Fashion sustainability advocacy kits for student engagement on university campuses

The fashion-industrial complex faces urgent environmental and social crises, yet fashion higher education often lacks concrete tools that translate sustainability discourse into advocacy and behaviour change. This study develops and evaluates Fashion Sustainability Advocacy Kits (FSAKs), a politically informed, fashion-specific educational intervention designed for university settings. Conducted in partnership with a southeastern U.S. university and a fashion advocacy organisation, the project integrates tailored educational resources, activism guides, and policy information into fashion curricula to empower students as change agents. Using a parallel mixed-method design, the study assessed students’ knowledge and advocacy intentions before and after implementation. Results demonstrate significant increases in understanding environmental and social justice issues, along with strengthened intentions to engage in sustainability initiatives and enhanced capacity to critically evaluate industry practices. FSAKs offer a replicable model for embedding politically informed sustainability advocacy within fashion education and advancing critical engagement in higher education.