German pupils take part in a Fast Fashion vs. Fair Fashion workshop

Consumer behaviour regarding textiles has drastically changed in recent years. More shoes, clothes and household textiles are collected, however the quality of collected textiles has declined due to fast fashion. This makes it increasingly difficult to recycle textiles. This has led to the 'Entsorgungsgesellschaft Westmünsterland' (EGW), the Alexander-Hegius-Gymnasium (AHG) and Saxion starting a project on fashion and sustainability. “With this we want to make secondary school students more aware about buying clothes and the ethical and ecological impact that goes with it,” says Anna Lange of EGW.

At the Alexander-Hegius-Gymnasium (AHG) in Ahaus the topic of sustainability and fast fashion is dealt with in several school years. This led to final-year pupils going to Saxion to do a workshop at the Fashion & Textile Technologies study programme. They were given a tour of the labs and got to look at innovative technology and sustainable production methods in the fashion industry. They were also given an explanation of the process of making a garment, from raw material to end product.

The school students were also able to get creatively involved and make something new from a garment they brought with them from home. Jurrie Barkel, Programme Manager of Fashion & Textile Technologies, was highly impressed by the knowledge students already possessed on producing textiles. “Students actively participated in the workshops, they came up with ideas for sustainable ways to produce garments. They also came up with examples for the technical feasibility of their solutions. This demonstrates that they have thought a lot about the topic of Fast Fashion vs. Fair fashion.”

Ansgar Plemper, Lecturer and Study Orientation Coach at the AHG, is very enthusiastic about the workshop. “It not only gave our pupils the opportunity to learn more about sustainability and fashion in an informal setting with very approachable lecturers and students, but also gave them a taste of what it is like to study.”

The cross-border cooperation was also taken as a positive. It is always worthwhile broadening your horizons and, in this case, looking across the border, as Anna Lange points out. “The Netherlands and Germany are strong trading partners and cooperation especially in border regions is important and sensible. We face similar challenges when it comes to a sustainable circular economy.”