The Significant of Fashion Ethics Education on Young Fashion Designers and Entrepreneurs

Abstract

Nowadays, there is an emerging phenomenon of ethical and sustainability fashion, which contribute toward the development of good environment and more ethical fashion industry. Widely expected, the next generation, young fashion designers and entrepreneurs have more understanding about this issue. One way to spread the value is through ethical education, where fashion educators are projected to have an opportunity to prepare young fashion designers and entrepreneurs with right ethical paradigm and value to balance of economic, environmental and societal aspect. Consequently, the purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship and to understand the significant of ethical fashion education to young fashion designers and entrepreneurs’ value system and ethical behavior. The study used descriptive qualitative method, based on focus group discussion using purposive sampling. Data were collected from 6 young fashion designers and entrepreneurs, who graduated from Fashion Design and Business at Universitas Ciputra Surabaya and had ever attended fashion ethics class on their seventh semester. The proposed study explained that Fashion ethics education are important and give positive impact toward participants’ ethical value and behavior. Furthermore, some existing personal traits that came from family, as well as previous formal education, signifcantly influence people’s value system and ethical behaviour, which cause different impact and result of the program among participants. Meanwhile, religious background does not have significant influence on the result. In conclusion, Fashion ethics program has positive effect on young fashion designers and entrepreneurs’ ethical value and behavior.