Falmouth University, situated on the south coast of Cornwall, England, is a higher education institution specialising in the creative industries. It places a strong emphasis on sustainable practices across all areas, particularly their fashion, textiles and business programmes.
Its fashion-related degrees span design, marketing, photography, styling and art direction. Recent graduates include Beth Somerville, the 2023 winner of the New Designer of the Year Award in 2023 and Finlay Vincent, the recipient of Net-a-Porter’s Vanguard Education Fund 2022.
Falmouth University is developing a new generation of sustainable fashion practitioners through its two-year MA in Sustainable Fashion. The online part-time programme teaches students about the interconnected environmental, social and economic impact of the fashion industry. At the core of the programme is a mission to redefine the fashion system through a regenerative soil-to-soil lens — from textile crop to garment disposal — and to equip students with the tools to view fashion’s systemic challenges as opportunities for transformation and innovation.
The course takes a holistic approach to fashion, exploring concepts ranging from circular systems and de-growth economics to regenerative design. Its collaborative leadership framework enables participants to recognise the interdisciplinary potential of their work — all through a sustainability-focused lens.
The programme keeps students up-to-date with sustainability regulations, such as the EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles. This ensures graduates understand the policies increasingly shaping industry priorities and brings environmental compliance to the forefront of business strategy.
As the online MA in Sustainable Fashion opens applications for a new cohort beginning in autumn 2025, The Business of Fashion (BoF) sits down with course leader Tom Crisp to discuss how the programme aims to train the next generation of professionals focused on systemic innovation.
What distinguishes Falmouth University’s educational approach?
At Falmouth, we take a holistic approach to sustainable fashion. We consciously cultivate curious mindsets and want our students to lead the industry through planet-centred design practices that apply to local contexts.
We look at extending sustainable practice beyond product-based circular solutions to reimagine and rewire the fashion system towards sustainable practice.
For the MA in Sustainable Fashion, we give students free rein with the sustainable interventions they wish to explore and develop. We don’t dictate what sustainable solutions look like, but equip our students with the necessary tools to put systems-first decision-making into action — whether that is through land practices and regenerative agriculture, discussions with the community, or even AI-based solutions.
Why is now a pivotal time for students to consider the online MA in Sustainable Fashion?
Sustainability is one of those urgent areas that is not going away. Brands are facing pressure to transform textile supply chains through legislation and it is important for the industry to have professionals who understand this — and how it impacts consumer behaviour.
We are also seeing technological innovation that is causing increased interest in land-based, regenerative agricultural practices — and there is opportunity for new business, entrepreneurship and innovation within this space.
It is an optimal time for students to gain a skillset in this area, particularly as the industry looks towards transformation through sustainable initiatives — meaning there are many job opportunities once they’ve graduated.
What advantages does an online approach offer?
As a part-time, flexible course, students can enrol and complete the studies at their own pace — and on top of work they may already be doing.
Students will gain an understanding of the complex and multi-layered approaches of bringing sustainability practices into businesses.
Currently, we have people who run their own businesses and use the course to make sustainable change within their company. Others have used the course to become more entrepreneurial and suggest projects for their current employers. Meanwhile, some course graduates have used their final major projects to land roles in the industry, present at conferences and gain research funding to pursue and expand their projects further
We have students from across the globe in the course community, meaning there are perspectives from Venezuela to Vancouver to Vietnam — and each with their own stories from their local areas. It means that sustainability is not viewed from a Western perspective, but from an ever-evolving, global lens.
How can prospective students impress in their applications?
We are looking for students who want to drive meaningful change, that want to build transformational projects that will lead us towards a much more sustainable future — regardless of whether fashion is in your background.
If you are someone who actively questions existing methods and assumptions, and is looking towards a holistic understanding of how the fashion system operates, this is the course for you. And, because we have so many different approaches to sustainability, it is an opportunity for you to consider the interconnectedness of the environment with social and economic drivers in mind.
Currently, we have students who come from environmental science backgrounds, practising journalists and other business professionals. It is a melting pot of talent, meaning there are lots of ideas being generated from the diverse, international cohort on the course.
How does Falmouth University prepare its students for the evolving needs of the industry?
The course is systems-focused, meaning students get a grasp on how sustainability operates across the entire fashion lifecycle. The programme encourages students to really think about where to make the most change and what positive impact such changes have on the planet.
Students will gain an understanding of the complex and multi-layered approaches of bringing sustainability practices into businesses. We have the resources to help demystify some of the most challenging issues of the industry, and provide the tools for thinking about how emerging technologies, like AI, can be applied as solutions to production and other steps of the manufacturing phase.
We also view sustainability on different levels. We think about how local issues reflect more global problems — and how global problems can affect local communities. We cater practices to the needs of each student, meaning if there is one particular area you are really interested in studying, we can ensure you have the opportunity to get a thorough understanding of it through your time on the course.
This is a sponsored feature paid for by Falmouth University as part of a BoF partnership.