The origin of the collaboration
In 2014, professionals in the fashion world had a clear need: to learn more about sustainability in their sector.
Based on the trust built up over many years of collaboration with IED Barcelona, we proposed a new venture: to create a specialized, intensive, in-person program that would provide these professionals with the knowledge and tools they needed to integrate sustainability into their projects.
IED listened to us and joined the venture. It was a pioneering program, the first of its kind in Spain, which celebrated its eighth edition in 2023.
The essence of the seminar
From the outset, our aim has been to offer relevant information in a rigorous and well-structured manner, accompanied by testimonials based on real-life experience. To date, more than 50 guests have participated in the course, representing the transformation of the sector in different areas (product, leadership, management, communication, etc.) and from different perspectives (large companies, small initiatives, start-ups, NGOs, consulting firms, institutions, etc.).
And over the years, we have created the necessary spaces/times to reflect on fundamental issues surrounding sustainability, including questioning the concept of sustainability itself, and we have dared to introduce less conventional methodologies such as poetic inquiry projects, nature workshops, and debates on ethical dilemmas.
What they value most about the program
Information, reflection, and networking are undoubtedly important ingredients of the course, but the aspect that is gaining the most relevance and has become the distinguishing feature of this program (judging by the feedback from more than 80 participants) is the process of evolution that students undergo during those two weeks: a mindset shift, a broader perspective, an evolution in the way they think about and feel the world, a greater awareness of their ability to contribute to change on a professional and personal level, a feeling of not being alone, of there being a growing community moving in the same direction that they can lean on… in short, their journey of exploring meaning, from essence to action.