through a chain of values based on the "Cradle to Cradle" approach, has reconnected wider interests to the world of art, culture, literature (especially for children);
- Research: the suggestions derived from the SDGs has guided an in-depth phase of stylistic research and market analysis on the latest trends in colour tonalities and textures, selecting the brands most strongly inspired by sustainable thinking (among all Ferragamo - Bettoni et al, 2019);
- Creation: conceptual research is transformed into aesthetic codes that can be communicated through the creation of moodboards, which reflect the stylistic features of the market survey, related to the environmental, social and economic content of the SDGs;
- Project: selection of a colour palette and creation of a "capsule collection".

But the creative action does not end with the project. The study of innovative, high-performance and sustainable yarns and fabrics, associated with non-polluting processing and colouring techniques, generates products capable of providing answers consistent with the Green Fashion process.
This teaching experience opens up new perspectives for students, beyond the classroom learning practice.

Keywords:

Green fashion, Sustainable Development Goals, eco-oriented materials, creative design, fashion design.