Good day, WOW blog readers. My name is Adila and since the last blog entry, a lot has changed for me. I have started an internship at a sustainable clothing brand and have been met with unexpected disappointments, learning curves and been led to thoughtful & intuitive yet impulsive conclusions. In this essay I will first cover certain events that have sparked my ambition for my Self Initiated project, and then finally go into more detail about what my project is. This structure will give you more understanding of how I found myself at this decision.
Upon starting my internship I was excited and nervous due to not having previous work experience. (I know, I know, surprisingly starting work late is actually quite normal in countries outside of the UK & US). I was excited because I felt that I was going to be working somewhere that truly reflects my sustainability values, somewhere that is aware of social and environmental issues and importantly, holds them in focus throughout their design process. I was also very excited to learn how a business operates, to see both the personal and technical dynamics. Considering that where I am interning, the brand is still considered relatively small despite having 6 stores across London, the team is small in size and well knit. This allows me to see various aspects of a fashion business and I am satisfied to say that I have indeed learnt how a fashion business can operate. How work is distributed between people to simplify and excel the productivity of the people and the brand, how a fashion production line works - lead times, forming relationships between the brand and suppliers, manufacturers and technical workers. In this sense, I have taken a lot from my internship. Unfortunately, I have also been met with a few disappointments. I was surprised and underwhelmed to discover that the main sustainable impression that the brand gave off - wasn't really delivered or present in their supply line. Only about 15-20% of their products truly reflect their impressionable ethos, brand “values” and name. So, during a brand meeting when we were on the topic of brand weaknesses; I thought it would be a good time to voice my discovered fact - the ignored elephant in the room. When I said that this impression wasn't really echoed, a nervous joke hit the air; “brand name change?” Followed by the CEO explaining to me that “obviously” if a brand wants to grow, it has to eventually source outside of that limitation. I do understand this, but there are many other ways and available sustainable fabrics with new cutting edge technology, that would mirror the sustainability values your brand holds. Not only that, but it is imperative for you even if you weren't a claimed sustainable brand to be trying to develop the most sustainable production line you can, as we are in an environmental catastrophe! I didn't voice that second opinion as I felt further constructive comments from me were unwelcome. In the following weeks, when the teams were trying to source new supplies for the next collection, I took the liberty of researching truly sustainable mills and suppliers - new innovative fabrics and exciting recycling methods. When the opportunity would arise, I would share my findings and voice the possibility of involving some of these supplies. The rebutting argument was that recycled fabrics actually have less long fiber length - ultimately making the fabric less strong. This makes sense, but, in a dying world - is this really what matters most? And as a claimed sustainable brand - is this what matters most to you? One of the conclusions I have reached is that as a society, we need to have a value shift. Yes, a 100% virgin blend of cotton is, in theory, more valuable, more durable and more luxurious than a 100% recycled blend of cotton. But we must understand that we cannot sustain ourselves if we continue thinking in this way. The Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) (Liu, Y et al, 2020) found that although the spinning of recycled cotton does have a large electrical usage component. It also is a “viable alternative to relieve resource and environmental pressure. About 0.5 ha of agricultural land can be saved, 6600 kg CO2 eq can be reduced, and 2783 m3 irrigation water can be saved by using 1000 kg of the recycled cotton yarns.” (Liu, Y et al, 2020) Its regenerative value, the ability to use cotton to its full life and the far less environmental effect it provokes, is what should truly hold value in this day and age. This mentality must develop quickly and simultaneously within producers and consumers. In the past I have made bags and garments using alternative materials like used tobacco packs, unwanted fabric from collected clothes and technical detailed procedures like embroidery. These designs were all made experimentally at home using what was available to me first hand. For my Self Initiated Project I wanted to take my fuelled passion for sustainability in fashion and accessory design a step further. With my recently learnt findings about running a small business I began looking at suppliers that were exciting and of interest to me. Regenerative and innovative fabrics like Econyl; fabric made from the collected fishing nets disposed of in the ocean. Or Lyocell; a plant based fabric that is mainly composed of eucalyptus. The production of this fabric uses 50% less water than cotton, does not involve toxic chemicals and 99.5% of the dissolving agents can be reused. Alongside that I have also come across incredible bio leathers like cactus, banana, apple and mushroom as well as 100% rPET leather with responsible dying techniques and sustainable considerations during production. I became joyously overwhelmed with the possibilities of these exciting materials being developed, I can not wait to try and involve them in my design process. For my SIP project, I have set up a brand name, and am forming relationships with suppliers. Alongside receiving samples and digital catalogs I'm taking courses on branding and circular fashion. I have begun the daunting and challenging process of designing a small bag collection, looking into funding options and incubator programmes for my future advancement. I appreciate designers like Bethany Williams, (UAL alumni) that has made handbags from book making waste under her brand. Or Christopher Raeburn that has set up the brand Raeburn Lab, making garments from reworked surplus fabric and materials like overdyed drogue parachutes. I see these designers as innovators and brands to learn from when developing and positioning my own. Although I might not be able to fully produce a collection within the timeframe of my SIP project, I would have liked to confirm a selection of the materials I will use for the small collection I am designing, continue the relationship I have formed with some suppliers, further understand my audience and branding, learn about about the legalities and technicalities of production and business, as well as learn more about design – the list is endless. In short, I would like to have advanced substantially in my knowledge of Circular fashion business and in the establishment of my brand “house of merxury”. Bibliography: Liu, Y., Huang, H., Zhu, L. et al. Could the recycled yarns substitute for the virgin cotton yarns: a comparative LCA. Int J Life Cycle Assess 25, 2050–2062 (2020). https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11367-020-01815-8
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February 2023
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