The fashion industry is, by some accounts, the second most pollutive industry in the world, after oil. It is very reliant on finite natural resources, the production of textile fibers being very water, energy and land intensive. After being used, approximately 80% of these textiles turn into waste (they are incinerated or land-filled). That harms our ecosystem at a global scale.
Times are changing, and we are becoming more and more aware of the challenges that our planet is facing. This means that we can no longer do business the usual way, we must adapt in order for future generations to prosper and have a safe place to call home. Our natural ecosystem has never produced waist and therefore I have turned to nature for inspiration. In the living world, one species' waste is another's food. Therefore, I will use Circular Design, a design that "mimics" the natural system. I will do so by:
By closing the loop for textiles, I'm allowing the industry to better capture the embodied value of the textile fibers. For me a Circular Design creates a waste free economy, where accountability and responsibility will sell the most. There would still be unwanted materials to ‘get rid of’ but they would not end up accumulating in ecosystems, they would instead be regenerated as new resources for the Earth. Design makes an important contribution to the preservation of the environment and for the society. Stay tuned for the next design principle as they are all, of course, connected. Form Follows Feeling.
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Fashion has always been based on planned obsolescence which is a policy of planning or designing a product with an artificially limited useful life, so that in time it will become unfashionable and you would have to buy more. This issue has been bothering me for a long time so while I was thinking of how to put this in play for my own business 2 solutions came to mind.
When I say long-lasting, the first thing that comes to mind is a product that has a timeless design. This of course means that it avoids being fashionable, focusing more on your own personal taste and therefore never appears antiquated. The second thing is durability of the fabric itself. Sometimes, even though you love a garment and want to lengthen its life, the fabric just can’t take it and it wears off. Then you down-cycle it (turn it into rags for ex.) or throw it away, you garment becoming waste. I’m working my path towards closing this loop by using special developed fabrics that will last longer and give you the everyday comfort you need. For this reasons I am developing a line of clothing that will stay with you for a very long time. My new business model will focus on you having long-lasting clothing that will stand by you so that you can gather memories with it for many years. I will not focus on a sell more- get more business model, but on a care more- earn more one. The next principle will be coming up in the new year. Be sure to catch them all as they are all connected. Form Follows Feeling.
This kind of product will automatically express your values; it will let the people around you have a glimpse inside your universe before you start a conversation. Of course the aesthetic use would be met as well; timeless design will cover that for you. Stay tuned for the next design principle as they are all, by all means, connected.
Form Follows Feeling. There are endless possibilities for progression and as the world is evolving it is in need of more and more change.
As technology develops it consequently offers new opportunities for the fashion industry as well. Therefore, I’ve decided to participate in this change. There are several issues that concern me today regarding the fashion and textile industry and I have a great determination to tackle them. By now I have developed a new business model, one that focuses on customer and informational value, stressing different key points. While I am testing the framework by receiving feedback and expertise from qualified people in the fashion industry I realize it is not going to be an easy journey. But innovation addresses perseverance and it’s definitely worth it! Imaginative design will always develop in tandem with evolving technology; it will never be an end to it, you just have to have the desire to search for it. Stay tuned for the next design principle, they are all, of course, connected. Form Follows Feeling. 10 is the magic number for the design principles that will drive my work. No, I have not created them (although that would have been awesome), but I think of them as the 10 Commandments for good design.
As I will continue to post each of them separately, every other week, hopefully some of you will identify yourselves in them as well. There is nothing better than being surrounded by like-minded people. But I will leave you with this: the designer, who created these principles, generated timeless quality in his products. I will do the same. Form Follows Feeling. Yarns transformed in beautiful knitted fabrics. Here I tell you how that magic happens. Knitwear is a must in our wardrobe. But do you know how knitting goes and what type of machines the big brands use in the industry to give life to their knitwear designs? Today we take a trip into the wonderful Knit Lab, a special place where we work so that our knitwear comes to life! Knitting is the process of using two or more needles to loop yarn into a series of interconnected loops in order to create a finished garment or some other type of fabric. There are many types of knitting methods: hand knitting, semi-automated knitting, and the big guns: flat-knitting machines (used for versatile designs) and circular-knitting machines (make most of our T-shirts). The textile industry has evolved a long way and today the flat-knitting machines come in 3 forms depending on the way of execution:
A downsize of knitwear is pilling. So I did a quality test on a knitted fabric as well to determine its pilling factor. For the test I used the pilling box. My test result showed that the fabric is low on pilling, obtaining a grade 4 (on a scale from 1 to 5 where 5 is the best result). The photos below will take you through the process of what it takes to make a simple knitted design. Enjoy, we sure did! Form Follows Feeling. The world as we know it today finds ideas and information the most powerful tool. In the fashion industry, insight on upcoming trends is one of the most valuable pieces of information a designer could have. Luckily for me, Scandinavians are big on uniting forces when it comes to assuring a strong position in the international fashion scene. For the last past 4 weeks I’ve been having the privilege of visiting the exclusive Dansk Fashion and Textile who is providing the entire industry with analyses, events, training, projects, networking and political work. Companies may choose to become a member in exchange of a substantial fee. Among these services, they have a wonderful unique trend library. A designer may be granted access to it but the costs are very high so before one may do this he/she should consider if the investment will be returned. Big and influential companies come here before they start designing for a new season, that way they can stay up to date with the “next big thing” on design trends. The trend library is equipped with the latest books and materials from internationally renowned trend agencies such as PeclersParis, A+A and Carlin as well as a constantly updated electronic trend database – WGSN; basically a designer’s wonderland and a lovely space to get inspired. Needless to say I lost my marbles the first time I went there. Given its classified content, you are allowed only pen and paper in the library. Fortunately, I got a special pass to take some photos for my article, to give you a visual. Slowglam, Nature Spun, Metallic Ombré, Artificial Animism – to name a few of the trend books forecast titles I have noted down for the 2017 predictions. Fortunately I managed to meet my main goal which was, of course, to complete my previous research and train of thoughts I had for my new upcoming project. I will, of course, keep you posted ;)
It’s the most popular item in your wardrobe, but have you ever wondered about your jean’s quality and the fibers they are made of? Why does the colour wear out more quickly for some pairs and why some of them feel softer against your skin? In order to understand what makes better denim fabric I’ve done some fabric tests, on a widely used denim fabric, according to European (ISO) testing standards such as: colour fastness to washing and rubbing, fiber composition and yarn structure. For the first test, a GyroWash machine is used to determine colour fastness to washing, dry cleaning and chlorinated water. Both colour staining and colour change tests revealed fair quality, giving a grade of 4/5 out of 5. ECLA’s (The European Apparel and Textile Confederation) recommendation is at least 4 for colour staining and color change.[1] [1] Colour staining assessed according to grey scale ISO 105-A03 (light grey) was 4/5 out of 5, and colour change was also 4/5.
Este cel mai popular element din garderoba ta, dar te-ai întrebat vreodată despre calitatea si fibrele din care sunt realizati blugii tai? De ce rezista culoarea mai putin pentru unele perechi si de ce anumiti blugi se simt mai moi pe pielea ta?
Pentru a înțelege mai bine ceea ce inseamna o tesatura buna de denim, am ales un tip de denim regasit in mare masura pe piata si am făcut cateva teste pt tesatura in conformitate cu standardele (ISO) de testare european, cum ar fi: rezistența culorii la spălare și frecare, compoziția fibrei și structura de fire. Pentru primul test, a fost folosita masina GyroWash pentru a determina rezistenta culorii la spălare, curățare uscată și apa cu clor.Atat testul pentru transferul de culoare cat si cel pentru decolorare au dezvaluit o calitate echitabila a materialului, oferind o nota de 4/5 din 5. Recomandarea ECLA (Confederatia Europeana de Imbracaminte și Textile) este de cel puțin 4 pentru transferul de culoare și schimbare de culoare. [1] Al doilea test (Rezistența culorii la frecare) a necesitat folosirea unui crockmeter (tester pentru purtare si abraziune). Testul a fost executat atât cu o bucată de bumbac umed cat si una uscata. Ambele teste au aratat o reactie decenta a materialului la procesul de frecare, rezultand o nota de 4/5 din 5 pentru bumbacul uscat si o nota de 3/4 pentru bumbacul umed. Recomandarea ECLA este de cel puțin 4 pentru transferal de culoare pe bumbac uscat și 3-4 pentru transferul de culoare pentru bumbacul umed.[2] Ultimele 2 teste privind compoziția fibrei și structura firelor a dezvăluit fibre de bumbac 100% și o tesatura OE (open-end) pentru fire. Tesatura OE este încețoșată și va absorbi întotdeauna culoare mai bine în miezul ei, prin urmare, materialul textil va avea o rezistenta mai crescuta a culorii. In concluzie, tesatura care a fost testate a trecut recomandarea ECLA, dar exista tesaturi care pot oferi rezultate si mai bune. Sfaturi pentru utilizatori:
[1] Transferul de culoare evaluat în funcție de gri ISO 105-A03 (gri deschis) a fost 4/5 din 5, și schimbarea culorii a fost de asemenea 4/5. [2] Transferul de culoare evaluat în funcție de gri ISO 105-A03 a fost 4/5 pentru bumbac uscat și 3/4 pentru bumbac umed. I am entering a new life phase as a designer. I am taking a moment to see what you, the wearer, really need. A new phase where I would like to learn how to make clothes feel better, create a more conscious and sustainable design. I care for a healthy clothing experience and at the same time I dream of a healthier fashion industry. As a fashion designer I wish to put human needs at the center of my work.
I would like you to join me on my creative journey. I will regularly keep you updated with posts. We will learn, experiment, do research, visit places to get inspired and hopefully, at the end, come up with good design. Form follows feeling. Incep o noua etapa a vietii ca designer. Imi aloc un timp pentru a vedea ceea ce este cu adevarat util pentru voi, ca utilizatori. O noua etapa in care imi doresc sa invat cum sa creez haine care sa se adapteze mai bine corpului, sa compun un design etic si sustenabil, atat pentru utilizator cat si pentru industrie. Ca designer vestimentar, imi doresc sa pun nevoile umane in centrul muncii pe care o fac. Va invit sa imi fiti alaturi in marea mea calatorie creativa. O sa va tin la curent in mod regulat cu postari. O sa invat, experimentez, cercetez, vizitez locuri pentru a ma inspira si sper ca la final sa vin cu un design bun. Form follows feeling. "This project began from the theory that humans are made of cosmic matter as a result of a stars death."I.T. "I created imagery that showcased this cosmic birth through the use of dust and reflective confetti to create galaxies."I.T. "The models organic bodily expressions as they are frozen in time between the particles suggest their celestial creation."I.T. " In addition, space and time is heightened by the use of three-dimensional animated gifs."I.T. "Their movement serves as a visual metaphor to the spatial link we share with stars as well as their separateness through time."I.T. The images are GIF files. He shot four regular still pictures from four different angles, at the same time with a synced flash and then merge them all together. The movement is created due to the fact that they are shown in a quick sequence in one frame. Ignacio is a Texas born artist based in New York. He states that he is "currently working in personal projects that explore youth, identity and scientific theories through the use of photography, animated gifs and video." Photos via ignacio-torres.com
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