FASHIONTECH IN EVERY CLASSROOM
Students combine fashion and technology in a piece that they design from the ground up: learning design thinking, technology, and industry tools. Most importantly: they are using these skills to express themselves through their own stories in their communities.
MFEDU
Engineering + Fashion
MakeFashion Edu is an international non-profit working to promote learning through fashion and tech. Through hosting workshops, reach-out and push-in activities, and larger events, MakeFashion Edu sees providing access for young designers to industry and project-based learning as one way to pull local communities together.
MakeFashion Edu provides a year-round suite of education programs and support for K-12 educators and students.
MakeFashion Edu has proven to be a powerful entry point for students of all perspectives and backgrounds, but especially for girls who are hesitant to engage with science and technology subjects
ORIGIN STORY
MakeFashion Edu was born from a collaboration between two maker communities: MakeFashion, the Calgary wearable-technology collective that brings artists, designers, and technologists to the runway, and SteamHead, our maker-education nonprofit.
The story starts at the 2015 Shenzhen Maker Faire, organized by Erin Pan and Violet Su. Carrie Leung and James Simpson — looking, by all accounts, like two confused teachers peeking around — were spotted by Kevin Lau, co-founder and CEO of Chaihuo Makerspace, who asked them a few questions and then handed them front-row tickets to Shannon Hoover’s MakeFashion Runway Show.
The show was amazing. Carrie’s students had been building their own electronic accessories and outfits, and when she got back to their booth the next day, the students were already clamoring about MakeFashion — they had discovered its booth on their own while exploring the faire, and dragged their classmates back to ooh over the exhibit. Their excitement sent Carrie to meet Shannon, who had seen the students marveling at his work. The two quickly became great associates and friends, and Shannon and Maria Hoover advised Carrie on creating the program — their advice on the core of MakeFashion Edu, the runway, was invaluable.
Learn More
For the online course, current programs, runway events, course guides, and everything else MakeFashion Edu — visit the program’s home: