Next calls dossier

Fashion Education in Brazil: Challenges and Opportunities

  • Submissions: July to December 2025
  • Publication: July 2026

The relevance of Fashion studies in Brazil is multifaceted, reflecting its growing importance as an academic and professional field. Since the 1990s, significant changes have occurred, driving the legitimization of Fashion as a domain for analyzing artistic, cultural, economic, and political discourses. However, numerous challenges persist in Fashion education in Brazil, such as the scarcity of archives and museums, the implementation of distance learning, and the integration of extension activities into course curricula. Nonetheless, this scenario also presents unique opportunities, given the country’s cultural diversity. Academic studies highlight notable contributions to the development of new perspectives on Fashion education and the Fashion system itself, which, in turn, engages with culture, society, and the economy.

Moreover, sustainability and the circular economy have become central themes in Fashion education, reflecting a shift toward more eco-friendly consumption behaviors. Fashion programs have increasingly sought to incorporate sustainable principles and circular economy concepts into student training, aiming to prepare them for careers aligned with innovative markets and specialized niches. Consequently, technical schools and universities are focusing on educating more conscious fashion professionals, committed to sustainable practices that value cultural diversity in the workforce and the market. This approach enables the renewal of fashion professionals in response to the challenges of the contemporary world.

Fashion education has been striving to reinvent itself in the face of current challenges by revising pedagogical practices, implementing curricular reforms, and exploring new approaches to the profound sociocultural and technological transformations of our time. Thus, Fashion studies in Brazil are not only essential for training highly qualified professionals but also for fostering a more ethical, conscious, and responsible fashion industry.

This dossier aims to bring together research, discussions, and forces that drive the complex and transversal dialogue in Fashion education. Contributions are welcome on the following topics:

  • Decolonial studies and perspectives in Fashion education;
  • Teaching practices, experiences, and methodologies in the Fashion field;
  • Methods of teaching and learning in Fashion;
  • Studies on Fashion curricula in Brazil and worldwide;
  • Challenges of incorporating extension programs into curricula following Resolution CNE/CES No. 7 of December 18, 2018;
  • Distance learning and its impact on the Fashion field;
  • The use of new technologies in Fashion education and related fields;
  • The fashion market and its interactions with university projects;
  • Political and socio-environmental responsibility in Fashion education practices;
  • Fashion and interdisciplinarity;
  • Fashion as an identity representation in educational contexts;
  • Management and innovation in Fashion education.

References:

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BENJAMIN, Walter. Magia e técnica, arte e política: ensaios sobre literatura e história da cultura. São Paulo: Editora Brasiliense, 1987, p. 223.

BORGES, Luiz C.; GODIM, Lourdes. O saber do mito: Conhecimento e inventividade indígenas. Rio de Janeiro: Editora Teatral, 2003. 

GOFFMAN, Erving. A representação do eu na vida cotidiana. (1959). Petrópolis: Vozes, 2014.

GONZALEZ, Lélia. Por um feminismo afro-latino-americano. Rio de Janeiro: Zahar, 2020.

GWILT, Alison. Moda Sustentável. São Paulo: GG Brasil, 2015.

KRENAK, Ailton. Ideias para adiar o fim do mundo. São Paulo: Companhia das Letras, 2019.

MANZINI, Ezio. Design para inovação social e sustentabilidade: comunidades criativas, organizações colaborativas e novas redes projetuais. Rio de Janeiro: E-papers, 2008.

MEMMI, Albert. Retrato do colonizado precedido pelo retrato do colonizador. 2.ed. Rio de Janeiro: Paz e Terra, 1977. 

MICHETTI, Miqueli. Moda brasileira e mundialização. São Paulo: Annablume/FAPESP, 2015.

PRECIOSA, Rosane. Rumores discretos da subjetividade: sujeito e escritura em processo. Editora UFRGS: Porto Alegre, 2010. 

RUFINO, Luiz. Pedagogias da encruzilhada. Mórula: Rio de Janeiro, 2019.

SALCEDO, Elena. Moda ética para um futuro sustentável. São Paulo: GG Brasil, 2014.

SANCHES, Maria Celeste de Fátima. Moda e projeto: estratégias metodológicas em design. São Paulo: Estação das Letras e Cores, 2017.

SANTOS, Antônio Bispo dos. Colonização, quilombos: modos e significados. Brasília: Claridade, INCTI/UnB, 2015. 

SEIVEWRIGHT, Simon. Pesquisa e design – 2 ed. Porto Alegre: Bookman, 2015.

TREPTOW, Doris. Inventando moda: planejamento de coleção. Doris Treptow –5 ed. São Paulo: Edição da autora, 2013. 

WILLIAM, Rodney. Apropriação cultural. São Paulo: Pólen, 2019.

VERGUEIRO, Viviane. Sou travestis: estudando a cisgeneridade como uma possibilidade decolonial. Brasília: padê editorial, 2018.

VIDAL, Julia (organizadora). Cosmovisões X Moda: Qual é a sua tendência? Contribuições e proposições para uma moda étnica e ética. Rio de Janeiro: Editora Universidade Indígena, 2020.

ZORDAN, Paola Basso Menna Barreto Gomes; HOFFMANN, Ana Cleia Christovam. Artes de si no magistério: o Dândi educador. ETD - Educação Temática Digital, Campinas, SP, v. 21, n. 2, p. 530–545, 2019. 

 

Editors:

Dr. Ana Cleia Christovam Hoffman (Universidade Feevale – Novo Hamburgo/RS)
Ana is the creator of a cartographic approach to fashion, exploring clothing and imagery. She holds a Ph.D. and a Master’s degree in Education from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), with a specialization in Art Pedagogy from the same institution. She also has a Bachelor's degree in Fashion Design from Universidade Feevale. Ana is an Associate Professor and researcher at Universidade Feevale, working in the Graduate Program in Cultural Processes and Manifestations and the undergraduate Fashion program. She supervises scientific initiation students funded by CNPq and FAPERGS. She is also a guest professor in the Graduate Program in Education at UFRGS, within the research line "Philosophies of Difference." As a researcher, Ana is affiliated with the research group "Languages and Cultural Manifestations" (Universidade Feevale) and collaborates with the research groups "Escrileituras, Artistagens e Variações" (FACED/UFRGS), "Gender and Diversity" (UERGS), and "History of Art and Fashion Culture" (UFRGS/CNPq). She is actively involved in community projects through Nutal/UFRGS – the Transdisciplinary Art and Madness Center – organizing activities in the Creativity Workshop at São Pedro Psychiatric Hospital. Additionally, she serves as a Yoga instructor at Porto Alegre’s Madre Pelletier Women’s Penitentiary through the Ananda Marga International Organization. Ana is a reviewer for major scientific journals across Brazil and a member of the Science and Research Committee of the International Organization of Folklore and Popular Arts (IOV Brasil). She is also a performer, fashion producer, and costume designer, having worked on costume projects for major theater companies in Porto Alegre, authorial performance art projects, and as a fashion producer for brands from the Serra Gaúcha region. Her research is regularly published in scientific journals.

Dr. Maria de Fátima Mattos (Centro Universitário Moura Lacerda - Ribeirão Preto/SP)
Maria holds a Ph.D. in Arts (Art History) from the School of Communications and Arts at the University of São Paulo (ECA/USP) and a Master’s degree in History from UNESP/Franca. She has teaching degrees in Art Education, Music, Drawing, and Pedagogy, as well as a Bachelor's degree in Music from the University of Ribeirão Preto (UNAERP). She has taught Music Education and Art Education at elementary and high school levels and currently serves as a professor in the Fashion and Architecture & Urbanism programs at Centro Universitário Moura Lacerda, where she teaches Aesthetics and Art History, Brazilian Art History, and Design History. Maria has extensive experience in postgraduate education (lato sensu), with a focus on the History of Domestic Spaces, Modern Art, and Material Culture. She previously worked as a professor and researcher in the Master’s in Education program (PPGE) from 2006 to 2021. Maria is an evaluator of higher education programs and institutions for INEP/MEC. Her research interests include Education, the History of School Institutions, School Culture, Fashion and Women’s Education in the 19th and 20th centuries, Vocational Schools, and Handicrafts. She is the founder of the Fashion Colloquium (2005) and currently serves as the Director of the Brazilian Association for Fashion Studies and Research (Abepem). Additionally, she is a researcher and Vice President of the São Paulo Institute of Creative Cities and Cultural Identities (IPCCIC) and a member of the Ribeirão Preto Academy of Education (ARE), where she holds Chair 26.

Dr. Rosane Muniz Rocha (Faculdade de Belas Artes de São Paulo – Febasp)
Ph.D. (2016) and Master’s (2008) in Performing Arts from the School of Communications and Arts at the University of São Paulo. She earned a Bachelor's degree (2001) in Journalism from Universidade Anhembi Morumbi and specialized (2005) in Cultural Journalism at PUC-SP. Entering the artistic field in 1982, she has worked in professional theater since 1993. After seven years as an actress, she transitioned to specialized research in Costume Design. She is the author of the investigative book Vestindo os Nus – O Figurino em Cena (Ed. Senac Rio, 2004), which contextualizes the significance of costume designers through the perspectives of professionals from diverse backgrounds working in Brazilian theater. She is a faculty member in the Graduate Program in Set Design and Costume Design at Centro Universitário Belas Artes, the Graduate Program in Art Direction at Centro Universitário Senac São Paulo, and the Graduate Program in Scenic Design at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul. Since 2020, she has also been a guest lecturer in the Technical Course in Set and Costume Design at SP Escola de Teatro. She has served as Vice-Coordinator of the Costume Subcommittee (2015–present) of the International Organization of Scenographers, Theatre Technicians, and Architects (OISTAT). She is an editor and organizer of various publications in the field of scenic design and has curated national and international events, including Brazil’s participation in the Prague Quadrennial (2011, 2015) and the costume design events at World Stage Design (2013, 2017). She is a frequent speaker and guest lecturer at international universities. She is the creator of the Vestindo a Cena channel and the research and performance project Designers à Beira do Abismo. Additionally, she is a member of the GT Poéticas Espaciais, Visuais e Sonoras research group (ABRACE) and the GT Cenografia group (IFTR). She is one of the founders of the teiabr platform and a member of the Brazilian Curatorial Committee responsible for developing and organizing the country’s exhibitions at the Prague Quadrennial 2023. She currently serves as the Communications Coordinator and researcher for the PQBrasil platform and is President of the Brazilian Association of Professionals in Spatial, Visual, and Sound Design for Performance – Grafias da Cena Brasil (2021–2025). Her research primarily focuses on costume design, historical dress, theater history in Brazil, theatrical scenography, journalism, biography, and philosophy.