The three R’s in fashion: How can waste be reduced in the fashion design process? A student group tries to find the answer
Fashion is about storytelling through clothing and when done responsibly, it becomes sustainable. Simply put, it is the use of eco-friendly practices in the design, manufacture, distribution and consumption of clothing.
Over the years, the fashion industry has outgrown its production. The time taken to wear a piece of clothing before it is thrown away is reduced by 40%. The discarded clothing is either burnt or thrown in the landfill. Of what is collected for recycling, about 12% will eventually be used for insulation or cleaning cloth, or shredded and stuffed mattresses. Less than 1% will be used to make new clothes.
Even as the pandemic picture unfolds in 2020, this dire situation has raised pertinent questions about our priorities and what we choose as future fashion designers. On the foundation day of our college, we decided to show our responsible creativity. ‘The Changing Room’, as we have named the 25ft garment installation, attempts to pose the topical question of need versus want. We conceptualized, designed and manufactured Vast Apparel with industry waste, adhering to the principles of eco-friendly fashion.
Our team also covered the entire fifth semester batch of B.Des Fashion. We started by collecting clothing waste from the Fashion Designing Lab. The idea came from our guru Archana Surana and took shape from the question of how to better deal with the waste presented as patterns and test fits, especially in the fashion education design process.
recycling to make new
Test fits accumulated over time were retrieved, clothing disassembled, and piles of muslin brought out of the storeroom to make useful contributions to our creativity. From blouse to trousers, shirt, top and skirt, all test fits were used to give shape to the bodice.
Using the process of defining the flow of the garment, the location of the clothing waste was like putting together a puzzle. What we liked the most was how the skirt was used to span the torso, giving it a vintage retro-western style. After positioning the back and forth of the installation, we sat down to sew the garment. Interior design students also helped to understand the proportionate structure of wood, as well as the weight the hanging cables and chains bear when we hang the finished work.
‘The Changing Room’ was hung for two weeks from a corner of the highest point of the front façade of the college building so that the world could see how creativity emerges from waste. Clearly, the use of clothing waste helps reduce dependence on natural resources and also reduces the risk of fashion ending up in the dump. In this time of conscious consumerism, a responsible way of working, coupled with design creativity, can help us achieve a new objective of working towards a more sustainable fashion future.
The author is a fashion design student at Arch College of Design and Business
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