Fashion's Sustainable Heights

I’ve known from a young age that designing was going to be a definite part of my future. However, growing up as a seriously academic student veered me towards unrealistic career goals that never truly satisfied my creative hunger. It was when I was choosing colleges to attend that I was determined to right my wrongs by declaring my major as apparel design. Up until that moment, although I knew design was my prospective dream, I also knew that I was a total newb to this entire industry and gate that I had just opened. Nevertheless, my 4 years spent learning the numerous facets of the fashion industry and the process of creating my own designs, from pattern and drapes to the final conceptualized product, has allowed me to tremendously grow as an individual and expand my creative talents.

When I’m designing, I like to look at things from a different perspective. Rather than trying to be the best seamstress or creative mind, I like to take in information and calculatively draft my designs based off from this. If I’m with a client or model, I prefer to listen to their backstory or how they envision the final garment would look like or make them feel, in order for me to be able to craft this unique piece to the individual. I usually let my emotions and their practical needs guide me to the outcome. In this way, I am able to develop a collection that exhibits cohesion while still staying true to the story behind the concept. From this, I am able to pattern draft or drape my design.

In addition to understanding the backstory of a design, I also design with the intent of sustainable practices. Sustainability is a relatively new concept to most, however, it is a concept that must not be taken lightly, especially when it comes to the fashion industry. Although I am a designer, I am also still conscious of this fact every time that I even decide to start a project because at the end of the day, the Earth is what helps bring sustenance to our daily lives in the form of food, clean water, and air.

A project that I developed and finished this past month was for my senior design collection. This design itself was titled, “Stranded,” which is an experimental and apparel design inspired by the concept of a dystopian reality; and consequently, a moderately sustainable outlet to minimize the harsh effects the fashion industry is imposing on the global environment. This raises the question of solutions to help recycle and reuse textiles, in order to limit this disruptive effect. One impediment to recycling textiles is that most are blended with other fibers. These blended textiles are unrecyclable because the fibers of each cannot be unbonded with the other. The effects of blended fabrics entail hundreds of years of unbiodegradable textiles, left in limited landfills and other inconspicuous settings to remain for their life’s duration. Stranded aims to emphasize this issue of unsustainable fiber blends with an apparel design that utilizes reused textiles and thread produced from the same fibers, 100% Polyester, and a subtraction cutting design forecasting the impactful chaos that this respective unsustainable practice will have in the future.

The pattern for the design was created from the combination of pattern making and subtraction cutting. The Subtraction Cutting concept defies the idea of traditional pattern making and draping and makes use of the negative space that can be developed by cutting various shapes into a flat, one-layered piece of fabric. The garments produced from this technique create unique and interestingly draped designs that are like no other. The creation and success of the subtraction cutting process for the skirt portion was ironically, heavily attributed to the wonderfully sharp Fiskars scissors that I had purchased prior to this process because my previous fabric scissors were entirely dull and had outlived their cutting lives. The scissors I purchased were perfect for cutting these curvy holes, big and small, into the skirt without dulling or any unnecessary fraying. Eventually allowing me to sew and produce this final garment.

With this, the resulting design exhibits a beaded snapped-sewn hood, a fitted collared-bodice with princess seams radiating from the center shoulder down to the end of the bodice piece on both sides front and back, an exposed zipper at center back, and an asymmetrical skirt design with protruding shapes at the right hip, the left knee, and the left calf. Essentially, the elements in the design represent a portion of a chaotic dystopian reality when the world becomes consumed by the effects of unsustainable practices and climate inclinations. The string beading on the hood represents my interpretation of acid rain and harsh chemicals affecting the water system depicted in red and black. The colors chosen, red, black, yellow, and brown, emphasize a reality where carbon emissions, hazy fires and looting are prominent because of the current state. In addition, the protruding and volume created from the subtraction cutting method serves to provide more chaos and distortion, as per the inspiration.

This past year when we entered a phase of unrest due to global issues and social unrest, truly dealt difficult hands for many people. However, I feel that it has also provided a great opportunity to shed light onto and educate the global community more about sustainability and sustainable practices because people are now much more receptive to other problems that may directly affect them in the future, climate change being one of them. My dream is to one day become a successful womenswear apparel designer, however, it’s always ingrained in my mind as my first objective to try to elevate the fashion industry to new sustainable heights, in order for future generational prosperity.