I was thrown into this week with a little scare regarding my flax which I detailed in a post that can be found here. Looking back, I really should have taken the time to grab a soil sample and get it tested so that I could understand exactly what went wrong, but I guess hindsight is 20/20. Once the flax is better established, it should be smooth sailing, so I am looking forward to being able to watch it continue to grow to maturity!
I also picked up a book titled Shaping Sustainable Fashion by Alison Gwilt and Timo Rissanen that has been awesome for comprehending other sustainable models. The book contains a series of case studies of other artists and designers that aim for sustainability in their business. Something that was helpful for me to understand is the way the authors described modernized, synthetic fabrics. They believe that synthetic does not equal evil. Instead, the intentions behind the creation of said synthetics were not based off of sustainability, rather profitability, and that is the true reason why the synthetics on the market have proven to be so damaging.
Similarly, the book goes to describe how to design process is responsible for a lot of the environmental and human rights violations because it is not flexible in its essence. Instead, the authors advocate for a holistic approach to design – one that uses sustainability as part of the design process. This was exciting for me to read because it is exactly the conclusion that I came to during my last ILC and is what I have been trying to implement in my own upcycling projects. One case study in particular resonated with me. It was titled “the Tailor’s Craft” and describes how a close personal relationship between the designer/craftsperson and the consumer is a great recipe for flexibility and accountability. The case study suggests a business where a tailor designs clothing specially for one customer at a time, consulting with them through out the process. The unique design and hand-sewn nature of the garment makes the price a bit steeper but allows for the garment to last longer, encouraging less over-consumption of textiles.
The concept of over-consumption due to price was also really helpful for me to read about. This combined with the tailoring model reminds me of something I read about in The Sustainable Fashion Company where a study showed that consumers are likely to spend more if they have the option to have a say in the design process. But, instead of online tweaking and pre-selected choices, with this model customers actually have many more options and overall a larger role to play.
I think without realizing it, this is the model I had been at least somewhat using while designer for myself. I would tweak a garment, use whatever resources were available, tweak it again if it didn’t suit my taste, and so on and so forth. This has allowed me to know exactly the amount of work and resources put into each of the alterations that I have made. I believe this could turn out to be a great alternative option for clothing in communities. There are, like with anything, hurdles to jump in order to educate potential customers, but I believe this is one of many ways to start moving away from the fast fashion industry.