Brittany Malvino

Master’s Student, Stockholm University – Degree in Fashion Studies

Why did you choose to take the course?

I chose to take The Sustainability Fundamentals course at SFA because it was an incredible opportunity to be able to learn directly from the industry and to expand my knowledge about sustainable fashion. I found the course topics to be very relevant and a great way to grasp where and how in the fashion industry we can implement sustainable change.

Currently I am a masters degree student at Stockholm University, specializing in fashion and sustainability. My passion is to work with sustainability within the field of marketing and design, while also transforming the fashion industry towards further sustainable opportunities.

I believe that sustainability is necessary and the future of the industry. However, to be able to achieve this we need to learn how to think outside of the box and where to take action. My goal was to gain an understanding of how the overall process works from production, to consumption and to the end life of a garment. Through this, it was very interesting as well to learn how sustainability can be implemented into these steps and rethink a system!

Overall the skills I gained during the course will be taken with me as I work within the fashion industry and through my masters research.

How did you experience the training?

The course overall was a wonderful real life experience. I felt as though the skills and lessons I was provided delved me right into the fashion industry and helped me gain skills that could be implemented directly. I liked that I also got the chance to receive lessons from a variety of world leaders and industry workers, which not only made the content reliable but also very informative!

The course was very thought through and all the information I took away was useful. What I loved about the course was that there was also a strong variety in the content. The course not only pin pointed different necessary topics to discuss, but it did so through video lessons, quizzes, assignments and group chats which was a great way to learn about sustainability!

Where do you see the benefits of having taken the course, both short and long term?

I think the greatest benefit I can take away as a student is that the course has provided me with skills to take forward with me as I go to work in the fashion industry. Today, sustainability is expanding into further use, but it is also very broad still in regards to where companies should take action.

This course has managed to pin point to me exactly where the industry should start. It provided lessons in the most important and crucial aspects of the industry and where sustainability should be implemented.

The course also provided great knowledge for myself as the consumer on how I can take action individually. In regards to sustainable change it is not only company action but a joint effort. We all have to do our part, which is something I am going to take with myself long term and work to engage others as well to take a sustainable shift!

What advice do you have for other students planning to take the course?

My advice would be to think as innovatively as possible while taking the course. An important thing we need to realize when it comes to sustainability is that some practices we are using today will need to change. The big question is though, which ones and how?

While taking the course you are provided with an extensive amount of knowledge, tools and examples that can help guide you to answer this question! However though, to be able to actually take action you will need to constantly think outside of the box and use the tools gained to create change.

I would also constantly research the Industry. While taking the course, a great opportunity is to see how other brands are using these tools within their companies and collections. I believe that this really helps throughout the course and can extend knowledge.

What advice do you have for other participants to get the most of the SFA Sustainability Fundamentals course and SFA’s services overall?

The course at SFA is not only a great place to gain new knowledge, but also an opportunity to connect with others within the fashion industry. Although the course may be online, it is still an interconnected space where you have the chance to work with people from different parts of the industry and around the world.

As a student or industry worker, I think this is a great opportunity to be able to directly work and learn from others who are also interested in sustainability. To get the most out of the course, I think it is important to connect with others taking the course and to create constant dialogues together. I believe that the more we discuss, co create and collaborate, the more we can create real change! Since it is not a one person job, we all have to work together, which is why it is so great we have the opportunity to communicate during the course with each other as students.

Is there anything else that stands out about your SFA training experience that was helpful and you would like to share?

What really stood out to me during the course was the lessons and assignments. I loved that the lessons were not only informative, but also taught directly by the industry. The course was driven by practical knowledge and provided me with skills I can take directly to the fashion industry.

All the information I learned felt very relevant to the challenges we face as a modern fashion industry. The great thing about the course was that it also provided solutions to these problems and how fashion companies can replace existing patterns with other alternatives.

Besides the lessons, I also found the guidance at SFA very helpful. It was a course that felt very interactive and had lots of interaction from the course team.