Fashion as Design: Craft and Sustainability
Ends soon! Keep adding new skills with 10,000+ programs for $239 (usually $399). Save now.
Fashion as Design: Craft and Sustainability
This course is part of Fashion As Design Specialization
Instructors: Rachael Schwabe
Included with
Recommended experience
Recommended experience
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.
Skills you'll gain
- Supply Management
- Product Design
- Problem Solving
- Public History
- Consumer Behaviour
- Creative Thinking
- Supply Chain Planning
- Personal Development
- World History
- Social Impact
- Art History
- Waste Minimization
- Supply Chain
- Critical Thinking
- Sustainable Development
- Production Process
- Ethical Standards And Conduct
- Sustainable Systems
- Environmental Issue
Details to know
January 2026
2 assignments
See how employees at top companies are mastering in-demand skills
Build your subject-matter expertise
- 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 videos•Total 11 minutes
- Preview Fashion as Design•1 minute
- On Site in London: Making a Bespoke Savile Row Suit with Anderson & Sheppard, Part 1•10 minutes
4 readings•Total 40 minutes
- Welcome to the course•10 minutes
- First Look: This Course in Three Garments•10 minutes
- Optional Readings & Resources•10 minutes
- Optional Prompts for Discussion & Reflection•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 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 videos•Total 30 minutes
- On Site in London: Making a Bespoke Savile Row Suit with Anderson & Sheppard, Part 2•13 minutes
- Photographer Naeem Douglas on Tailoring•4 minutes
- Martin Margiela on the Tabi Boot•2 minutes
- Historian Christopher Richards on Kente Cloth•4 minutes
- On Site in New Jersey: Designing 3D-Printed Dresses with threeASFOUR•8 minutes
12 readings•Total 120 minutes
- Welcome to Module 2•10 minutes
- In the Studio•10 minutes
- Tailoring•10 minutes
- Look Book: Tailoring•10 minutes
- Craft•10 minutes
- Look Book: Craft•10 minutes
- Technologies•10 minutes
- Look Book: Technologies•10 minutes
- Review of Module 2•10 minutes
- Optional Readings & Resources•10 minutes
- Optional Prompts for Discussion & Reflection •10 minutes
- Optional Mid-Course Survey•10 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 videos•Total 28 minutes
- On Site in San Francisco: Historical Jeans in the Levi's Archive with Tracey Panek•8 minutes
- Fashion Historian Emma McClendon's Abecedarium Presentation on Jeans•8 minutes
- Kalpona Aktar on the White T-Shirt•3 minutes
- Shawey Yeh on Circular Design•2 minutes
- Jessie Inglis on Lean Manufacturing•3 minutes
- Andrea Zittel. Corduroy Personal Panel. 1995-98•2 minutes
- Jessie Inglis on Make, Do, Mend•2 minutes
12 readings•Total 120 minutes
- Welcome to Module 3•10 minutes
- In the Archive•10 minutes
- Labor •10 minutes
- Look Book: Labor•10 minutes
- Design & Manufacturing•10 minutes
- Look Book: Design & Manufacturing•10 minutes
- Do It Yourself (D.I.Y.)•10 minutes
- Look Book: Do It Yourself (D.I.Y.)•10 minutes
- Explore Mending & Repair Techniques•10 minutes
- Review of Module 3•10 minutes
- Optional Readings & Resources•10 minutes
- Optional Prompts for Discussion & Reflection•10 minutes
Reflect on your journey through Fashion, Craft, Sustainability and complete a final assessment.
What's included
4 readings1 assignment
4 readings•Total 40 minutes
- Conclusion to Fashion as Design: Craft and Sustainability•10 minutes
- Optional End-of-Course Survey•10 minutes
- Optional Prompt for Discussion & Reflection•10 minutes
- Continue Learning with MoMA•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 20 minutes
- What does sustainability mean to you now?•20 minutes
Earn a career certificate
Add this credential to your LinkedIn profile, resume, or CV. Share it on social media and in your performance review.
Instructors
Offered by
Explore more from History
- T
The Museum of Modern Art
Course
- Status: Free TrialT
The Museum of Modern Art
Specialization
- Status: Free TrialT
The Museum of Modern Art
Course
- Status: Free TrialT
The Museum of Modern Art
Course
Why people choose Coursera for their career
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.
More questions
Financial aid available,
