I want to preface my intervention by noting that I am feeling like the actions are tokenistic. I am struggling to see what real, meaningful change I can make within the department and I do not think that the PGCert is adequately catering for people working as technicians or outside of ‘academic’ roles. I have discussed this with fellow technicians who feel this is indicative of the lack of value and respect given to technicians at UAL. I also do not feel there is room to disagree with the approaches to intersectionality on the course and feel this is really limiting and not actually conducive to a democratic or open learning space. I feel that this has not been supported in discussions and a safe or brave space has not been created in tutorials.
Photographer unknown – Aaron Rose Philip made her trailblazing debut on the New York Fashion Week catwalk for Jeremy Scott’s Moschino SS22 presentation.
I will focus upon the 2.5 day sewing skills workshop, taught to first year BA Fashion during their first term.
I will focus upon differently abled people and their broad and differing needs and how we can work to develop the workshops into more inclusive learning spaces. I feel the department is not meeting acceptable standards in terms of accessibility. There are some aspects that are beyond our control, in terms of the lack of space and accessible machinery, budget and time. However I think there are other factors within our remit that do not meet standards. For example, the sewing skills workshop has videos for students to follow along and watch back if they desire. These videos include subtitles primarily to cater to students whose first language may not be English. However this has meant that the deaf community have been excluded through some of the instructions that refer to sound. This renders some of the teaching as inaccessible or can lead to errors/miscommunications by students from inadequate guidance.
I would like to assemble some packs that have tools such as seam guides, pinch action scissors, rotary blades, pattern weights, thimbles, accessible tools and tips which students can refer to and use at their discretion. With regards to the tips, these would include ideas of how many breaks to take, for example the ‘Sew in 30’ technique by Brittany J Jones (Retro Claude, 2020), how to set up the workspace and sewing machines for optimal comfort and convenience, planning the order of construction to avoid unnecessary energy being wasted moving between machines. I also want students to feel comfortable in stating their needs and know that I will be open to adapting my teaching to suit their differences. The guidance will be supplied to all students as it is relevant and useful for anyone who is sewing and I hope it will help students to consider the differing needs of others. In addition I believe we could incorporate more accessible fastenings, openings, finishings etc which would encourage students to consider a more inclusive approach to fashion design. “If disabled people are included in the design process, it is an afterthought. Fashion design processes need to become more equitable because disabled people are not a monolith.” (Jun, 2023)
I also want to review gender identity and how gender constructs are reinforced through the techniques and rules we use in garment construction and design. We have many students who do not conform to ‘conventional’ cis gender identities whether they are transgender women and men, non-binary or gender fluid. I feel our approach as technicians can sometimes be exclusionary in the rules we teach. For example, we refer to mannequins as male or female, indicated by the presence or absence of a bust and a more angular or more curvaceous figure. Another example is the convention that fastenings lay left over right if designed for men, openings on women’s garments fasten right over left. I feel we can challenge these rules and social constructs within fashion by highlighting these concepts and opening space for them to be questioned and challenged. I would like to create a ‘rule book/glossary’ of sewing tips and terminology that the students may not be aware of when they first begin the course. I will open up discussions around these practices, the history of where they came from and question why they still persist and their relevance today. By giving space to inform and discuss these customs and concepts I want to inform students of the rules and allow them to question and break these gendered constructs within garment construction.
References:
Johnson, A., Mamp, M., Quinney, A., Reeves, A., Simon, J. (2023). Fashion Education The Systemic Revolution: Queering the Fashion Classroom: Intersectional Student Perspectives. Intellect (UK), p.139.
Jun, G. (2023). Fashion Education The Systemic Revolution: Fashion Pedagogy and Disability: Co-Designing Wearables with Disabled People. Intellect (UK), p.139.
Retro Claude (2020). Sewing with a Disability – making sewing more accessible. [online] YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwKI-G-e05E [Accessed 27 May 2025].Anon, (n.d.).
Sewing with Disabilities: Five Accessible Tools (Guest Post by Samantha Purple Sewing Cloud). [online] Available at: https://www.tillyandthebuttons.com/2023/07/sewing-disabilities-accessible-tools.html.
Hi Charlie
I hope that you are well. Thank you for sharing your intervention design idea and your honest views and reflections on the PgCert so far. As you know, the course caters for a very diverse cohort, so it’s difficult to meet everyone’s needs but we do value everyone’s contributions in terms of different ways of being, knowing, practicing and communicating. Being new to UAL, I’m still learning about the culture and I appreciate this may be different across programmes and colleges, but my experience so far is that the PgCert team definitely value and respect the work that all participants do, including technicians. I have personally learnt a lot from observing technicians working with students, discussing their practices, and, while assessing the last unit in January and the HEA dialogues in recent weeks. I’ve seen some excellent technician-led interventions that have led to real, positive change for students. Of course, it’s completely valid to express these concerns, and it’s important that all voices feel heard within the PGCert so that we can continue to improve the work we do.
In terms of your intervention, you’re not alone in questioning its potential impact when trying to address systemic issues or challenging institutional/departmental cultures. Your intervention design acknowledges the systemic barriers that limit inclusion, but it is not about abstract ideals, it is about working with what you have, within your sphere of influence, to challenge assumptions and practices (e.g. conventions, techniques and rules used in garment construction in design, and the language used) while aiming to create a more equitable, adaptable spaces for your students (LO4). You start by naming the problem, not just in accessibility, but in your own experience of how you feel marginalised, and this initial critique links well to positionality (LO3), offering insights into how your own identity and professional position, as a technician, a maker, a person committed to hands-on pedagogy, equity, diversity and inclusion, informs the kind of change you’re planning to implement. You’re working from your reality from multiple perspectives so, going forward, I think it’d be good to incorporate this into your intervention design reflections.
Your attention to adaptive tools, inclusive language, and the unspoken assumptions that underpin practices (e.g. gendered norms in construction techniques) demonstrates a deep understanding of how everyday practices reproduce exclusion. Could these unspoken assumptions be brought to the surface and be turned into provocations (e.g. even a brief discussion that invites students to subvert them)? In terms of the intervention design, this aligns well with LO2 and you’ve included relevant references too showing engagement with global conversations around fashion, identity, and power, especially via Jun (2023) and Johnson et al. (2023). This could be extended with work like Ahmed (2019) on how spaces and ‘use’ can exclude, sometimes even if well intended. You may also want to look at Watermeyer & Leslie (2023) on disability and the problem of lazy intersectionality to support your critique
In terms of LO1, it’d be good to consider how your intervention sits within/aligns with/responds to/ critiques/ considers/builds on guidance on inclusive practices from UAL, sector frameworks (e.g. Advance HE), ongoing debates within the profession, to help demonstrate LO1 but you’re already doing some of this with your initial critique and Jun and Johnson.
You are already proposing a sustainable, potentially scalable, intervention with strong links to intersectionality: the tool and tip packs, and the rule book/glossary. These have the potential to not only support students individually but to challenge the hidden curriculum of your discipline/professional practice (LO4). I just wonder if the rule book could be co-created with students over time, adding another inclusive dimension to it. Worth considering where this will ‘live’ e.g. in a static space in Moodle or in a more interactive one/
Your frustration is real, and your action is meaningful. I don’t think you are making tokenistic changes. You are starting from where you are, challenging what you can, and inviting others to see things differently. Simple but meaningful actions count (even sitting at the front of a bus when you’ve been told not to). That is the work of transformation…
I hope you find this initial feedback useful, and we can discuss a bit more during the tutorials.
Regards, Victor
Below, just a reminder of the learning outcomes.
LO1: Critically evaluate institutional, national and global perspectives of equality and diversity in relation to your academic practice context. [Enquiry]
LO2: Manifest your understanding of practices of inequity, their impact, and the implications for your professional context. [Knowledge]
LO3: Articulate the development of your positionality and identity through the lens of inclusive practices. [Communication]
LO4: Enact a sustainable transformation that applies intersectional social justice within your practice. [Realisation]