Creatives everywhere are consistently faced with new obstacles and challenges relating to designing for an ever-changing and eco-conscious community of consumers. When reflecting on what I think stand as the principles for circular design, materials and collaboration always come first as proactive steps towards a sustainable future. As a college senior and sustainable womenswear designer/activist, I am a part of a generation that craves change, transparency, and strong consumer-to-brand relationships.
Sustainability is not about being afraid of what the future may hold in terms of natural resources. Instead, it’s about appreciating and using what resources we already have, making wiser choices from both the consumer and retailer perspectives, and coming up with new and innovative business models with hopes of finding solutions to current day global issues.
The future of design is all about selecting low impact materials that use pre/post-consumer recycled feedstock. I’ve come up with a guide by which I go about choosing my materials for a new creative project:
Identify BENCHMARK or REQUIRED materials; then proceed to identify OTHER materials needed.
Ask yourself if there is a way to use recycled product instead of virgin materials. Can your materials can be recycled at the end of their life?
Redesign standard trims and finishes.
Think back to your supply chain. Ask yourself how your materials adhere to your circular process.
Consider how material choices increase durability.
Think about what a material care guide may look like to your consumer.
Lastly, question what analogs from other industries could help redefine your design process.
The last step in particular sparked thought for me as I began brainstorming for the Liz Claiborne scholarship. Collaboration is something that I find not to be an option in the business development process, but an essential.
With that being said, I am extremely fortunate to go to a liberal arts college that encourages collaboration among cross disciplinary departments. I originally chose Marist College because of the opportunity to spend my freshman year studying in Florence, but after returning sophomore year, I learned that the design experience is like no other. The faculty and students are a close-knit community and have supported me along my entire journey.
The ability I have to talk to students outside of my major about how fashion could be changed through their eyes is undoubtedly my school’s biggest asset. Conversation ignited my interest in collaborating with the chemistry department, and after several meetings we discovered something that was revolutionary, that being indigo dye extraction.
Together, with science students Jason Randall and Callan McLoughlin as the backbone of the idea, we found a way to extract indigo from old denim and use it to re-dye new denim. This process not only closed the loop, but it inspired a business plan fueled by collaboration.
After receiving this award, I flew to Ohio for my internship as a Denim intern for Abercrombie and Fitch. It was here where I met one of the most influential people in my career journey thus far, denim chemist Carlos Garate. With Carlos as my mentor, my summer was filled with experimentation and sustainable alternative conversation.
This year I am excited to continue exploring the indigo extraction process on a larger scale. I’m working with a class of 14 junior/senior level chemistry students to execute dyeing full garments using this method. I am also expanding the business plan I created for Liz Claiborne into what would be my perspective brand launch. I am excited to see what the future holds, with materials and collaboration at the forefront of my design process.
