Are you a third or fourth year undergraduate student or in your first year of graduate studies? Are you interested in working with sustainable textiles? Join Make Change Studio (formerly Business of Design), an innovative interdisciplinary program co-offered by Shumka Centre at Emily Carr and Simon Fraser University and launch your own venture!

Make Change Studio combines business and design principles to teach students how to develop a design-led, socially responsible venture that delivers products and services to real customers.

Titled “Make Change Studio: (Re) Fashioning the Local Textile Industry”, the 2019 – 2020 program will focus on the sustainable textile industry in Vancouver and engage two local experts in textiles and clothing — Emily Smith (co-founder of Vancouver MiniMaker Faire and founder of Vancouver Fibreshed) and Stephanie Ostler (founder and CEO of Devil May Wear).

Spanning across Fall 2019 – Summer 2020, the program is delivered in 3 terms. The first term will focus on research through making and connecting with industry, the second on iterating and prototyping design-led businesses and propositions, and the third term on launching a design-led venture.

Through this exciting opportunity, students from Emily Carr and SFU will work together to unpack some of the issues, challenges and opportunities in Vancouver’s textile and apparel industry. The program will create and bring together textile entrepreneurs, and form an ecosystem of local opportunities, environmentally-responsible ventures, products, and/or propositions.

Emily Carr University students are welcome to take any or all of the courses offered throughout the program. The courses will count as Directed Studies.

Fall 2019 and Spring 2020 sections are open to Design students only. Summer 2020 intensive is open to all students.

Questions? Please contact Cemre Demiralp, Coordinator at shumka@ecuad.ca.

Program Timeline

Fall 2019

Introduction to Business of Design
Fridays, 1PM – 4PM at D2315

Throughout the semester, students will conduct research as they’re introduced to wicked problems relevant to the fashion and textiles industry. They will dive deep to unravel social, cultural, structural and political issues through a variety of perspectives including sustainability, making, and indigenous ways of knowing. Students will meet with local makers, research business models, and prototype in order to create an offering based on their discoveries.

Spring 2020

Iterating & Prototyping a Design-Led Business
Fridays, 1PM – 4PM at D2315

Throughout the semester, students will develop an understanding of ventures including: not for profit, community-based initiatives, sole proprietorship and for-profit enterprises. At the end, students will create multiple prototypes of design-led organizations, services, or initiatives that provide possibilities for a sustainable and socially responsible textile ecosystem that supports makers and communities over time.

Summer Intensive 2020

Launching a Design-Led Business
Wednesdays and Fridays, 8:30 AM – 5:30 PM (online)

In Summer 2020, students will design and launch new ventures that connect to and support a sustainable and socially responsible textile ecosystem. They will develop operating plans, marketing and communications strategies, pricing strategies and distribution mechanisms.

Eligibility

This opportunity is suitable for students who:

• Are in their 3rd or 4th year of undergraduate studies at Emily Carr University of Art + Design
• Are in their first year of graduate studies at Emily Carr University of Art + Design
• Have a GPA of 3.0 or higher

Emily Carr University students are welcome to take any or all of the courses offered throughout the program. This program will be registered as Directed Studies (elective, 3 credits per term).

How to Apply

To apply, please fill out this form.

Deadlines

Fall 2019: Friday, August 9, 2019
Spring 2020: Friday, December 6, 2019
Summer 2020: Friday, April 17, 2020