Empowering the next generation of fashion designers

Circularity plays an important role in the fashion industry's transition to more sustainable standards and practices. It also represents a major financial opportunity for brands and designers. According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, the fashion industry can unlock a $560 billion economic opportunity by transitioning to a circular system through new business models and collaborations across the value chain. 

At Zalando, we want to enable this wider industry transformation by acting as a catalyst and connector to drive progress among diverse stakeholder groups. This includes investing in the education of the next generation of fashion designers and providing them with the knowledge to meet the evolving demands of the fashion industry.

One of our key projects in this direction is the Circularity Masterclass, created in partnership with the Graduate Fashion Foundation. The charitable organisation brings together graduates, fashion educators and industry leaders to support the next generation of talent in reaching their full potential. The project provides free training on circularity and can be easily integrated into fashion design graduate programmes to inspire, build knowledge and instigate passion for circularity at the core of the design process. According to Zalando’s Senior Corporate Citizenship Manager Lara Gesche, the programme was crafted to address a gap identified by research in the fashion industry, which shows a lack of education on circular and sustainable fashion design, and limited knowledge on these topics among existing fashion professionals. "Our module aims to change this by offering students an engaging and exciting way to learn about these important fields and encouraging them to establish an entrepreneurial mindset. These skills are invaluable for anyone who wants to promote and implement circularity within their fashion design process," adds Lara Gesche.

Circularity as a mindset 

The inaugural Circularity Masterclass programme was successfully piloted from September 2023 to April 2024 in collaboration with the Manchester Metropolitan University. Students had the opportunity to delve into the differences between linear and circular fashion and how to make circularity not just a product attribute but a system. The modules equipped them with the skills to incorporate circularity into every stage of a garment’s lifecycle—from design and manufacturing to end-of-use. "We were very happy to find out that almost half of the students opted for the course, even though it was offered as an extracurricular activity. Their enthusiasm speaks about the growing interest in sustainable fashion," says Lara Gesche. 

A key goal of this programme is to foster an entrepreneurial mindset among students, encouraging them to design innovative systems that can drive industry-wide change. Through the study of successful case studies, students were inspired to prototype their own circular products. The two standout students were awarded with a two-day trip to Berlin, where they presented their unique creations at Zalando’s headquarters. The trip also included advanced training from Zalando's circularity experts and networking opportunities. "We believe that getting students into circular design thinking early on really helps instill these values and skills in the next generation of fashion designers, nudging the industry towards more circular practices. This project isn't just about teaching the technical aspects of circularity; it’s also about inspiring and empowering designers to take these lessons and use them in their work, mixing creativity with a sense of responsibility to the planet, ” notes Associate Director for Graduate Fashion Foundation Megan Doyle.

Building on the success of the pilot, Zalando is now ready to scale up the programme. In 2024/2025, five new European universities will be considered for the partnership, which is expected to reach more than 100 students. 

The Circularity Masterclass initiative is managed by our Corporate Citizenship team, which is also responsible for the Design Academy, a programme that provides free education on sustainability and innovation to young fashion designers. “We look beyond our business operations and embrace a role of responsible citizenship within the broader society. Our commitment involves imparting knowledge and nurturing young talent, aiming to foster positive, long-lasting transformations within the industry”, says Lara Gesche.