Upcycling is a concept that I, before this week, had never really thought or heard of. When deciding what type of product to come up with that is upcycled, I began to brainstorm about my everyday life and my family's life. Over the past weekend, when I visited my nieces, they ravaged through my suitcase and played dress up with my clothes. Although they are only 4 and 7 years of age, and the garments swallowed them up, they still loved trying on everything I had in my bag. They always compliment me on the way I dress and make comments on how they wish they could wear clothing like mine. So, this week I came up with the idea of turning my old clothes, that I know longer wish to wear, into miniature clothing.
After reading Waste = Food, I learned the difference between a biological metabolism and a technical metabolism. They both inspired me to think of a products lifecycle differently and inspired me to brainstorm about how my lifestyle affects both of these concepts. Technical metabolism consists of a technical nutrient, which I believe is any material that can be turned into another material that is worth the same amount of value or more. By watching the video, Rhoner Textiles, I realized that clothing really is a service and is not really just about the tangible garment itself. The items continuously circulate into several life cycles, serving a greater purpose to people and their community.
With my idea, adult clothing can be worn until the owner no longer wishes to wear the garment ever again, then one or several garments can be cut and sewn into any desired style of children's clothing. Many random garments could be used in making a dress or use simply one t-shirt to make one or a couple pairs of shorts, depending on what size of clothing the child wears. Using this concept, less clothing would be wasted in making children's clothing that the young users wear out so quickly. Parents and other adults would have any easy way to dispose of their old clothing by either selling their garments to parents to use to make their child's clothing or using the old pieces to make new pieces for their own kids. Garment manufacturers would become involved with the new idea by having customers send in their old and unwanted clothing to their desired manufacturing company and trade or get a discount on their new clothing they order. The manufacturing company would then either make the old clothes into new children's garments, or sell and trade with other children's manufacturing clothing companies. Less time and money would be spent purchasing clothing that kids outgrow so quickly and more time to focus on family life for the individuals who re make the garments, and more time for manufacturers to focus on sustainability.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Reflection of the Earth
Reflecting the naturalness of the Earth in the future designs of the apparel industry is vital for the mental mode of rejuvenating the environment to take place. Perhaps the only way for consumers to open their eyes on the problems that they are causing is to have them wear clothing that reflects the way Earth should be and use to be. Kate Fletcher, in Chapter 6 of Local and Light, talks about biomimicry by using nature as a model to inspire solutions that could possibly solve human problems. The best solutions for improving the environment surround humans, yet most refuse to see the obvious around them. Humans have learned so much from nature, but I think people have lost or forgotten the basic concepts that nature has taught them.
In the previous blog I talked about making garments 100% biodegradable and made from recycled materials. With this concept and using materials sparingly, I would like to add on that the garments should reflect nature and the ones that are not made from recycled materials, should be made from 100% organic natural fibers. The articles of clothing will colored from natural dyes from seeds, flowers, fruits, vegetables, coffee beans, grass, etc. The organic fibers used in the fashion clothing will be made from cellulosic fibers such as hemp, organic cotton, flax, bamboo, jute, abaca and protein fibers that have been shaved from an animal humanely. Leather can be used but only if the skins from the meat packing industry, so they were not killed just for their fur and skin. To educate consumers on what they do to the environment and how purchasing this clothing line will benefit the Earth, I will make the tags on the garments indicate what materials are used in the making of the article of clothing and what percentage of improvement they are making for nature by wearing it. How to properly wash the garment will be included on the label. Washing the clothing using only natural soaps that do not contain harmful chemicals and minimal water possible will be included in the instructions. This will let us become back into balance with the biosphere, replacing what we have taken from the planet.
In the previous blog I talked about making garments 100% biodegradable and made from recycled materials. With this concept and using materials sparingly, I would like to add on that the garments should reflect nature and the ones that are not made from recycled materials, should be made from 100% organic natural fibers. The articles of clothing will colored from natural dyes from seeds, flowers, fruits, vegetables, coffee beans, grass, etc. The organic fibers used in the fashion clothing will be made from cellulosic fibers such as hemp, organic cotton, flax, bamboo, jute, abaca and protein fibers that have been shaved from an animal humanely. Leather can be used but only if the skins from the meat packing industry, so they were not killed just for their fur and skin. To educate consumers on what they do to the environment and how purchasing this clothing line will benefit the Earth, I will make the tags on the garments indicate what materials are used in the making of the article of clothing and what percentage of improvement they are making for nature by wearing it. How to properly wash the garment will be included on the label. Washing the clothing using only natural soaps that do not contain harmful chemicals and minimal water possible will be included in the instructions. This will let us become back into balance with the biosphere, replacing what we have taken from the planet.
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Produce for Recycling
Using waste as a resource is a concept that has been examined and used to find ways to re use materials for energy that would otherwise been thrown away. The downside on this concept is the fact that materials that are not used to be turned into energy do just end up in land fills and may sit without ever breaking down. The real problem is that products that are made to be recycled depend upon humans to actually initiate the hands-on recycling method and when people choose not to practice this, goods that are made to be recycled still end up in landfills. Designing all products for biodegradability is the solution for stopping waste and filling up land fills. Biodegradable products will be free of chemicals that preserve the products or garments from never degrading when they turn into waste. These textiles may be manufactured from recycled goods and natural fibers that do not emit harmful pollutants into the atmosphere.
In the reading How Will We Conduct Business, using waste as a resource inspired me to rethink the way just recycling products over and over again may not be the only answer. Eventually products will turn into waste regardless of how many times the product has been recycled and made into different products. Producing endless amounts of goods that are made from recycled goods is not perfectly efficient. Creating goods that are made to decompose after a certain amount of time and that can be made from recycled materials is a better solution that I believe is feasible in today's society and for the future. This would be more beneficial to the environment when people who are suppose to recycle materials do not. The Earth would not have to pay the burden of the harm a product that is not biodegradable but was suppose to be recycled causes.
Optimizing rather than maximizing is a key part in manufacturing and designing goods that are 100% biodegradable. Preserving energy and saving fossil fuels is what biodegradable products help do. They maximize precious resources for the long haul. Over half over manufactured items quickly just turn into waste. Biodegradable items that are recycled will continue to benefit the world, but the items that are unfortunately just thrown away will not hurt the Earth. The quality of the goods will long lasting for the time needed to use the good. When they item is not longer used, it can be recycled.
In the reading How Will We Conduct Business, using waste as a resource inspired me to rethink the way just recycling products over and over again may not be the only answer. Eventually products will turn into waste regardless of how many times the product has been recycled and made into different products. Producing endless amounts of goods that are made from recycled goods is not perfectly efficient. Creating goods that are made to decompose after a certain amount of time and that can be made from recycled materials is a better solution that I believe is feasible in today's society and for the future. This would be more beneficial to the environment when people who are suppose to recycle materials do not. The Earth would not have to pay the burden of the harm a product that is not biodegradable but was suppose to be recycled causes.
Optimizing rather than maximizing is a key part in manufacturing and designing goods that are 100% biodegradable. Preserving energy and saving fossil fuels is what biodegradable products help do. They maximize precious resources for the long haul. Over half over manufactured items quickly just turn into waste. Biodegradable items that are recycled will continue to benefit the world, but the items that are unfortunately just thrown away will not hurt the Earth. The quality of the goods will long lasting for the time needed to use the good. When they item is not longer used, it can be recycled.
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