BLACK PEARL believes education crucially shapes a sustainable, resilient future. Investing in sustainability education tackles urgent action needs while presenting risk mitigation, innovation, and social impact opportunities. We deepen sustainability understanding through social and environmental lenses via educational avenues.
Together with brilliant minds from around the world, our founder Samata Pattinson has contributed to curriculum development for the Institute for Sustainability Leadership at the University of Cambridge and shared knowledge at esteemed academic institutions such as Yale School of Environment, Fashion Institute of Technology, Berkeley (New York), and Central St Martins (London) across design, fashion, music, entertainment and education sectors. Our efforts encompass the following, for businesses and citizens:
– Development of Educational Curricula
– Speaking Engagements
– Educational Resources
– Insightful Research and Papers
CASE STUDIES OF OUR WORK: Overheated 2023 | The Academy Lunch & Learn | The Academy Sustainable Style Guide for 96th Annual Academy Awards | Case Study Style Guide
BLACK PEARL educates about the following aspects of apparel design:
Sustainable Product Design: A holistic approach to creating environmentally responsible products throughout their life cycle, from conception to disposal.
Circularity, Responsible Consumption, and Recycling: Embracing circular economies, encouraging responsible consumption, managing end-of-life products, promoting reuse, and maximizing recycling efforts.
Sustainability Communications: Effectively conveying sustainability messages, strategies, and initiatives to stakeholders, fostering understanding and prompting positive action.
Human Rights & Social Justice: Advocating for fair labor practices, social equality, and justice within sustainable practices in the fashion industry.
Environmental Impact: Evaluating the impact of actions, products, or processes on the environment, focusing on mitigating negative impacts and enhancing positive ones.
Innovative Materials and Technologies: Exploring emerging materials and technologies to transform sustainability practices in apparel and design industries.
Biodiversity: Understanding the variety of living organisms within ecosystems and the importance of preserving diverse biological systems for sustainable living.
Climate: Covering topics related to climate change, its environmental impact, and mitigation strategies, especially within the design and apparel industry.
Considering Global Perspectives in Sustainable Design Education
With BLACK PEARL, we believe that education should encompass history, theory, and practical application, embracing perspectives from both the Global South and Global North to demonstrate appreciation for the rich cultural heritage and diversity across the global apparel industry.
Our flagship curriculum, ‘Thread of Change’, is a visionary sustainable design education curriculum conceptualized by BLACK PEARL CEO Samata Pattinson and Indian designer-educator Sanah Sharma. Developing a comprehensive global south perspective curriculum, it caters to diverse backgrounds, focusing on emerging designers and creatives in underserved areas, recognising current teachings’ lack of representation of differing frameworks, financial infrastructure, local practices, and cultural contexts outside global north and ‘Western’ fashion capitals.
BLACK PEARL seeks partners and investors to support this pioneering project through our Fund. We’re excited to forge academic relationships and deliver these comprehensive programs. To learn more or get involved, reach out to hello@withblackpearl.com.
