Beyond the seam: Reimagining fashion education through a human rights lens in sustainability pedagogy

Abstract

This article examines how undergraduate fashion design programmes in the United Kingdom and United States integrate human rights, ethics, and sustainability into their curricula. Drawing on an original dataset from 30 top-ranked institutions, the study combines descriptive curriculum mapping with interpretive thematic analysis to identify patterns of inclusion, omission, and pedagogical framing. The study finds significant disparities: while sustainability appears in 60% of programmes and ethics in 53.3%, human rights-related content appears in only 40%, and explicit rights-based terminology remains limited. Using critical pedagogy and business and human rights theory as a theoretical framework, the article argues that the marginalisation of human rights reflects a wide pedagogical tendency to frame sustainability as a technical and environmental issue rather than a question of labour justice, accountability, and structural inequality. It concludes that mandatory human rights education is essential for preparing future fashion professionals to address the ethical and legal challenges of global fashion supply chains.