Zero Waste Fashion is a way to limit waste when you create garments. Zero Waste fashion design can be one of two things.
1. Creating garments from fabric scraps but still using regular patterns which can only be justified because you are literally using waste that would have been put into the landfills. A great example of a garment with this concept is our Swatch Jacket below. Not only is it created by pieces of scraps but it's also based on concept #2 creating garments with the measurement of the fabric in mind.
2. A way to create garments so that they waste as little as possible. Let's say the fabric width are 50 inches wide and you want to create a garment based on that being your maximum garment width and maybe a little less so that there are room for grading. The next step would be to come up with a new technique to make the Zero Waste concept garment fit onto the body.
A. Fold and tag the fabric in place
B. Drape
C. Use of trim such as buttons, ribbons, snaps and so on.
Our new Fall 2020 Color Block collection is based on squares. The model is wearing our new Square Cardigan. The concept we used creating this garment is #2. as you may have guessed. The techniques that I used creating this garment were all of the above A, B & C plus we used up-cycled bike tubes for problem solving the snap placement, the garment tag placement and the Pocket.
Both of these Zero Waste concepts takes excessive time. The first concept because you will have to piece the scraps together to create a garment . The second concept because each time you design a new style you will have to reinvent the wheel and this is also why Zero Waste Designers are a rare find.
Waste is one of the environments biggest problems as landfills are filling up and those leak Methane into atmosphere leading to climate change so next time you find a Zero Waste Designer make sure you go support them.
X,
Malaika Boysen Haaning
CEO & Founder
Malaika New York
