Zero Waste Fashion
Summer
2024
Creating Garments Using Zero Waste Fashion Techniques.
What is Zero Waste Design?
Zero waste fashion design is a design strategy that generates little to no textile waste during production. Zero waste design challenges traditional clothes making in pursuit of decreasing the amount of textile waste produced each year. It starts at the source and actively designs out waste.
Garment #1: “Americana Nouveau”
For this look, I was inspired by “retro americana” and classic denim, but with a modern take. I wanted to incorporate comfort, confidence, and exaggerated forms into my design to create a bold style with deep roots.
Ideation began with sketching dramatic ways to incorporate exaggerated silhouettes and different techniques to achieve the look I wanted. While sketching, I was also visualizing my ideas in miniature form to understand their construction and to give them a sense of reality.
After picking my direction, I began many rounds of prototyping. I drafted multiple different pants patterns based on zero waste and non-zero waste techniques, learning how each pattern handled fit and construction and then weaving those aspects into my design.
Why Denim?
One pair of jeans can have a huge carbon footprint. A single jean can produce anywhere from 10 to 30 kg CO₂e, highlighting their significant environmental impact. Denim is one of the biggest polluters in the fashion and textile industry. By taking a fabric known for its large environmental impact and using it in zero waste techniques, we are actively changing the narrative around textiles and designing for a future world where zero waste is the norm.
This is the final pattern for my design. It utilizes the width of a full bolt of fabric, in the case of the pants, and the width of half a bolt for the top. The final pattern produces minimal waste, falling into the accepted 1-10% in zero waste fashion, but with the opportunity to modify hems for no waste.
The final look is an outfit that exudes comfort and confidence. Rooted in themes and styles of traditional American denim, the outfit takes on a modern approach. Using exaggerated silhouettes and personal touches, the outfit comes alive with a style that is reminiscent of then and belongs in the now.
Additional Garments
Two other garments were created for this collection. Their story takes on a different narrative. Whereas my first garments addresses comfort and ready-to-wear style, my second and third tackle the costume fashion side of zero waste design. A strong, powerful Warrior has met his match- a graceful and poised Princess. Their story is unlikely but their connection is undeniable. They complement each other perfectly and thus their outfits must as well.
Keeping with the concept of complementing each style, I wanted to incorporate the overlapping of fabric as a motif for each outfit. The Princess features pleated fabric with dynamic structure and depth. The Warrior has multifunctional straps that overlap in dramatic ways. They share concepts, but each style represents their character and tells us their stories.
