Fashion Up Reaches the Caribbean – Project Presented on the Island of Sint Maarten

Between March 29 and April 6, 2025, two representatives from Polish partner institutions – Iwona Hnatiuk, headteacher of Zespół Szkół nr 5, and Paulina Bilska-Marek, PhD, president of the MODE Foundation – took part in a series of educational meetings on the beautiful Caribbean island of Sint Maarten / Saint Martin.

During their stay, they presented the Fashion Up project in two local secondary schools that offer vocational training in craft professions, including tailoring and fashion design. The project’s main themes – sustainable fashion, ecology, and upcycling – sparked great interest among both teachers and students. For many, it was their first encounter with the idea of giving clothing and materials a second life, which opened new perspectives on how to teach and practice fashion design through a circular economy lens.

Fashion Up was also featured during an international education seminar that brought together teachers from Romania, Hungary, Poland, and Sint Maarten. The seminar created a valuable space for sharing experiences and discussing the role of vocational education in promoting responsible consumer attitudes and innovative teaching methods.

This visit marked another important step in the internationalization of the project and confirmed that the themes of Fashion Up are both relevant and inspiring far beyond the borders of Europe.