More and more focus has been shone onto acheiving both a fashionable and sustainable garment that the market not only accepts but desires. Designer’s use a multitude of diffrenet ways to do their part for the environment to create a more sustainable industry, and as time progresses, with more and more pressure being placed on the industry to adapt their propcesses to lower their carbon footprint, more designers are following suite.
Sustainable fabric choices
Choosing a sustainable fabric when a designer chooses the fabric is one way the designer can make a design choose that will benefit the planet. A natural fibre fabric such as cotton, linen and wool are seen to be sustainable as they will break down naturally overtime. Wool has natural antibacterial ans antimicrobial properties, which caring for the garments has a reduced need for over washing and strong soaps. The issue with natural fibre fabrics, is the toll that the production can take on the surrounding enviroment, such as the methane produced by sheep, or the use of extreme amounts of water to grow cotton, which can be detrimental to the areas that do grow it, when they are naturally baren.
However, as technologically has progressed, so has the option for sustainable fabrics. Recycled fabrics is now an option that has a large variety to choose from, and this area continues to grow. Fast fashion companies such as H&M also now offer a range of clothing made from recycled fabrics, encouraging shoppers to ‘dump’ their old clothing with them, in exchange for a discount. This enables H&M to recycle the fabrics, and encourages a s ense of sustainability within the fast fashion market. 
Plastic is now another material that has been developed into a recycled fabric, the process has become advanced enough to acheive a great sense of breathability, durability and feel soft and comfortable to wear.
Recyling and Upcycling
Choosing to use fabrics that are recycled or upcycled is one way to acheive sustainablity, though the this can have it’s limitations, and may not be suitabel for a mass producing designer or company.
Some designers seek fabrics that are off cuts from other designers and are heading to land fill, using the fabric on a smaller scale, though not to waste the fabric. Treehugger details 9 brands who use upcycling and recycling to varying degrees as their business model, building their brands around a greener planet.
Zero waste pattern design
Zero waste pattern designing is the love child of finding a way to minimise waste when designing garments. A large bulk of waste is contributed to by the off cuts when the pieces are cut from the roll of fabric. To cut this waste down, the designing process of finding a way to design a garment with no off cuts was created.
This is quite a technical way of designing, heavily laden with measurements and logistics but effective in minimising waste. The pattern designs need to be geometric to acheive this sustainability option.
Inks and Dyes
A factor that contributes heavily to the unfortunate negative effect on the environment is of course the inks, dyes, and processes used when manufacturing clothing. Many garments go through complex processes that use chemicals that are hazardous to the environment, or alterntively, a washed and dyed multiple times, over using water supplies.
A designer needds to be informed in the process of their fabric to make an educated choice as to whether their design can potentially be acheived without the heavy use of chemicals.
Every aspect of the design process has an earth friendlier option, and it’s up to the designer and the company to choose to use it. These options are increasing day by day, and consumers are actively seeking these options when purchasing.
Fashion Foward Musings 