Is Sustainable Design In or Out?

Should clothing brands have the obligation to take into consideration the environmental impact of fabric waste?

Sustainable design creates limitations in the design realm, which creates a better avenue for creative development. When you create limitations in design, it challenges the designers within those perimeters – to think outside of the box. A good example of this is the creation of the two-piece swimsuit aka bikini. During World War II, fabric was being rationed to help the war effort and designers removed the mid section and the attached skirt panels to create the newly designed swimsuit. In 1946 two French designers created new prototypes of the bikini. Jacques Heim called his design “the atom” and advertised it as “the worlds smallest bathing suit”. Louis Réard swimsuit was only 30 inches of fabric and promoted his creation as “smaller than the worlds smallest bathing suit”. Today, the bikini is a staple in almost every woman’s summer wardrobe.

Sustainable consumption is defined as “the use of products and services in a way that minimizes the impact on the environment”. Sustainability considers human needs not only for today but for future generations. As a consumer of fast fashion – which is considered multiple collections in one fashion season – I have contributed to the impact of consumption to waste at a rapid rate. When clothing is sustainable, it helps the environment by reducing waste in landfills. Consumers that buy from sustainable designers become more conscious about the environment and about becoming more sustainable. By utilizing resources that recycle clothing brands you are lessening the fashion waste impact.

When large companies are considered sustainable, they reduce the impact of waste. Adidas has promised to create 15-20 million pairs of shoes from recycled ocean plastic in 2020 known as “Primeblue”. They promote their campaign “Primegreen” made with recycled material that do not use virgin polyester. Levi’s has also made commitments to sustainable denim production; by 2020, Levi’s has aimed to reduce water use by 80 percent. They also have a denim recycle program, in which consumers can donate their denim products and Levi’s will recycle those denim products to create new designs. To become more sustainable, some designers will take clothing reminents and repurpose them into new garments which makes them one-of-a-kind. These one-of-a-kind garments can be sold at a higher price in correlation to stimulating the economy .

These companies have become more conscience of fabric waste and its contributions to landfills, because in the past they have been such a big contributor to environmental issues. These big companies have become aware of their impact on waste and are now trying to reverse their waste output. More companies are becoming sustainable conscious and more consumers are following the environmental friendly trend. Do you feel that we as consumers need to be just as aware of fabric waste as these big companies and brands are?

Adidas. (n.d.). https://www.adidas.com/us/sustainability

History.com Editors. (2010, March 3). Bikini introduced. HISTORY. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/bikini-introduced

How ethical is Levi’s? (2020, June 30). Good On You. https://goodonyou.eco/levis-ethical/

Sustainable consumption: definition and complexities. https://study.com/academy/lesson/sustainable-consumption-definition-and-complexities.html