Lifestyle Brand Building
Towards culturally responsive design!

Have you ever dreamt of designing your own lifestyle fashion brand - one that stands for something?

Inspired by progressive brands like Deeply, Patagonia, and Veja, this immersive Blended Intensive Programme [BIP] invites you into the world of sustainable lifestyle fashion, where creative fashion designs meets sustainable brands! Today’s most influential brands don’t just look good, they represent values, culture, spark communities, and drive social change. That’s where you come in! 

Working in an international, creative, multidisciplinary team, you can look forward to prototyping your own lifestyle brand and fashion piece, learning how to build something that is not only stylish, but meaningful: a brand that connects with people and inspires change!

How can we build sustainable lifestyle brands that inspire identity, creativity, and purpose?

This Lifestyle Brand Building BIP invites you to explore this question through a hands‑on, interdisciplinary and multicultural learning journey that blends design thinking, sustainable brand building, and fashion production. 

Jointly coordinated by HAMK University of Applied Sciences (Finland), Politécnico de Leiria (Portugal), and NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences (The Netherlands), we bring together driven students and passionate lecturers from diverse creative and business backgrounds. 

This BIP encompasses three online weeks, and one face‑to‑face week hosted at NHL Stenden (Leeuwarden, The Netherlands), and its' unique value proposition revolves around: 

• Collaboration and co-creation in international, multidisciplinary teams
• Design thinking for the development of innovative brand concepts and fashion pieces rooted in sustainability, design, and cultural relevance
• Next to your own material-decisions, you get to work with pre-selected, inspiring materials that we sourced from our local partner in Portugal
• Engagement with industry experts who provide valuable insights into how global lifestyle brands are built and sustained
• A pleasant a safe learning environment that prioritises growth and development over perfection 

By the end of the programme, you and your team members will have designed and pitched an innovative concept for your own lifestyle brand and prototyped a fashion piece that brings your brand to life.

This BIP embodies the spirit of RUN‑EU’s joint education mission: connecting regions, disciplines, and perspectives to empower students to become value‑driven professionals who can make meaningful contributions to the world of tomorrow.

After this BIP, you will be able to use design thinking for creative fashion brand building and fashion product prototyping. You will leave with your own lifestyle brand, a prototype fashion piece that brings your brand to life, and an unforgettableand immersive learning experience!