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International Journal of Fashion Design, Technology

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The value of fashion design at universities

a
Kristina Shin
a
Editor-in-Chief The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong
Published online: 04 Mar 2014.

To cite this article: Kristina Shin (2014) The value of fashion design at universities, International Journal of Fashion Design,
Technology and Education, 7:1, 1-1, DOI: 10.1080/17543266.2014.882468

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17543266.2014.882468

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 International Journal of Fashion Design, Technology and Education, 2014
Vol. 7, No. 1, 1, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17543266.2014.882468
EDITORIAL
The value of fashion design at universities
Sir Ken Robinson (2006) gave a fascinating and entertain-
ing lecture entitled ‘How Schools Kill Creativity’. Even
as long ago as 2006, he concluded that the whole public
education system around the world is dominated by a pro-
tracted process of gaining university entrance, which has
as its ‘pinnacle’ the goal of producing university professors
Downloaded by [Queensland University of Technology] at 15:49 15 October 2014
with PhDs. As a result of selection processes based largely
on academic ability, he argued that typical academics can
sometimes be described as dis-embodied or detached from
the rest of the world. He also raised the issue of the extent to
which higher education should be geared towards meeting
the needs of modern society and industry, suggesting that
the status quo is that the more useful the discipline is for
obtaining a ‘safe’ career, the more that discipline is valued
in the education system. For example, subjects such as engi-
neering, which are likely to lead students to well paid jobs
remain at the top of the highly valued subject list by both
universities and society whilst the art subjects are often left
nearer the bottom of the hierarchy in terms of status.
Fashion design is largely producing students for com-
mercial companies rather than university professors. Fash-
ion designers add value to society in less tangible ways,
bringing colour, depth and pleasure to our world. They
make significant contributions to national economies, and of
course the taxes this generates help towards establishing and
maintaining universities and with paying for professorial
salaries!
Robinson’s (2006) lecture is an eloquent argument for
the importance of disciplines like fashion design in our
© 2014 Taylor & Francis
higher education system and confirmation of the crucial
role of artists, musicians, professors and commercial fash-
ion designers in enriching cultural life around the planet.
No discipline should be regarded as somehow ‘better’ than
any other, and we must defend the value of any discipline
that might be seen as somehow less academic or important
than another. They all contribute in their own way to the
richness of human experience and the depth of cultural and
societal life, and consequently they all have critical roles
to play.
Robinson (2006) concludes that the crucial issue is not to
stifle the creativity of our young people in any discipline, but
to ensure we continue to nurture and grow creative capac-
ities in all disciplines. This is an important message for us
all as we embark on a New Year with all the challenges,
triumphs and disappointments that might entail.
May I take this opportunity to wish all health, wealth
and happiness to our authors, reviewers, editorial board
members and our loyal readership.
Reference
Robinson, K. (2006, June). How schools kill creativity [Video file].
Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_
says_schools_kill_creativity.html
Kristina Shin
Editor-in-Chief
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong