These 19 Sustainable Fashion Online Courses Will Help Expand Your Conscious Fashion Knowledge
By Stella Hertantyo
Being a part of the sustainable fashion movement means continuously learning — about the world around us, about how we relate to our clothing, about the systemic power dynamics and drivers of the industry, and about ways we can work towards a more just fashion future. There are always ways to deepen our knowledge and, in turn, deepen our advocacy.
Plus, if you want to work in the sustainable fashion space, you have to understand what you are talking about — regardless of whether you have a degree or not. You don’t have to be an expert on everything, but having a broad base of knowledge so that you can apply these insights in your workplace is essential.
Whether you are a sustainable fashion enthusiast, entrepreneur, hobbyist, designer, or a curious person, here are a number of online sustainable fashion online courses on a range of topics — free and paid — to help you stay educated and aware.
Note: Prices are as stated based on the date of publishing and may have changed since.
General Sustainable Fashion Online Courses
Sustainability in the Fashion Industry
For transformative change to take hold in the fashion industry, sustainability needs to be embedded into every aspect of businesses — not limited to a sustainability team.
This Plan A crash course aims to help leadership, sustainability, and finance teams lead the way in aligning their company's sustainability strategy with the ever-evolving fashion legislative landscape and drive toward an industry that exists within planetary boundaries.
The course will lead you through understanding corporate sustainability, how to craft a sustainability strategy, ESG reporting and compliance, tools for structuring your company’s environmental data, industry-specific knowledge, and the pathway toward fashioning a sustainable future.
Give it a go if: You’re a CEO, founder, sustainability officer, or finance manager who is looking to align your company's sustainability strategy with the ever-evolving landscape of the fashion industry's journey towards greater sustainability.
Duration: Four main course components that can be completed at your own pace
Cost: Free
Completion Certificate: None
When it comes to reducing fashion’s impact, we know that what can’t be measured can’t be managed. With constant new developments in sustainable fashion regulations, accurate measurement and analyses are more important now than ever.
This Voiz Academy course equips you with a toolkit of skills to be able to measure a business’ impact and make decisions about how to embed sustainability into the business model.
From learning to assess and improve the circularity of products, ESG reporting and strategy, Life Cycle Analyses, circularity assessments, an introduction to net-zero, and more, this course takes sustainability implementation to the next level.
Plus, being able to conduct Life Cycle Assessments is one of the most in-demand conscious fashion skills. So if you are looking to pivot into the conscious fashion space, this course will put you in good standing.
While this course isn’t specific to fashion, the applications of the skills taught are imperative for transforming the fashion industry. Several cohorts are accepted per year, so keep an eye out for upcoming course dates.
Give it a go if: You’re looking to pivot into a career in sustainability and learn technical skills that will enable you to help businesses become more sustainable and ethical across their supply chain. Or if you already work in a sustainability role, but want to level up your skills to keep up with the ever-changing sustainability landscape.
Duration: 8 weeks (6-8 hours per week)
Cost: $1 245 (partial scholarships available)
Completion Certificate: Sustainability Analyst Certification
This FutureLearn course offered by the University of the Arts London and Kering reveals the issues, agendas, and contexts surrounding fashion and sustainability, and catalyzes you to develop strategies to improve the industry.
The content covers the concepts of Planetary Boundaries and Human Equality in the context of the fashion industry and how social sustainability and ethics are currently treated in luxury fashion businesses. At the end of the sustainable fashion course online, you’ll embark on a practical design challenge based on one of four sustainability agendas and your own manifesto.
Give it a go if: You’re curious to gain insight into the world of luxury fashion and take a deep dive into the inner workings of the sustainable fashion industry.
Duration: 6 weeks (3 hours per week)
Cost: $134 (limited access is free)
Completion Certificate: Printed & digital for full access paid option
Fashion is an integral part of the global economy. Yet we know that fashion’s biggest sustainability issue is the fast fashion business model. This business model prioritizes profit above all, and in the process puts communities and natural ecosystems at risk. So it’s time we rethink the business of fashion.
This FutureLearn course offered by the University of the Arts London probes participants to think beyond the take-make-waste business model and imagine new ways of structuring fashion economics that are less extractive and more reciprocal.
The course content guides participants through understanding alternative economic models, business models for sustainable prosperity, and how to use design thinking to radically rethink fashion economies.
Give it a go if: You’re interested in learning about the connections between economics, fashion, people, and nature. And you want to explore alternative economic models and how we can create wellbeing economies that don’t significantly harm people and the planet.
Duration: 4 weeks (3 hours per week)
Cost: $134 (limited access is free)
Completion Certificate: Printed & digital for full access paid option
We know all too well that natural systems sustain life on Earth by providing us with air, water, soil, and minerals. And yet the fashion industry treats these natural systems as disposable in pursuit of endless growth. This needs to change.
This FutureLearn course offered by the University of the Arts London takes participants through the process of gaining knowledge, skills, and connections to reimagine what a fashion industry that puts nature first would look like in practice.
First the course content takes you through fashion’s impact on nature and biodiversity. This is followed by a design thinking component which helps you develop a fashion product, service, or system that supports the restoration and regeneration of nature.
Give it a go if: You’re keen to learn about the connections between fashion and biodiversity while figuring out how we can create fashion systems that work in harmony with the natural world.
Duration: 4 weeks (3 hours per week)
Cost: $134 (limited access is free)
Completion Certificate: Printed & digital for full access paid option
Fashion is rife with social injustice — from a distinct lack of labor rights to child labor, waste colonialism, and vast cases of exploitation across the supply chain.
The sustainable fashion movement would not be what it is today without fashion activism and activist organizations who are demanding a radical reimagination of our fashion system. Activists push us to question the material foundations of our societies and demand justice on all fronts.
This FutureLearn course offered by the University of the Arts London helps participants understand how fashion can be used as a force for good, and how activism can be used to challenge fashion’s status quo. Participants will be inspired by intersectional perspectives from activists around the world while learning from historical and contemporary case studies and resources.
Give it a go if: You’re curious about the connections between fashion and social systems. And you’d like to learn how fashion activism can be used as a tool to address a range of social injustices.
Duration: 4 weeks (3 hours per week)
Cost: $134 (limited access is free)
Completion Certificate: Printed & digital for full access paid option
The Sustainable Development Goals are often used as a guiding pathway to a better future. But what do they mean in the context of fashion?
Curated by Fashion Revolution and hosted on FutureLearn, you’ll gain an understanding of what the Sustainable Development Goals are, and how improvements in global fashion supply chains and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals are linked.
The closing of the course explores global consumption habits as a key driver of many of the fashion industry’s social and environmental impacts and discusses the potential solutions and practical actions we can take.
Give it a go if: You’d like to learn more about the sustainable development goals, their role in fashion, and how you can contribute through your own wardrobe choices.
Duration: 4 weeks (3 hours per week)
Cost: $134 (limited access is free)
Completion Certificate: Printed & digital for full access paid option
Sustainable & Circular Design Courses
Introduction to Upcycling
If you've ever been curious about what upcycling means in practice, this is your sign to give it a go! In fashion designer Ximena Corcuera’s Domestika course, you’ll be guided through your first upcycling project.
Corcuera’s design philosophy seeks to make people aware of the social and environmental impacts of the materials we design with and the endless possibilities offered by upcycling. For the final project, you’ll create a sweater by applying a weaving upcycling technique that allows you to make new garments from old ones.
[Course is in Spanish with English subtitles.]
Give it a go if: You’ve ever wanted to give upcycling a try, but didn’t know where to start.
Duration: 14 lessons (2.5 hours)
Cost: $60 (often on sale, prices as low as $20)
Completion Certificate: Custom certificate for Domestika Plus or PRO members
Part of learning to upcycle is about learning to envision how you can turn everyday textiles — curtains, pillowcases, tea towels, or even tablecloths — into unique garments.
Fashion designer Selina Sanders is the founder of her namesake brand specializing in one-of-a-kind upcycled garments and accessories. Now she is offering this upcycling course on Domestika to share her practical wisdoms, and the joys of upcycling, with others.
For the final project, you’ll learn how to design and make your own puff sleeve top from scratch using existing materials and simple sewing techniques.
Give it a go if: You're interested in breathing new life into old textiles by learning how to cut, assemble, sew, and customize unique garments using existing materials.
Duration: 18 lessons (4 hours)
Cost: $60 (sale prices as low as $13)
Completion Certificate: Custom certificate for Domestika Plus or PRO members
We hear the term “sustainable fashion” all the time. But what does this entail when designing? Accessible to anyone with a curious mind, this London College of Fashion sustainable fashion course online offers an exploration of problems, solutions, and strategies in fashion design, supply chain, materials, and product life cycles.
Each week a new aspect of the industry will be unpacked including material knowledge, circularity strategies, design thinking, cultural appropriation, diversity, and ideals of beauty in fashion.
The course is led by Noorin Khamisani — a fashion designer, educator, and researcher focused on design for sustainability, informed by two decades of professional practice. While offered online, the course includes projects that will help participants gain a hands-on understanding.
Give it a go if: You’re a fashion designer, fashion student, or fashion enthusiast who wants to gain a greater understanding of what sustainable fashion design means in practice.
Duration: 6 weeks (1.5 hours per week)
Cost: £480
Completion Certificate: Course Certificate from London College of Fashion
Redress, which hosts the world's largest sustainable fashion design competition, offers an online sustainable fashion course online for anyone curious to deepen their knowledge of circular design strategies and techniques.
The course covers a range of essential topics, including circular design (low-waste, longevity, low-impact materials and processes, and recyclability), building a sustainable brand (transparency, scalability vs replicability, marketing, financials), and innovating for circular fashion (digital fashion and circular technology).
You’ll also hear practical tips from leading industry experts such as Orsola de Castro of Fashion Revolution and Brittany Burns of Fashion For Good.
Give it a go if: You're interested in learning about circular design, how to build a circular brand, innovate for circularity in fashion, or want to enter the Redress Design Award competition.
Duration: Self-study at your own pace (6-8 hours)
Cost: Free when applying for Redress Design Awards
Completion Certificate: Certificate for participants who pass the end-of-course quiz with a score 80%+
Courses on Sustainable Sourcing
Sustainable Sourcing for Fashion
Where and how materials are sourced — and ensuring this process is sustainable and ethical — is an essential element of conscious fashion.
Offered through Central Saint Martins, this sustainable fashion online course covers all aspects of sustainability with special emphasis on standards, traceability, and verifications to help you with sustainable fashion management.
It's led by Katherine Soucie — a designer, lecturer, and Ph.D. candidate at Kingston University London in sustainable practices. Soucie's research is driven by a long-term engagement with sustainable fashion and textile processes with a focus on waste diversion, regenerative upcycling, craft, and material activism.
Give it a go if: You want insights into the sourcing, systems, and sustainable fashion management practices needed to foster truly sustainable fashion brands.
Duration: 4 weeks (1.5 hours per week)
Cost: £380
Completion Certificate: Course Certificate from London College of Fashion
Entrepreneurship and Marketing
The Launch Your Brand Course
Recloseted is a sustainable fashion consultancy equipped with the ideal skills and connections to help you launch and scale your conscious fashion business. They even say that their course can take you from idea to a $20,000+ launch in 6 months.
All you need to begin this sustainable fashion online course is an idea and the determination to launch your brand. The course includes 4 modules with 100+ lessons covering your business setup, product design and production, funding and finances, marketing and branding, and launch strategy and execution.
In the process, you’ll also have access to Recloseted’s vetted database of worldwide sustainable mills and materials, template and graphics library, and a live master FAQ document so you get all your questions answered.
Give it a go if: You have a sustainable fashion business idea, but no idea how to bring it to life.
Duration: 6 months (6 hours per week)
Cost: $1998
Completion Certificate: None
Factory45 is an online business school and immersive personalized mentorship experience trusted by over 500 fashion entrepreneurs since 2014. With over 8 years of industry mentoring experience, founder Shannon Lohr has worked with aspiring designers, all over the globe, to launch or grow their brands in a way that’s better for people and the planet.
Now, she's created the Factory45 Business School to share those insights with other aspiring sustainable fashion entrepreneurs. The school will help you make your innovative ideas a reality — without VC funding or tens of thousands of dollars to invest.
You’ll learn how to source fabric, set up manufacturing, and raise money to launch your brand, even if you don’t have a fashion background. With weekly classes, co-working opportunities, alumni mentors, on-demand text messaging, and a private community, this online school will set your business up for success.
Give it a go if: You want to know exactly what it takes to launch a sustainable fashion brand and how to do it in a more environmentally conscious and affordable way.
Duration: 1 year
Cost: $5988
Completion Certificate: None
After having dreamed up, established, and run an ultra slow fashion brand, Buena Onda, founder Farah Ragheb realized that she wanted to share these learnings with other entrepreneurs and professionals who are looking for clear insights and actionable steps to take in the pursuit of slowness.
Now, Ragheb has established the Slow Living Academy which offers a 3-week masterclass that teaches their Simplified Model™ — the model on which Buena Onda is based — and helps participants design a lifestyle and career that aligns with slow living. It is designed on four core principles: simplicity, innovation, connection, and giving back.
Each session is taught live by Farah. You’ll learn alongside a community of global beings in real-time. You’ll take part in open discussions, grow your network and build new connections in pursuit of lifestyle balance alongside professional success.
Give it a go if: You’d like to learn the building blocks of a new mindset — a way of living that is in tune with your nature, bringing balance, and energy to every aspect of your life.
Duration: 3 weeks (2 hours per week)
Cost: $395
Completion Certificate: N/A
Natural Dyeing
Textile Dyeing With Natural Pigments
Natural dyeing is an ancient and enchanting practice. And as we become aware of the harms of toxic synthetic dyes used in the fashion industry, returning to natural dyes is more urgent than ever.
If you're curious about the practicalities of natural dyeing, this Domestika course offered by Mexican textile artist Anabel Torres — founder of Antesis — will put you on the right path.
You’ll learn to dye your skeins, first using vegetable pigments, then earth and clays, cochineal, and, finally, indigo. Torres teaches you how to prepare the fibers for dyeing, separate the samples, and record the information about each of them and their pigments in your own textile logbook for future projects.
[Course is in Spanish with English subtitles.]
Give it a go if: You want to learn how to dye textiles with natural and sustainable processes.
Duration: 14 lessons (1.5 hours)
Cost: $60 (sale prices as low as $15)
Completion Certificate: Custom certificate for Domestika Plus or PRO members
Offered through Skillshare, this short course teaches the basics of natural dyeing using only ingredients found in most kitchens: onion skins, turmeric, and black tea.
Guided by Geraldine Lavin — herbalist, farmer, and botanical dyer — participants will learn to upcycle old garments or drab linens by adding beautiful, natural colors that are stylish and sustainable.
Note: The mordanting step is skipped in this class to keep the process kitchen safe. This means the color may fade with washing and sun exposure, but can offer us a lesson in loving our clothing throughout its changes!
Give it a go if: You're a first-time botanical dyer seeking a quick introduction to the world of sustainable color.
Duration: 6 lessons (30 minutes)
Cost: Free on the trial version of Skillshare
Completion Certificate: None
Cultural Sustainability
Cultural Sustainability Academy
While we often discuss social and environmental sustainability, cultural sustainability is less discussed — but just as essential — the foundation of a just fashion future. The Cultural Sustainability Academy is a first-of-its-kind holistic learning experience designed and facilitated by the Cultural Intellectual Property Rights Initiative.
This 6-week program bridges the knowledge gap in the fashion industry between commercial practice and culturally sustainable practice, addressing cultural responsibility in supply chains from the perspectives of artisans and Traditional Knowledge System actors as rights holders.
The program covers 5 core pillars: craftsmanship and craft innovation, research and academia, design and technology, activism and communication, and law and cultural heritage. Upon completion, participants become members of the CSA Alumni Network for life.
Give it a go if: You'd like to embed cultural sustainability in your organization, project, or business.
Duration: 6 weeks
Cost: $1870
Completion Certificate: Graduation Certificate with hand-embroidered Cultural Sustainability Seal
Fashion is deeply connected to culture. Inspiring a cultural shift that encourages us to rethink the relationship we have with our clothing and systems of production and consumption is a key element of fashion systems change.
This FutureLearn course offered by the University of the Arts London dives into how to find and tell stories of cultural ingenuity and creativity with fashion. Exploring the cultural elements of fashion exposes us to how many different ways there are to engage with conscious fashion and the ancient origins of many of these conscious practices. Telling these stories can shift minds and hearts.
The course content covers the role fashion plays in meaning-making in our everyday lives, fashion history, design thinking, and how to develop stories that ignite new fashion narratives.
Give it a go if: You’re curious about how you can use storytelling to rewrite outdated fashion narratives and contribute to creating a more just, inclusive, and sustainable fashion ecosystem.
Duration: 4 weeks (3 hours per week)
Cost: $134 (limited access is free)
Completion Certificate: Printed & digital for full access paid option
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About the Author:
Stella Hertantyo is a slow fashion and slow living enthusiast based in Cape Town, South Africa. Stella finds solace in words as a medium for sharing ideas and encouraging a cultural shift that welcomes systems change and deepens our collective connection to the world around us. She is passionate about encouraging an approach to sustainability, and social and environmental justice, that is inclusive, intersectional, accessible, and fun.
Stella holds a B.A. Multimedia Journalism from the University of Cape Town, and a PGDip in Sustainable Development from the Sustainability Institute. She currently works as a writer, editor, and social media manager. When she is not in front of her laptop, a dip in the ocean, or a walk in the mountains, are the two things that bring her the most peace.
