Zero Waste Fashion - A Modern and Sustainable Fashion Approach
Zero Waste Fashion is a modern and sustainable fashion design process.
New Zealand fashion designer Holly McQuillan is a pioneer of Zero Waste fashion, written a book on "Zero Waste Fashion Design".
It
refers to a garment manufacturing system that has very little or zero textile
wastages. That’s why it can be considered as part of a wider sustainable fashion
movement.
- Pre-Consumer Zero Waste Fashion.
- Post-Consumer Zero Waste Fashion.
The pre-consumer Zero Waste fashion design process takes place in the early stages of garment production where the cutting-pattern of the fabric plays an important factor in this process. Although it is difficult to accomplish this process through sketching. Zero waste design is an element that is used to reduce textile waste without changing the type of clothing.
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Photo courtesy Holly McQuillan |
Post-Consumer Zero Waste Fashion:
This
method refers to the process of making new garments from second hand or surplus
products. It is now prevalent in the textile sector of many countries.
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Difference between standard fashion production & Zero waste
fashion:
The production process of a standard garment starts with drawing the design of the
desired garment. These designs follow a specific pattern. A marker or indicator
is used to efficiently prepare the fabric then the fabric is cut down. It is then
sewn and finally packed & delivered to retailers. This stratification
process of standard garment production generates an average of 15% of textile
waste.
So,
a lot of money is being wasted and our environment is being polluted. But by
preventing this waste through using Zero Waste design that could save money
along with protecting the environment from pollution.
Stratified waste disposal:
Layer
sequential waste disposal consists of three "R" sequences - Reduce,
Reuse, and Recycle. Zero Waste Fashion design eliminates pre-consumer textile
waste as well as makes it usable in a timeless way even after use.
Strategies of Zero Waste Fashion:
Clever Cuts: Zero Waste Pattern means a design pattern where a very little amount of fabric is wasted. Designers play a key role in this process. They do it by using different techniques, materials, and technology. One of them is "Jigsaw Puzzle". 15% fabric is wasted to make any typical garment while Zero Waste pattern has saved both money and the environment without wasting any fabric.
Upcycling: If you are not familiar with the fashion concept of upcycling, then know that it is a process of making new garments by recycling old clothes, accessories, or any other material. Suppose an old sweater is made into a new one by restructuring or a handbag is made from the fabric used in the old car.
Reformation: By rescuing deadstock fabrics from fashion houses, it is possible to make new garments through reformation, which are suitable for producing eco-friendly and new style garments.
with an example, we can show up the importance of this design. We have heard so many times that 15% of the fabric is wasted. Many people think it’s too little, but we have tried to give a real view of this project that 15% of wastage has how much impact in our industry.
Suppose 400 billion square meters of fabric is
used in the production of garments in a single year in the whole world. Of
this, 15% or 60 billion square meters of the fabric have been wasted in the
garment manufacturing process. If we leave this amount of waste in the ground,
those are going to make the land of New Zealand and Wales completely covered
and warm. This amount of waste is being generated in just one year. So we need
more extensive research on the Zero Waste fashion design method so that we can
save both our precious money and the environment by making full use of it in
real life.
References:
- https://www.thecreativecurator.com/zero-waste-fashion/?fbclid=IwAR3yVpAR498x_0cNl4ibyCLGnEiKdjei71S2vX8Of-qtGDqdeIbsYr8G6f8
- https://thelastfashionbible.com/2019/04/18/zero-waste-fashion/?fbclid=IwAR0atsNdCM1xMSJDHt1Tb9xOOWlT6d-v9cSNZD8Sr_FdifrD5KS28yGBoF
Md.Redwan
Ullah
Department
of Apparel Engineering, 42nd Batch
Bangladesh
University Of Textiles (BUTEX)
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