Students from our Fashion Marketing and Promotion course recently participated in the Wear Your Culture event. Organised by course leader Imad Guenane, the event not only celebrated the end of a busy semester but also provided a unique opportunity to embrace the cultural diversity within the course.

During this celebratory event, students were encouraged to wear their best fashion outfits or items that reflected their culture. The global fashion representation was rich and varied, including participants from Algeria, Germany, England, Scotland, Kazakhstan, India, Turkey, Switzerland, and Vietnam. Beyond merely representing a country, students shared stories, traditions, and heritages that added depth and significance to their fashions.

In the spirit of expanding this celebration beyond the university, first-year students from the Fashion Marketing and Promotion BA our collaborating with our wider community, Brent Council to engage in “We Wear Heritage.” This collaborative initiative is an integral part of Brent CVs’ year-long celebration, uniting over 52 ethnic minority organisations in a culturally diverse environment. The We Wear Heritage project will support Brent organisations to develop and deliver their own local heritage projects focused on the heritage of traditional clothes and attire.

Students from the course will actively participate in various projects over the next year. Their involvement will cover different aspects including digital marketing, collaboration with the different ethnic groups to showcase their traditional outfits, PR and social media, creative writing, content creation and the coordination and delivery of a fashion show.  

Students are currently involved in a community-based project focused on sustainability, equality, diversity, and support for developing countries. In collaboration with Algerian fashion brand Bophonysse, students are working in groups to co-create a new sustainable line based on the brand’s debut collection Coral Clear. This collection, inspired by visionary designer Badra’s Berber and Algerian heritage, is featured in a short film by Harvey Marcus. The film recently earned the Best Costume Design award at prestigious events such as the Cannes Film Festival, Tokyo International Film Festival, and Art Stream. It was also nominated for Best Fashion Look book at the London Fashion Film Festival.

Assigned as Junior Marketing Consultants, students collaborated with Badra Cherifi, Brand Manager, to develop a 4–5-piece sustainable capsule collection, drawing inspiration from the cultural heritage of North Africa, specifically Algeria. Proceeds from the collection will support a local charity benefiting Women’s arts in the Algerian Sahara.

Utilising AI-generated images from tools like BlueWillow, mid-journey, and Microsoft Designer, students gained inspiration and ideas. They also attended workshops at Bophonysse studios in Wembley for additional support and inspiration.

Badra will assess the student collections, and the most outstanding one will be showcased on the catwalk in Algeria later this year.

Badra commented “Working with the fashion marketing students has been an extremely fascinating experience. I was amazed to see such incredible creativity from young talents. They have greatly inspired me to produce pieces that resonate with their creations.”

Imad Guenane, Course Leader for the Fashion Marketing and Promotion BA, said “On this course, we strive to make our students global citizens by instilling the importance of sustainability, equality, diversity and community engagement. The work with Badra Cherifi allowed students to discover a new culture. It supported women in arts in southern Algeria using the latest technological tools such as  Artificial intelligence, NFTS, 3D images and augmented reality. Our course continuously examines how to embed the latest technology and the UN sustainability goals in our curriculum. We also consult with students about what they want to learn and how to make the best of their learning journey.”

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