Lockdown gave many people the opportunity to work on learning new skills and to reassess their lifestyle and career choices. If you want to dip your toe into the world of fashion but you don’t have the budget or time to commit to a traditional course, you can study these free online fashion courses at your own pace, in your own home.
And if you think online courses aren’t really worth doing, think again! Almost all of the UK’s universities have moved to an online model this year and these free courses are run by some of the most respected institutions all over the world.
Here’s our list of 5 of the best free online fashion courses for 2020 and beyond.
1. Fashion and Sustainability: Understanding Luxury Fashion in a Changing World
London College of Fashion
Sustainable fashion is definitely a trending topic in recent years, with most brands looking to move to more eco-friendly production processes and project a “greener” brand.
This 6-week course, run by one of the best fashion colleges in the world, delves into the issues relating to sustainability in luxury fashion including sourcing materials, manufacturing tools and methods, and creative possibilities.
The course is taught by Nina Stevenson, Leader of Education for Sustainability at the Centre for Sustainable Fashion at LCF and Professor Dilys Williams, the Director of the Centre for Sustainable Fashion.
You can start the course whenever you like and complete it at your own pace.
2. Understanding Fashion: From Business to Culture
Ever dreamed of studying fashion in Paris? Now is your chance! Well, the next best thing…
This 4-week fashion course is delivered by one of the most well respected Parisian fashion schools – the Institut Français de la Mode. It explores fashion, culture, society, and business with industry experts from YSL, Chanel, Hermès, Paul Smith, and more.
The course is delivered by Benjamin Simmenauer, a permanent professor at Institut Français de la Mode and is ideal for marketing students or anyone interested in deepening their knowledge of the fashion industry.
The course runs on demand so you can start at any time. Plan to study for around 3 hours a week to complete the course within 4 weeks.
3. Innovation: The Fashion Industry
University of Leeds
Innovation is central to the success of some of the world’s biggest fashion brands. This 2-week course uses Marks & Spencer as a case study to explore innovation in product development including fabrics, design, and incremental innovation.
You’ll have the opportunity to research and report on a fashion garment of your choice, and learn more about how innovation in the fashion industry is driven by research at universities and independent organisations.
The course is led by Dan Trowsdale, a Senior Teaching Fellow at the University of Leeds with personal interest in design, innovation, and creativity.
You can start the course immediately and learn at your own pace. Expect to put in 2 hours a week to finish the course in 2 weeks.
4. A History of Royal Fashion
The University of Glasgow
The outfits that royals wear in public have influenced fashion trends for hundreds of years. This course, run in partnership with Historic Royal Palaces, explores the wardrobes of British kings and queens from the Tudors, Stuarts, and Georgians, to the Victorians and Windsors.
You’ll be introduced to the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection and go behind the scenes at the Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace, and Kensington Palace.
Presented by Sally Tuckett, lecturer in dress and textile histories at the University of Glasgow, Eleri Lynn, Curator of the Dress Collection at Historic Royal Palace, Victoria Price, senior lecturer in early modern theatre and drama at the University of Glasgow, and others, this is an ideal course for fashion and royal enthusiasts alike.
You can start this 5-week course at any time and complete it in around 5 weeks, studying for 4 hours a week.
5. Who Made My Clothes?
University of Exeter
Ethics in fashion is becoming a huge topic as more people realise the conditions in which cheap fast fashion is produced.
This 3-week course delves into the hidden background of the global fashion industry and will teach you how to understand who made your clothes and provide tools for spreading this knowledge and influencing the fashion industry as a whole.
The course is run by Ian Cook from the University of Exeter, and Verity Jones, senior lecturer in Global and Sustainable Education at the University of the West of England. The course was created in conjunction with Fashion Revolution – a non-profit that was founded in the aftermath of the collapse of the Rana Plaza garment factory in Bangladesh.
You can start the course immediately and learn at your own pace. 4 hours of study each week is recommended.
