Doha: With sustainability being the new focus and responsibility of the luxury sector, both locally and globally, the Fashion Design department at Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar (VCUarts Qatar), a Qatar Foundation partner university, has launched a new initiative called Eco Luxury Laboratory (Eco Lux Lab).
“We are recognising and responding to the reality that fashion has been ignored as a major polluter for too many years. Therefore, we are going to infuse our Fashion Design program with the knowledge and skills that we want our students to absorb. It is about instilling this generation of fashion professionals with a perspective on sustainability and its importance in their profession. We will do this by focusing on the fusion of luxury and environmental sensitivity in this new initiative,” said Christopher Fink, Chair of Fashion Design at VCUarts Qatar.
The Fashion Design department at VCUarts Qatar sees Eco Lux Lab as an opportunity to ensure that the new generation are mindful of their environmental responsibilities, and aware that luxury can be sustainable and beautiful, without having to sacrifice the former to ensure the success of the latter.
The aim of the initiative is to bring students and Qatar’s community together with world class luxury innovators to educate and address the new codes and benchmarks of sustainability in the luxury market today.
“In the Eco Lux Lab we will conduct workshops and invite the local community to participate along with our students. We will show how environmentally-aware and collectible luxury products can be designed and created. Fast fashion is out, and sustainability is here to stay, particularly in the high-end luxury goods sector,” says Fink.
In the first online workshop, which will take place live today at 4pm Doha time, participants can step inside the workshop of an Italian artisan and discover the secrets of artisanal handbag making.
The region of Emilia Romagna is a productive hub where manufacturing excellence in tailoring and accessories create the magic of “Made in Italy”. The workshop will unveil how a design becomes reality in the expert hands of a master artisan.
Participants can meet the craftsman, Rino Magnani, known for his eagle eye for proportions and his passion for perfection, and join him on his journey through the art of luxury leather work.
VCUarts Qatar faculty member Federica Visani will be streaming the process step-by-step from the workshop in Italy. Participants will have the possibility to ask questions to Magnani.
