Fostering values of creativity and sustainability in fashion design education: Iceland Academy of the Arts collaborates with the Clothes Donation Center of the Icelandic Red Cross.
 
It has become clear that the current ways and systems will destroy us and that change in consumption and recycling will be a bigger part of our lives. This does not mean limiting creativity by any means. On the contrary. We have more use for creativity and knowledge now, than perhaps ever before. Morph is conceived in reaction to our findings after looking into the predominant pattern of consumption of textile and clothing in western societies.
 
The throw-away culture of the fashion and textile industry is extremely wasteful and is damaging to our environment.
 

An alternative way to providing novelty and innovation in fashion is to work with existing fabrics in an inventive way and up-cycle clothes that have for some reason fallen out of favour.

 
This process awakes questions of value and quality of materials and details, nurturing a new way of seeing the world and taking action which is essential for sustainability. The project Morph, at the Fashion Design Course at the Iceland Academy of the Arts, has been developed to address these issues. The project is designed in collaboration with the Clothes Donation Center of the Icelandic Red Cross.
 
In Morph we draw attention to how we are buying clothing, what has intrinsic value, what quickly becomes worthless and last but not least what can be up-cycled through creativity and knowledge. Nothing was bought new, the students worked only with castaways and leftovers to create something new and interesting.
 
Morph is presented in two volumes, Vol. 1 in form of a fashion show where each student shows three outfits and Vol. 2 an exhibition showcasing research and design and production process.
Humans will continue to crave new things and to express themselves through clothing but its time to look at how we can do that in a more sensible and meaningful way.  And this is one of many ways to do so.