After the first session, reflecting on the content, new provocations, and conversations with peers, and in response to questions that help me articulate the social justice foundations of my project, I unpacked the following:
The Fashion Therapy intervention stands to benefit a diverse range of students across UAL by offering a platform that merges creativity, collaboration, and mental well-being.
The primary beneficiaries will be students who may feel marginalized or underrepresented, especially those who struggle with networking, confidence-building, and accessing the wider community within the university. By fostering interdisciplinary collaborations and providing a safe space for dialogue, the intervention creates an inclusive environment where students can engage with peers from various socio-cultural backgrounds, learn from each other, and enhance both personal and professional development.
Supporting underrepresented/marginalized groups is central to the intervention. Fashion Therapy recognizes that students from diverse backgrounds, including those facing barriers due to race, gender, socio-economic status, disability, or language differences, but not limited to that, often struggle with a sense of belonging in higher education. The workshops are designed to mitigate these challenges by promoting inclusion through activities that encourage participation, creative expression, and collective learning. Marginalized students, who may feel isolated or disengaged, will have the opportunity to develop a sense of community, build their confidence, and see their voices reflected in a supportive and empowering space.
In terms of addressing issues of inequality or access to resources, the intervention explicitly tackles the unequal distribution of social and professional opportunities. Often, students from underprivileged backgrounds lack access to networks and resources that more privileged students take for granted. Fashion Therapy offers a level playing field where all participants can contribute equally, learn valuable skills, and engage in collaborative activities, regardless of their prior experience or background. By using found materials and the resource boxes at LCF, the intervention ensures that students are not excluded based on financial constraints, while still producing meaningful creative work and interacting with one another.
The inequality being addressed includes the systemic barriers that many students face in gaining access to creative communities, mentorship, and professional growth opportunities. This intervention seeks to challenge these barriers by promoting collaboration across different UAL colleges and involving industry professionals to provide insights and guidance. By encouraging student-led sessions, the power dynamics in the classroom are subverted, allowing students to take ownership of their learning experience. In particular, this shifts the traditional hierarchical model of education, where teachers hold all the power, to a more equitable and participatory model inspired by Critical Pedagogy (Freire).
In terms of whose voices are included or missing, Fashion Therapy actively includes the voices of those who are most affected by inequality within the educational system, such as students from marginalized communities who are often silenced or ignored. These students will not only participate in the workshops but will also have opportunities to lead sessions, ensuring that their perspectives are central to the intervention’s success. Research and evaluation through feedback and reflective assessments will help amplify these voices, rather than silence them, by identifying what works for marginalized students and adjusting the intervention to meet their specific needs.
The intervention promotes change by creating a dynamic, equitable learning environment that encourages the free exchange of ideas and collaboration. The action research aspect of Fashion Therapy is crucial for understanding how the intervention impacts marginalized students and whether it effectively reduces feelings of isolation or exclusion. By documenting each session and creating resources like instructional manuals, the intervention not only fosters inclusivity in the moment but also creates lasting tools for future cohorts. The use of reflective assessments ensures that the findings are actionable, helping educators and administrators understand how to improve inclusivity and equity within art and design education.
Overall, the findings from this intervention have the potential to contribute to a more equitable society by empowering students, fostering a sense of community, and challenging the inequalities that exist within higher education.
Ultimately, looking back at my experience as an international student who arrived with limited knowledge of the place and few connections in a new city, I believe this can be a crucial factor in transforming the short-term study abroad experience into one that yields lasting benefits, both professionally and personally. And also, it will make life easier while striving to make the most of the experience, and meet expectations that can often clash with the overwhelming nature of change, making it challenging to fully embrace.