News about COVID-19 involving Brazilian higher education in Fashion

Abstract

Faced with the COVID-19 pandemic, different Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) from all over Brazil have mobilized their infrastructures, employees from different areas, students and researchers to carry out numerous initiatives in order to minimize and overcome the negative effects of the disease. Among these, higher education courses in fashion, have participated in these initiatives, especially with regard to the production of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) of a textile nature. In this sense, the general objective of the article is to identify actions to confront COVID-19 adopted by higher education courses in fashion in Brazil. To this end, a documentary research was carried out in the virtual environment between the 25th and 29th of June 2020, considering 25 news items. As a result of the analysis, multidisciplinary actions were detected, developed in all Brazilian regions, by private and public institutions. The interdisciplinary nature of the actions includes research, extension and teaching activities, with an interface between the institutions, the State and civil society. The main pillar is the production of masks, however, other PPE and bedding sets for the health area were also checked. The resulting production of the actions was intended to supply the needs of the university community, as well as civil society and the health sector directly. The study becomes relevant as it proposes to make HEI initiatives visible in the face of the health crisis.