DISCERN: International Journal of Design for Social Change, Sustainable Innovation and Entrepreneurship
DISCERN, the International Journal of Design for Social Change, Sustainable Innovation, and Entrepreneurship, is an independent, cross-disciplinary, and open-access publication that promotes academic research and exchange in the expansive area of design for social change and innovation. This field encompasses sustainability, social entrepreneurship, and the circular economy. The editorial board comprises a diverse team of academics and researchers who guide the journal. Various submissions are welcome, including original research articles (conceptual, theoretical, and empirical), review articles, research case studies, shorter reports, work-in-progress reports, book reviews, and discussions on articles and dialogues. We encourage submissions that relate to the Sustainable Development Goals.
Copyright (c) 2026 Editors in Chief https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
The integration of needs mapping and community-centered design
This contribution proposes a methodological advancement aimed at strengthening engagement in marginal communities, considering Italian inner areas as laboratories of innovation for design for social change. The research originates from observations conducted in selected eastern areas of Salento delle Serre (PPTR Puglia), where a profound identity fracture emerges between young people and their local territory. This disconnection, fostered by limited awareness of local heritage, leads younger generations to perceive their context as inadequate for self-realization. Combined with the weak activation of local civic networks, this condition highlights the need to move beyond standardized models of participatory design. The study adopts a mixed-method and iterative approach to define a working protocol that, starting from the results of Needs Mapping (NM), enables the evolution of its final phase, namely restitution, into a co-design action grounded in the Community-Centered Design (CCD) approach. The Dynamic Community Map is theorized here as a third place, capable of operating simultaneously both as a shared and open artifact and as an infrastructure able to sustain an active process of co-design, dialogue and community participation. The construction of trust-based relationships, informality, and the facilitator’s enabling stance integrate the process, preventing extractivist or individualistic tendencies while supporting the emergence of local agency. Reinterpreting marginal areas through SDGs 4, 11, and 17 means transforming fragility in a design resource. From this perspective, marginal contexts cease to be passive recipients of intervention and become generators of new design paradigms capable of activating situated and sustainable processes of territorial transformation.
Copyright (c) 2026 Ada Manfreda, Riccarda Boriglione https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
A preliminary study of emergency design for low-density territories
This article presents preliminary research into emergency design in low-density territories, focusing on rural and mountain regions exposed to wildfire risk. It argues that, in these contexts, emergency should not be understood as an isolated event but as a condition embedded in everyday territorial, social, and infrastructural dynamics. Based on a narrative review of selected precedents, the study identifies four main areas of design intervention: product, communication and information, system, and social or service design. The analysis highlights the role of design in making vulnerabilities legible, supporting prevention and preparedness, and enabling locally grounded responses under conditions of limited accessibility, infrastructural fragility and communication constraints. The study proposes a provisional framework structured around systemic, temporal and epistemic dimensions, emphasising the need for approaches that connect technical systems with local knowledge and territorial conditions. By doing so, it contributes to the clarification of emergency design as a situated practice concerned with mediation, prevention and collective capacity to act. It concludes by positioning emergency design for low-density territories as a transdisciplinary field of inquiry and outlines directions for future empirical research.
Copyright (c) 2026 Joana Casteleiro-Pitrez, Mónica Romãozinho https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
This paper addresses the role of beauty in contemporary public space, proposing a shift from an object-based, formal conception of aesthetics to a relational, experiential, and process-oriented framework. Although recent policy initiatives, such as the New European Bauhaus, have positioned beauty alongside sustainability and inclusion as a key dimension of urban transformation, its integration into design and evaluation practices remains limited. This paper presents the “Beauty for All” model and applies it to the case of the Milano Innovation District (MIND), a large-scale urban regeneration area characterized by ongoing urban transformation. Through 3-year research that merged theoretical phases and participatory workshops, the "Beauty for All" model resulted as an evaluation tool to strategically orient urban public space design, putting beauty at the centre of the process. In particular, the model describes beauty in terms of emotionality, conviviality, plurality, and equity. These dimensions constitute the qualities of public space in terms of experience and relationality. The model seeks to move beyond traditional KPI-based approaches to promote a conceptual shift in design and strategic processes, whereby beauty integrates environmental, social, and experiential dimensions.
Copyright (c) 2026 Beatrice Villari https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
This reflection focuses on an academic project oriented towards social innovation that involved a partnership between the University of Beira Interior and Craft Lab Fundão, entities located in low-density Portuguese territories marked by problems such as demography, the ageing of their populations, and consequent concern with the continuity of certain artisanal practices in the near future. A methodology was designed based on participatory creative processes, on the learning of ancestral knowledge from artisans, on experimental prototyping shared by these masters, and future designers in the development of products with emotional value, bearers of meanings and, of a collective memory. The same exercise implied an initial reflection on techniques that over time have been applied in the production of artefacts at the service of agriculture or the kitchens of rural houses and that can be continuously reinvented in response to the problems of our time, considering the natural resources and cultural values of the context. On the other hand, it was intended to deconstruct a creative process inherent to the area of industrial design recurrently based on standardization/serial production and to stimulate other perspectives for future designers focusing on the development of identity products which can contribute to the resilience of the most isolated territories whose subsistence so often resides in the small-scale economy. The final prototypes and creative processes were presented to the public in the “Matéria Prima é a Gardunha” exhibition at Moagem, Fundão, demonstrating that craft can be reinvented through the crossing with design methodologies consisting of a more critical attitude that considers contemporary society and its needs, and design can be humanized as a result of a more intense relation with handicrafts considering memories and rich processes present in a heritage of vernacular objects.
Copyright (c) 2026 Mónica Romãozinho https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Supporting Aboriginal digital health and wellbeing research innovation through cross-cultural collaboration
This article examines the experiences of non-Indigenous academics who provide culturally competent design education to international students, with a focus on supporting an Aboriginal digital health and wellbeing research project. Employing critical reflexivity and autoethnography methods, the study examines both supportive and restrictive factors of cross-cultural collaboration, as well as the positive outcomes that emerged. Throughout the semester, the academic team met regularly to discuss cross-cultural perspectives, experiences, and outcomes observed by non-Indigenous academics. Iteratively, the educational team developed reflexive research questions that served as the guiding framework for auto-ethnographic reflections. Key findings highlight the importance of integrating cultural competency and strengths-based approaches in cross-cultural education, the challenges of navigating complex cross-cultural dynamics, and the need for ethical, sustainable engagement with Aboriginal stakeholders. This article emphasises the importance of improving cross-cultural relations through cultural competency education. Key findings include increased awareness among non-Indigenous academics of the complexities of cultural competency, the necessity of maintaining ethical partnerships with Aboriginal stakeholders, and how collaboration has enhanced cross-cultural understanding among students. To support social change in the Aboriginal and non-Indigenous Australian cross-cultural context, cultural competency should be regarded as an essential and valuable educational component that fosters improved cross-cultural understanding, collaboration, and relationships.
Copyright (c) 2026 Jasper Garay, Mariana Zafeirakopoulos, Rully Zakaria, Sherline Maseimilian, Rohan Lulham https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Playful pedagogies for participatory justice
As Jamieson (2011, p. 23) observes, prevailing beliefs about children’s reliance “on parents and other adult duty-bearers… often lead adults to see children as objects of protection rather than individuals with rights”. This adult-centric view persists even though international and national legal frameworks, including the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the South African Constitution, safeguard children’s right to participate in social dialogue. Against this backdrop, this paper explores how play, when embedded as a participatory and pedagogic method, can advance children’s rights and participatory justice within design education for social change. Framed within a South African tertiary design-for-development project, the study situates the inclusion of children in the design of serious games as a civic and ethical imperative. Drawing on Winn’s (2009) Design, Play and Experience framework, the case study illustrates how playful participation mediates interactions between adult design students and children as co-creators. Empirical evidence from student process documentation demonstrates that play facilitated a shift in students’ perception, from viewing children as passive users to recognising them as epistemic agents with valid voices. The findings position play as a means of redistributing voice and agency, as well as a catalyst for mutual learning within intergenerational design encounters. The paper argues that integrating play into design education extends beyond methodological innovation to advance a justice-oriented, critical pedagogy to nurture citizen designers capable of co-creating inclusive and equitable futures with, rather than for, children.
Copyright (c) 2026 Fatima Cassim https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
This exploratory article examines menopause as a biographical, social, and political transition, reframed through the lens of creativity and social design. While menopause is often stigmatized and invisible, many women engage in creative, artistic, or cultural practices during this period, turning rupture into resilience and redefinition. The article develops a conceptual framework based on an interdisciplinary literature review (psychology, sociology, gender studies, art therapy, and social design). It mobilizes theoretical contributions from Cyrulnik, Klein, Manciaux, Kübler-Ross, Mezirow, Charlap, Langevin, Gilligan, and recent debates on “meno awareness” in marketing discourse (Journal of Marketing Management). The methodology is conceptual and prospective, articulated as a critical mapping of key notions. Three dimensions emerge: (1) creation as resilience and repair, (2) creativity as a driver of transformative learning and identity reconfiguration, and (3) menopause as a social and political issue marked by stigma but also resistance and reconversion. These dimensions are synthesized in a conceptual map highlighting creativity as a pathway toward empowerment and social innovation. The article contributes to design for social change by opening a new research field: menopause and creativity as diffuse social innovation. It proposes future directions, including Femmes Créatives (Intuitives), a podcast-research project that serves as both a qualitative inquiry and a design experiment, illustrating how design can act as a mediator, an enabler, and an agent of inclusion.
Copyright (c) 2026 Susana Paixao-Barradas https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
The pedagogy of discomfort: Transformational experiential learning
Education is intended to be a transformative experience for the student. In the practice of transformative pedagogy, instructors provide students with the time and space to explore their own sets of beliefs, values and standards and how they incorporate those beliefs into their work, subconsciously and consciously. At times, transformative pedagogy can be uncomfortable. However, the value of discomfort in the pedagogical process of a design course is the ability to acknowledge a knowledge gap between one’s social experiences and the experiences of other social identities. This paper focuses on the value of transformative pedagogy in working through discomfort when learning about limit situations, developing a foundation for transformative pedagogy in a course setting, the importance of critical thinking in transformative pedagogy and how transformative pedagogy is presented with a focus on ethics, disability and responsible design. By embedding ethics, critical consciousness and strategic thinking, the process translates into a transformative practice of design and innovation. Students learn new emerging ways of affecting change with a multiplicity of ideas when educators engage in transformative pedagogy. It is also to ascertain what kind of learning enables people to create solutions for communities involved in a continuously ongoing process of defining sustainable development.
Copyright (c) 2025 Lisa Elzey Mercer, Deana McDonagh https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
South African fashion design entrepreneurs’ awareness and practices of sustainable fashion supply chain operations
The textile and clothing industry intensifies pollution through the production of fast fashion clothes. The increase in fast fashion clothes imports in South Africa has led to the closure of textile factories and consequent loss of jobs. Sustainable development is a pathway to reducing socio-environmental, cultural and economic harm. Sustainable processes and products create new employment. Fashion design entrepreneurs are often involved and have influence in every supply chain of their business and are thus in one of the best positions to implement sustainable fashion supply chain operations. This qualitative study aimed to investigate South African fashion design entrepreneurs’ awareness and practices of sustainable fashion supply chain operations. Participants were selected purposively, and data was collected through semi-structured interviews. The results indicated that most of the participants were aware of sustainable fabrics through personal research. Half of them source and produce sustainable garments on a small scale due to the high price of sustainable fabrics. All the participants had limited knowledge of sustainable design methods. All the participants save their fabric offcuts, and only half of them are motivated by environmental concerns. Furthermore, the results indicated a lack of systems to manage the recycling of fabric offcuts. Given that there are few sustainable fashion design entrepreneurs in South Africa, the study recommends that textile and clothing industry leaders, especially sustainability practitioners, disseminate knowledge and training across the board on sustainable supply chain operations.
Copyright (c) 2025 Nailejileji Mollel-Matodzi, Anne Mastamet Masonb, Nalini Moodley-Diar https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Innovating with social justice: Anti-oppressive social work design framework
The world is experiencing myriad social, economic and political challenges that have exasperated inequities across communities. While there have been significant efforts to respond to the challenges, dwindling funds, hierarchical organizational structures, and an over-reliance on traditional methodologies have impacted the ability to create systemic changes. These limitations have paved the way for social innovation to create novel ideas to address social issues. Innovation has predominantly come from the field of business, engineering, design and public policy. Surprisingly, social work, with a professional mandate of advocating for social change and uplifting the voices of communities has made limited contributions to the field of social innovation. This paper introduces Anti-Oppressive Social Work Design (AOSWD) framework, which integrates the principles of anti-oppressive social work practice and a design method, Human-Centred Design (HCD). It explains how social workers can use AOSWD to develop collaborative power through empathy-building, co-creation and integrated feedback. Through the establishment of collaborative power, it explains how the role of HCD can be expanded from an approach to develop user-friendly programs, to a tool for social workers to create a change in thinking in how they view and tackle complex issues. A case example of its implementation in a non-profit organization in Seattle, WA has been provided. The paper has implications for social service professionals in the areas of training, organizational design, research and evaluation.
Copyright (c) 2025 Aakanksha Sinhaa https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Co-design for social innovation and organisational change: Developing horizontal relationships in a social enterprise through walking
Although an emerging body of literature identifies co-design as a promising approach to addressing the most urgent social challenges, little research has been undertaken about how co-design can support social change within the communities and organisations with which they collaborate. This is important because behavioural and organisational change is usually associated with the emergence of social innovations. These pressing socio-cultural challenges require interdisciplinary expertise, and we argue that the practice of co-design is an approach that provides such expertise. Co-design by its nature is collaborative and can respond to the cultural demands of a society eager to participate. These demands require significant research to better understand how the practice of co-design can be a catalyst for social change and social innovation. In this paper, we explore what is meant by co-creation, social design, and co-design within the theoretical context of this study. We present a case study that focuses on a social enterprise committed to sustainability operating within the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. Here we examine the transformative process - associated with co-design - that the social enterprise and its members encountered. Participatory Action Research (PAR) was implemented as the research approach to this study informed by ethnographic and co-design methods. The analysis suggests that the co-design process empowered the social enterprise and its members, enabling them to co-develop responsive and empathetic attitudes among themselves. Co-design supported organisational changes by nurturing collaborative attitudes, expanding perspectives about social issues and releasing latent human abilities and assets.
Copyright (c) 2025 Mirian Calvoa https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Consumers’ purchase intention towards eco-friendly packaging in Kidapawan City, the Philippines
The severity of the plastic problem in the Philippines has prompted the public and private sectors to take measures to address it. As the country shifts to sustainable ways, information about green consumer behaviour is essential to effectively implement policies and programmes. This study aimed to determine consumers’ level of purchase intention towards eco-friendly packaging, whether a significant difference in consumers’ purchase intention exists when they are grouped according to socio-demographic characteristics and identify the factors that significantly affect consumers’ purchase intention. A total of 393 consumers from Kidapawan City were selected as respondents using purposive random sampling. The results revealed that respondents have a high level of purchase intention for eco-friendly packaging. There were also significant differences in the level of purchase intention when the respondents were grouped according to age and sex. Notably, females had a higher level of purchase intention. The findings from the hierarchical moderated regression analysis show that attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control, environmental concern, awareness, willingness to pay and quality significantly and positively influence purchase intention towards eco-friendly packaging. In particular, it willingness to pay, quality and awareness strongly affect purchase intention. Meanwhile, the moderating variables do not affect the dependent and independent variables. The results of the study infer that purchase intention is greater among consumers when they have favourable attitudes and supportive social circles, perceive that it is easy to buy eco-friendly packaging, are more willing to support or participate in environmental initiatives, more knowledgeable, more willing to pay and have a positive perception of the quality of eco-friendly packaging.
Copyright (c) 2025 Ma. Karysa F. Garcia, Karl P. Campos https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Heroic Journeys: on design for empowerment and narratives of social change
Can empowerment be designed? Designers often claim to empower the people and communities they work with, yet there is little critical discourse on how empowerment is defined, facilitated and achieved in social design projects. This paper draws on social and political theories to redefine empowerment within design for social change, positioning it as a political activity to address power imbalances and foster individual and collective potential. To guide best practices in design-led interventions, we present four Design for Empowerment (DfE) principles grounded in Empowerment Theory and introduce Heroic Journeys, a conceptual framework co-created with community organisers and social designers through participatory design workshops. This approach facilitates the implementation of power analysis and narrative techniques to uncover diverse stories of change, advocating for design practices that are transformative, inclusive, and responsive to the contextual complexities of design for social change projects.
Copyright (c) 2024 Laura Santamaria, Ksenija Kuzmina https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Special supplement: III ESDA DESIS Social Design Days, 11-12 March 2024, Zaragoza, Spain
The idea of compiling this supplement for DISCERN Journal arose after the celebration of the ESDA DESIS SOCIAL DESIGN Days’ third edition in March 2024, attended by seven international professors who are experts in teaching social design. The Escuela Superior de Diseño de Aragón (ESDA) is a small educational institution with 300 students and 70 teachers, but with the particularity that more than half of the staff are involved in social design educational projects.
Copyright (c) 2024 Cecilia Casas-Romero (Ed.) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Reviewer Acknowledgements for Discern: International Journal of Design for Social Change, Sustainable Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Vol. 5, No. 2
Copyright (c) 2024 Editorial Team https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Housing, entryways and social architecture in poor borderlands of Mexicali
This article presents a methodological approach to the insecurity associated with urban peripheries, using the western area of Mexicali, Baja California as a case study. Its focus is on the security of homes, the urban environment and inclusive communities, which serve as a protective mechanism, ranging from collaborative reinforcement of fences with recycled materials to neighbourhood surveillance networks that protect homes. Using the architectural design as inspiration, a prototype of security portals was created, highlighting the importance of local construction knowledge, recycling of materials and using interconnections between the home and the street. The dataset consists of field research conducted between January 2023 and June 2024. A triple method of analysis was used: (1) classification of facades within a polygon of several neighbourhoods in the Centinela area; (2) descriptive statistics based on a survey of perceived security in each street of the study area; and (3) participatory workshops to design urban strategies using materials obtained in the surroundings. The result is a proposal for entryways referred to as ‘sidewalkdesign’ because it combines the transition between the home, the sidewalk and the street, promotes neighbourhood spaces for meeting and cooperation and, most of all, ensures that homes remain safe through physical barriers and natural surveillance.
Copyright (c) 2024 Carlos Rios Llamas, Saúl Luque Sanz https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
This research article explores the transformative journey of Bolt Threads, a pioneering biomaterials firm operating at the intersection of biotechnology and fashion. First, the research paper sets the background and provides the research question. Second, the existing literature is reviewed to investigate sustainable entrepreneurship within the fashion industry, exploring sustainable fashion concepts and highlighting sustainable entrepreneurs’ challenges. Third, the research paper examines Bolt Threads as a case study to redefine fashion systems, design activism, cultural sustainability, design for social change and social entrepreneurship. The case study thoroughly examines Bolt Threads’ founding story, business model, innovative technologies and strategic initiatives, underscoring the company’s dedication to sustainability and technological advancement. This case study analyses Bolt Threads collaborations with renowned fashion brands, financial strategies, the potential for industry-wide adoption and outlook. Bolt Threads demonstrates that. sustainable innovation requires thinking beyond traditional materials and methods. This approach shows that transformative change in sustainability involves looking outside the industry’s usual practices and integrating technology in unexpected ways, which can lead to groundbreaking materials that still align with fashion’s functional and aesthetic standards. Partnerships with major players help start-ups accelerate market acceptance, increase consumer trust and create broader demand for sustainable products. These alliances demonstrate that aligning with influential brands can be a strategic move for sustainable companies seeking scalability and industry-wide adoption.
Copyright (c) 2024 Anel van Rooyen https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
3D woven denim as an exemplary design-manufacturing technique to shape sustainable fashion ecosystems
Today’s fashion industry is marked by rapid production, early disposal and low-quality materials, resulting in environmental harm and social injustice. Denim production involves a resource-intensive and extended supply chain with entrenched design practices, leading to substantial pre-consumer waste. To address these issues, emerging design manufacturing techniques hold promise for fostering alternative sustainable fashion ecosystems yet remain largely underexplored by the industry. The current work focuses on 3D weaving, an innovative niche design manufacturing technique that enables the production of near-complete garments, facilitating zero waste and reducing labour-intensive steps at the cut-and-sew stage. Employing a qualitative approach informed by the literature and empirical research with denim industry professionals, this study investigates the potential of this novel design manufacturing technique in the context of systemic change beyond merely introducing technological advancement as an intervention in the existing industry. The analysis reveals four fundamental components: industry-led change, relocalisation, reimagining denim design roles and consumer communication. These key components, synthesised with the literature, are discussed respectively. We illustrate how the niche design manufacturing technique can shape novel fashion ecosystems by providing an exemplary concept which concerns the collaborative establishment of a small-scale local supply chain for 3D woven denim garments. Through this example, we aim to ignite discussions on a further reimagining of the fashion industry, utilising similar alternative lenses that prioritise sustainability over ultra-speed, high efficiency and mass production in alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure), 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) and 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).
Copyright (c) 2024 Ir. Sterre L. de Jager, Dr. Holly L. McQuillan, Dr. Ingrid J. Mulder https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
The fashion design sector stands to gain from embracing cosmopolitan localism (CL), allowing designers to merge global trends with local cultures. This strategy fosters distinct, sustainable identities that resonate with their communities. This literature review focused on sustainable fashion design practices, searching the literature in databases that included Google Scholar, IEEE Xplore, ACM Digital Library, SpringerLink and ScienceDirect. The review emphasizes the relationship between traditional craftsmanship, innovation and minimizing environmental impact through global and local collaborations. Of 169 articles that met the basic eligibility criteria—focusing on sustainable practices such as ethical sourcing and consumer engagement—only five authors discussed CL. This reveals a notable gap in the literature regarding the in-depth application and evaluation of CL in sustainable fashion design. Nonetheless, key principles are apparent, such as strengthening supply chain connections to promote ethical practices, fair wages and sustainable sourcing; fostering meaningful consumer relationships through narrative-driven brand communication and values-based messaging to build brand loyalty and encourage lasting purchasing behaviours; and participating in global sustainability initiatives while remaining informed about best practices and industry standards. This clarifies how supply chain dynamics and consumer engagement impact sustainable fashion. This review examines recent applications of small, local, open, and connected (SLOC) principles in sustainability research, emphasizing their role in adapting global influences on local cultures and values. Furthermore, it emphasizes the interrelations among supply chain dynamics, consumer engagement and global sustainability frameworks in promoting a more sustainable fashion industry.
Copyright (c) 2024 Siviwe Jack, Prof LJ Theo , Dr. A. Chisin https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Effects of rural entrepreneurship on community development in Zambia
Rural entrepreneurship plays a crucial role in fostering the development of rural communities and nations at large. This study aimed to investigate the role of rural entrepreneurship in delivering community development. The study employed a quantitative approach, in which a structured questionnaire containing four indicator variables identified from the literature was administered to 197 respondents drawn from entrepreneurs involved in agriculture, retail, building construction, transportation business and metal fabrication operating in the rural areas of Copperbelt province, Zambia. The data were analysed using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and regression analysis. The EFA results revealed that entrepreneurship was explained by four factors: entrepreneurial characteristics, business conception, business realization and business operation. However, the regression analysis established that of the four factors explaining entrepreneurship, only two factors, entrepreneurial characteristics and business operation, were significant in predicting community development in Copperbelt rural areas. Overall, this paper reaffirms that entrepreneurship plays a critical role in rural community development, leading to improved living standards, employment opportunities, alleviation of poverty and reduced rural-urban migration. Rural entrepreneurship is an essential stimulant of economic growth in developing countries.
Copyright (c) 2024 Sampa Chisumbe, Peter Mukalula , Clinton Aigbavboa, Erastus Mwanaumo, Thandiwe Mbewe https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Drum magazine project: A decolonial shift in teaching fashion theory and history
The Drum Magazine Project is a cross-institutional teaching and research project designed to explore a decolonial approach to teaching fashion theory and history. The project used the 1950s and 1960s archives of Drum magazine, found at Bailey's African History Archives (BAHA) in Johannesburg, South Africa. Fashion was considered by looking at South Africa's political, social, and cultural landscape during the 1950s and 1960s. Students wrote biographical essays based on individuals who, despite having been featured in Drum magazine, were not widely documented in South Africa. Essay writing was followed by developing magazine covers designed to capture themes related to these individuals. The text- and visual-based modes enabled students to deploy historical media archives using fashion and dress to communicate narratives of alternative fashion histories and imaginaries. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to analyse students' impressions of the magazine, the individuals they researched and the overall project. In some instances, students expressed the view that incorporating this part of South African history into fashion curricula can be uncomfortable but that addressing history in its fullness is necessary to achieve decolonial imperatives and shifts. For these reasons, this study contributes to the decolonial fashion discourse by showing how infusing context-specific examples in teaching and learning offers options for renewing, stretching, and decentering the teaching of fashion theory and history.
Copyright (c) 2024 Khaya Mchunu, Kiara https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Reviewer Acknowledgements for Discern: International Journal of Design for Social Change, Sustainable Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Vol. 5, No. 1
Historically, the textile heritage of minorities has often been subjected to cultural appropriation practices (Young, 2008) or systematically undervalued and ‘othered’ as ‘non-fashion’, as such ‘sacrifice zones’ do not sit within the confines of specific fashion systems (Niessen, 2020). Designers are often ‘parachuted’ into marginalised or disadvantaged communities premised on bringing their knowledge and expertise to solve other people’s problems. However, there is growing recognition of the need to ‘decolonise’ such dominant approaches in collaborative design practice (Escobar, 2018; Mignolo, 2018; Tunstall, 2023). Different methods have been applied, sometimes in tandem, to tackle the challenges that face us as well as define new roles for the designer under different contexts, such as design activism (Fuad-Luke, 2009, 2017), design for social justice (Constanza-Chock, 2020), social entrepreneurship (Martin & Osberg, 2007) and policy design (Bason, 2014; Kimbell et al., 2023).
Copyright (c) 2024 Francesco Mazzarella, Seher Mirza https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Traditionally researched craft and textile histories have often been criticised for being uncritical. Research in the field of Indian crafts has been preoccupied with object-led studies of craft techniques. The popular imagination buys into the mythologies depicted and the ‘discourse of patronage, kings, empresses, saints and a “golden” age of craft work’. This paper reassesses a similarly uncritical history of the South Indian textile craft Kalamkari by foregrounding the artisan’s perspective in this craft’s narrative. Keystone texts on Kalamkari and chintz are read critically, using a postcolonial lens to reject the academic tradition of normalising colonial encroachments on traditional knowledge and underrepresenting the artisan’s capacity for artistry and creativity. While artisans have been denied learning resources and systemically excluded from all forms of discursive place-making in cultural studies, such as in literature, galleries, museums and academia, findings from this critical reading are integrated with interview responses from contemporary Kalamkari artisans. This enables the exploration of their material and cultural mediations and attitudes towards community, labour, creativity and ownership. By studying the impact of coloniality on Indian craft and attempting to bridge the gap between the theory and practice of Kalamkari, this paper hopes to encourage more craft narratives that are critical of craft’s place as a communal, creative practice and industry within today’s global capitalist fashion system.
Copyright (c) 2024 Pallavi Chamarty https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Exploring the design motifs of Wollo Gabi in Ethiopian textiles and design development of women’s fashion accessories
Ethiopia, renowned for its rich tradition of craftsmanship, particularly in textiles, boasts a variety of regional styles and fabric types utilised in traditional and everyday attire. This study represented a collaborative effort between two universities, Arizona State University in the United States and Wollo University in Ethiopia, explicitly focusing on Wollo Gabi, an intricately patterned, gauze-like handwoven fabric of symbolic significance. Embarking on this endeavour were four design researchers who have explored Wollo Gabi's historical lineage, production techniques and contemporary applications. Subsequently, our endeavours evolved to encompass the conceptualisation and development of designs intending to demonstrate Gabi’s commercial potential in the US market. We employed a practice-based approach working with artisans to integrate diverse perspectives into the design process, fostering a more inclusive design process for product and brand development.
Copyright (c) 2024 Hazal Gumus Ciftci, Tewodros Tenagne, Temesgen Agazhie, Michael Reta https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
The decentralisation of fashion education in Northeast England through collaborative practice between education, communities and industry
This article focuses on a collaboration between educators at higher education institutions in the UK, reflecting on fashion education in Northeast England and how it is evolving to support and diversify aspirations for the arts outside London. The project is supported by research backed by the British Fashion Council, aiming to explore regional initiatives to enable young creatives to have stable careers in fashion and the arts across the UK. This paper demonstrates how examples of this have been implemented through the work of the community education group This is Creative Enterprise, UAL, Teesside and Northumbria universities, through building pathways from schools to universities and encouraging dialogue between schools, industry, higher education and community groups. Case studies demonstrate participatory research projects that encourage responsible engagement with fashion, supporting regional growth, community engagement and a decentralised vision.
Copyright (c) 2024 Gayle Cantrell, Berni Yates, Lynne Hugill, Sophie Wetherell , Jennifer Barrett, Stephen Murray https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
An exhibition review of Designed for Life that coincided with the opening of the new London College of Fashion (LCF) campus at UAL’s new East Bank home on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in October 2023. Exploring the exhibition's diverse projects employing textiles, design, film, photography, artefacts, testimonies and community building, the review considers both the affect of witnessing and the transformative power of creative action for a future fashion system that will expand the possibilities for people to live well together in a more-than-human world, will shift the contemporary narratives of emergency, to (k)new narratives of emergence towards radically new ways of living.
Copyright (c) 2024 Erica de Greef https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Sustainability culture and fashion enterprises
The potential role of co-design in the fashion industry and system toward a more sustainable future and as a critical action for social change can be addressed through the role design assumes in an organisation. This article describes a strategy to develop a sustainable consumption culture through participatory design activities. It does so by reconstructing the collaboration between a company and a local third-sector entity promoting co-design for social innovation. The methods used to drive this collaboration included ideation techniques and intensive co-design workshops aimed at developing a recognisable sustainable brand and understanding sustainability-related topics for the company’s customers. Strategies, design probes and replicable design tools emerging from the workshop were applied as innovative actions. This collaboration provided several experiences that, on the one hand, allowed the identification of new company strategies for supporting sustainability in the fashion industry and, on the other hand, created the condition to systematically adopt co-design instruments for providing social change through company actions.
Copyright (c) 2024 Daniele Busciantella-Ricci, Marco Berni, Andrea Del Bono https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Reviewer Acknowledgements for Discern: International Journal of Design for Social Change, Sustainable Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Vol. 4, No. 2
Copyright (c) 2023 Editorial Team https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0