afterfashion

In response to increasing critical attention to the environmental and social impacts of the fashion industry, the BA (Hons) Critical Practice in Fashion Media (CPFM) programme at London College of Fashion launched afterfashion - an initiative designed to critically examine dominant practices in fashion production, consumption, and waste. Far from being a conventional academic project, afterfashion serves as a dynamic platform for activism, critical storytelling, and the speculative reimagining of fashion’s future systems.

As part of this initiative, CPFM invited The Or Foundation - an internationally recognised organisation based in Accra, Ghana - to participate in a series of collaborative events and learning experiences. The Or Foundation is known for its work in building a justice-led circular textiles economy through education, research, and direct action. Their involvement brought valuable insight into the global waste crisis and helped foster a more responsible and inclusive dialogue around fashion’s future.

What Is afterfashion?

afterfashion is a response to the urgent need for change in the global fashion system. It builds on CPFM’s 2024 curriculum project Critical Climate: Learning from the South, which aimed to centre voices from the Global South in fashion education. With afterfashion, the mission goes further, challenging the systems of power that underpin fashion waste and colonial legacies.

The initiative is rooted in fashion activism, speculative futures, and critical storytelling. It’s a space where students, researchers, and the public can engage with fashion not just as consumers, but as storytellers and change-makers.

What Is afterfashion?

afterfashion is a call to imagine a fashion system after ‘Big Fashion’ that is no longer wasteful or exploitative and breaks free from its colonial structures. In the words of Lola Olufemi, imaginative thinking is fuel; afterfashion is an experiment in imagining otherwise.

The Exhibition

Hosted in the Wolfson Gallery, the afterfashion exhibition brought together contributions from, The Or Foundation, BA Fashion Styling and Production, Level 3 Pre-degree courses in partnership with Sue Ryder and Central Saint Martins’ “The Ghana Project”. Staff and students on Critical Practice in Fashion Media created a collaborative text installation, that explored and critiqued our connection to fashion. It invited viewers to reflect on their relationship with clothing, intertwining thought-provoking questions with quotes from key texts studied on the course. This wasn’t a typical fashion showcase, it was a reflective, immersive space that invited visitors to confront the realities of fashion waste and imagine new possibilities.

Narrative Change Workshop

Led by Sophie Barr and LCF doctoral researcher Toyin Gbomedo, this workshop introduced the concept of “aeffect” - a fusion of affect and effect. Participants explored how emotional storytelling can shift perceptions and drive systemic change. Using a three-part narrative structure, they crafted stories that challenged the colonial and wasteful underpinnings of the fashion industry. One student noted, “For me it was quite an overwhelming day, in terms of emotion, passion and digestion of being faced with designer labels that had been found on the beaches of Ghana ... I felt honoured to be able to listen to the pivotal, inspirational members of such a pioneering charity, which is finding solutions for the mess which the global north has created for them”.

Panel Discussion

A sold-out panel event brought together an inspiring lineup, Daniel Mawuli Quist (The Or Foundation), Jeremy Hutchison (Artist), Amma Aburam (Style and Sustain and Ross Barry (Founder of Reskinned) and hosted by BA Critical Practice in Fashion Media Course Leader, Sophie Barr. The event drew a diverse crowd of students, staff, and fashion professionals. Jeremy Hutchison’s appearance as a “textile zombie” added a theatrical twist that sparked conversation and media buzz—including a feature in Show Studio’s weekly fashion round-up.

Why It Matters

afterfashion isn’t just about raising awareness - it’s about creating impact. afterfashion provided a platform for the Or Foundation to amplify their mission and brought together a network of individuals committed to tackling fashion’s waste crisis. It embedded new concepts like narrative strategy into the Critical Practice curriculum and inspired students to think critically and creatively about fashion’s future.

afterfashion is carving out a space where fashion isn’t just about style - it’s a tool for justice, creativity, and transformation.

Thanks to all who took part in making this wonderful week of activity happen!

For more information about The Or Foundation and follow @TheOrIsPresent

For more information about BA (Hons) Critical Practice in Fashion Media