José Teunissen, dean at the School of Design and Technology at London College of Fashion, talks about the opportunities for her students and the industry, digitalisation, and new business model ideas.
In this podcast, Teunissen talks about the way in which the university has had to adapt to Covid-19. For this term, at least, students are having to study online – something that is quite tricky for a course centred around design and practical work. However, Teunissen says that the institution is coping well and has also partnered with IBM to produce the annual graduation show online.
Elsewhere, topics such as digitalisation and sustainability are discussed. Teunissen says that both the industry and university have already been exploring digital possibilities, but Covid-19 has pushed this exploration further. To prepare students for the future of the industry, the school partners with organisations such as PVH Corp to look at skills needed for new job roles that will start to crop up in future.
José Teunissen, dean at the School of Design and Technology at London College of Fashion
Teunissen also talks about the possibility for new business models moving forward. Whether this be moving away from showcasing at fashion weeks and having physical stores to having a better online presence and engagement with consumers. She would also like to see less of the ‘push’ model, where there is a lot of pre-investment and risk for designers and companies, to a model that is more sustainable.
The London College of Fashion is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London in England. It offers undergraduate, postgraduate, short courses, study abroad courses and business-training in fashion, make-up, beauty-therapy and lifestyle industries. Teunissen is currently the dean of the School of Design and Technology at London College of Fashion. She is also a board member of the Dutch Creative Industries Council, and chair of the network CLICK/Next Fashion. Additionally, she has previously worked as a journalist and was curator of Fashion and Costume at the Centraal Museum in Utrecht.
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Thumbnail image credit: London College of Fashion
