Finding Value: Exploring Local Resources for Sustainable Fashion

Restriction on mobility and distribution processes in global trade after the Covid-19 pandemic is an action that teaches countries to bolster their economic resilience and local resources to make the fashion industry sustainable. Localism has been recognized as an important approach toward sustainable practice in fashion. This is because it supports the effort to reduce carbon emissions from the distribution and transportation of global trade, as well as promote visual diversity, economic resilience, and social engagement. Therefore, this study aimed to provide how universities try to explore the localism discourse through a project-based design studio. A one-semester design project was conducted in a studio using a localism theme at Universitas Ciputra Surabaya, Indonesia, in collaboration with the fashion design department at Rangsit University Bangkok, Thailand. It followed: (1) empirical observation during the design process as data collection methods, (2) critical analysis of the project’s results, and (3) critical analysis feedback from the expert to support the recommendations. The investigations yielded four (4) design suggestions for designers, along with a corresponding procedure for their implementation. The results were intended to serve as inspirations and guidelines for fashion designers who wish to incorporate localism themes in their designs.