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⇱ Fashion as Design: Craft and Sustainability | Coursera


Fashion as Design: Craft and Sustainability

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Fashion as Design: Craft and Sustainability

This course is part of Fashion As Design Specialization

Included with

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
Beginner level

Recommended experience

7 hours to complete
Flexible schedule
Learn at your own pace

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
Beginner level

Recommended experience

7 hours to complete
Flexible schedule
Learn at your own pace

What you'll learn

  • Analyze the evolution of the fast fashion model and its impact on global labor standards and environmental health.

  • Gain fluency in the processes behind both high-fashion couture and everyday icons to understand what constitutes true value in design.

  • Explore methods to extend the longevity of your clothing, from repair practices to innovative circular design strategies.

  • Develop a critical understanding of the tensions between mass production and craftsmanship.

Details to know

Shareable certificate

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Recently updated!

January 2026

Assessments

2 assignments

Taught in English

Build your subject-matter expertise

This course is part of the Fashion As Design Specialization
When you enroll in this course, you'll also be enrolled in this Specialization.
  • Learn new concepts from industry experts
  • Gain a foundational understanding of a subject or tool
  • Develop job-relevant skills with hands-on projects
  • Earn a shareable career certificate

There are 4 modules in this course

Every garment tells a story of craftsmanship, labor, and environmental impact. This course offers an exclusive look into the hidden lifecycle of your wardrobe, moving from the rapid cycles of fast fashion toward a deeper understanding of quality and stewardship. By exploring the tension between global mass production and bespoke artistry, you will develop the analytical tools to navigate the future of the fashion industry.

The Museum of Modern Art will take you behind the scenes of world-renowned institutions—from the precision of a Savile Row suit shop in London to the historical archives of Levi’s in California. Through studio visits and insights from designers, activists, and historians, you will analyze how modern technologies are being used to reimagine the way garments are made. Whether you are a student of design or a professional seeking to lead ethical change, you will gain a new perspective on your closet, transforming a daily habit of getting dressed into an act of informed agency. Career Application: By gaining a critical understanding of the tensions between mass production and craftsmanship, you’ll develop the analytical tools necessary to reconsider ethical supply chain management, drive sustainable product development, and execute transparent corporate communications.

Gain insights into the processes that make the clothes in your closet, consider concerns for the fashion industry’s labor and sustainability practices, and explore methods for extending the lifecycle of your clothes.

What's included

2 videos4 readings1 assignment

2 videosTotal 11 minutes
  • Preview Fashion as Design1 minute
  • On Site in London: Making a Bespoke Savile Row Suit with Anderson & Sheppard, Part 110 minutes
4 readingsTotal 40 minutes
  • Welcome to the course10 minutes
  • First Look: This Course in Three Garments10 minutes
  • Optional Readings & Resources10 minutes
  • Optional Prompts for Discussion & Reflection10 minutes
1 assignmentTotal 20 minutes
  • What does sustainability mean to you?20 minutes

This module explores the complex processes—from traditional handcrafting to the use of new technologies—that go into the making of high-end and everyday garments.

What's included

5 videos12 readings

5 videosTotal 30 minutes
  • On Site in London: Making a Bespoke Savile Row Suit with Anderson & Sheppard, Part 213 minutes
  • Photographer Naeem Douglas on Tailoring4 minutes
  • Martin Margiela on the Tabi Boot2 minutes
  • Historian Christopher Richards on Kente Cloth4 minutes
  • On Site in New Jersey: Designing 3D-Printed Dresses with threeASFOUR8 minutes
12 readingsTotal 120 minutes
  • Welcome to Module 210 minutes
  • In the Studio10 minutes
  • Tailoring10 minutes
  • Look Book: Tailoring10 minutes
  • Craft10 minutes
  • Look Book: Craft10 minutes
  • Technologies10 minutes
  • Look Book: Technologies10 minutes
  • Review of Module 210 minutes
  • Optional Readings & Resources10 minutes
  • Optional Prompts for Discussion & Reflection 10 minutes
  • Optional Mid-Course Survey10 minutes

This module examines the lifecycle of garments—how cycles of production, consumption, and disposal impact the world, and discover ways to break those cycles both at the industrial and personal level.

What's included

7 videos12 readings

7 videosTotal 28 minutes
  • On Site in San Francisco: Historical Jeans in the Levi's Archive with Tracey Panek8 minutes
  • Fashion Historian Emma McClendon's Abecedarium Presentation on Jeans8 minutes
  • Kalpona Aktar on the White T-Shirt3 minutes
  • Shawey Yeh on Circular Design2 minutes
  • Jessie Inglis on Lean Manufacturing3 minutes
  • Andrea Zittel. Corduroy Personal Panel. 1995-982 minutes
  • Jessie Inglis on Make, Do, Mend2 minutes
12 readingsTotal 120 minutes
  • Welcome to Module 310 minutes
  • In the Archive10 minutes
  • Labor 10 minutes
  • Look Book: Labor10 minutes
  • Design & Manufacturing10 minutes
  • Look Book: Design & Manufacturing10 minutes
  • Do It Yourself (D.I.Y.)10 minutes
  • Look Book: Do It Yourself (D.I.Y.)10 minutes
  • Explore Mending & Repair Techniques10 minutes
  • Review of Module 310 minutes
  • Optional Readings & Resources10 minutes
  • Optional Prompts for Discussion & Reflection10 minutes

Reflect on your journey through Fashion, Craft, Sustainability and complete a final assessment.

What's included

4 readings1 assignment

4 readingsTotal 40 minutes
  • Conclusion to Fashion as Design: Craft and Sustainability10 minutes
  • Optional End-of-Course Survey10 minutes
  • Optional Prompt for Discussion & Reflection10 minutes
  • Continue Learning with MoMA10 minutes
1 assignmentTotal 20 minutes
  • What does sustainability mean to you now?20 minutes

Earn a career certificate

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Instructors

The Museum of Modern Art
4 Courses17,826 learners

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Frequently asked questions

No prior knowledge of fashion, design, or art history is needed to complete this course.

Coursera currently provides certificates of completion, but MoMA does not offer additional accreditation at this time. 

This course explicitly deals with garment lifecycles, supply chains, and labor compliance, which are essential for modern retail strategy.

The Museum of Modern Art looks at garment histories from all over the world and from a variety of perspectives—ranging from traditional textiles like kente cloth to global fast-fashion supply chains and cutting-edge international tech innovations.

No prior design background is required to complete this course! The optional creative prompts and final project focus on design literacy and critical analysis, making it highly accessible whether you are a student of design, a professional in the industry, or someone just looking to think more about what you wear.

While the course grounds itself in 20th-century and early 21st-century landmark garments, it heavily features current makers and advanced tech (like 3D-printed dresses) to look at where the industry is moving next.

To access the course materials, assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience when you enroll in a course. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid. The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.

When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile.

Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.

Financial aid available,