Cross-Cultural Implementation of Sustainability in Fashion Design Education through a Design-Based Research Approach

This study investigates the cross-cultural implementation of the course Sustainable Fashion Design Strategies in Germany and Iran applying a Design-Based Research (DBR) approach. Through four iterative cycles of design, enactment, evaluation, and refinement, the course and its pedagogical components were treated as knowledge-generating artifacts, aligning with the Research Through Design (RTD) paradigm. Data were collected via per-session written reflections, group interviews, e-portfolios, and structured classroom observations, and analyzed using Mayring’s Structuring Content Analysis (SCA). Findings reveal progressive student development in conceptual understanding, practical skills, attitudinal shift, ethical awareness, and engagement with sustainability principles. Iterative refinement, scaffolded experiential learning, and context-sensitive adaptation supported holistic, systems-oriented learning, integrating ethical, aesthetic, and professional dimensions of design. The study underscores the epistemic role of pedagogical artifacts in both mediating learning and generating transferable design principles. These insights offer actionable guidance for educators aiming to embed Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in fashion design programs and demonstrate the value of iterative, practice-based, and culturally responsive approaches. By showing how pedagogical decisions, aesthetic considerations, and reflective tools function simultaneously as learning supports and sites of knowledge production, this research contributes to advancing DBR and RTD discourse while providing a practical model for sustainability-oriented fashion design education.