Julia Lumsdens Masters: A garment for the upper body with a collar and sleeves and buttons down the front

Juila Lumdens masters on the challenge of zero waste via a shirt is truly inspiring. Because the concept is relatively new in modern fashion, reading something that makes sense and connects with my own thinking is quite exciting. These are some notes I made from the report:

- Creating garments with creating fabric waste: Research into modern practices and cutting techniques has shown that on average 15% of the fabric used to create garments is wasted. Approx 50% of the cost of producing a garment comes from fabric so getting a high yield out of that fabric is of great benefit to the manufacturer. For Juila, her love and expertise in pattern making are cohesive with her interest in zero waste as she finds it easier/more beneficial to plan a pattern that will represent a design rather than a sketch. The desire to make garments without waste is not new. The square cut Kimono or Sari are just a couple of examples where zero waste have been used in history.
- Julia prefers to work on the fold as this gives the garment a more symmetrical appearance and aesthetic. Even when she didn't work on the fold she found her patterns were more of less symmetrical so through working on the fold it makes the whole concept more accurate and tidy. "By conceding to the design process I found that through construction, the patterns could work with corresponding seams of different lengths if I were flexible about the way the garments were constructed and finished... Where possible, I endeavored to keep the same seam lengths but also attempted to forgo the perceived notions of pattern making for the purpose of experiment.
- "The design process continued into the finishing of the jackets, where essentially the whole outside edges of the jackets were bound and then the front edges were folded back and stitched in various ways to create facings and lapels that highlighted the different style elements of the jackets."

(Lumsden, 2010)

Lumsden, J. (2010). A garment for the upper body with a collar . Wellington : Massey University .

Toms Movement

Apart from the fact that I really like Toms shoes, I believe they have similar/ really cool philosophies that would look amazing along side my collection. 

This is the toms story:

In 2006, American traveler Blake Mycoskie befriended children in Argentina and found they had no shoes to protect their feet. Wanting to help, he created TOMS Shoes, a company that would match every pair of shoes purchased with a pair of new shoes given to a child in need. One for One. Blake returned to Argentina with a group of family, friends and staff later that year with 10,000 pairs of shoes made possible by TOMS customers.

Why Shoes?

Many children in developing countries grow up barefoot. Whether at play, doing chores or going to school, these children are at risk:

•A leading cause of disease in developing countries is soil-transmitted diseases, which can penetrate the skin through bare feet. Wearing shoes can help prevent these diseases, and the long-term physical and cognitive harm they cause.

•Wearing shoes also prevents feet from getting cuts and sores. Not only are these injuries painful, they also are dangerous when wounds become infected.

•Many times children can't attend school barefoot because shoes are a required part of their uniform. If they don't have shoes, they don't go to school. If they don't receive an education, they don't have the opportunity to realize their potential.

I believe that in order for zero waste to work it would have to have a mantra like toms and a deeper STORY. This encourages people to have more of a connection with items of clothing which prolongs the wearing time reducing mass consumption etc.

Their website is really positive and engages with the customer in a big way encouraging you to get involved. Alain needs to have this open relationship between consumer and retailer.

Zero waste Shirt and Jacket for Alain

After Holly's tutorial I was inspired to start my Zero Waste shirt. These are the steps that I followed to make the shirt. It is a combination of all of Julia Lumsdens techniques, evolved into something of my own. 

STEP 1: Drape on mannequin to get pattern blocks. I drape because I find it easier to get a better fit and understand what I am designing. For this shirt I wanted my concrete elements to be:

1. Look like a shirt (I wanted to prove that something that was zero waste did not have to be lose and distorted).

2. Grain line down centre front

3. Be cohesive with Alain collection. 

STEP 2: Transferring to Pattern. After Holly's tutorial I decided to combine the jacket and shirt together in one pattern as fabric was very wide and I couldn't get the length of the jacket without combining it with other patterns. I pieced the draped blocks together like a puzzle to make the pattern. 

STEP 3: Transferring to card. I make pleat lines straighter and simplify shapes, merging areas with outlines from blocks. 

STEP FOUR: Toile time! Because I have changed so much of the shape, I need to toile before using the actual fabric. This is the toile for the shirt. I stupidly sewed the back to front i.e. pleats are supposed to be at the back. I also forgot about a button wrap so need to add this to the pattern and re- toile.

Notes from Zero Waste Tutorial with Holly

Zero waste pattern cutting is a design practice that embraces UNCERTAINTY.
- Yeohlee teng
- Tara St James
- Alice Sutton (Selvage to Selvage)
- IDEA: things that enable further mending, leaving a length of a dress sewn up more than usual so it can be unpicked and worn longer or shorter in different seasons.
- Use paper models! "Endurance Skirt" - Using fabric that is already with a garment (connected) for mending.
-Imbedding finishing into a pattern.
JULIA LUMSDEN MASTERS WORDS:
-Piecing
-Merging
-Nesting
-Blending
-Creating.

How to start? Pre determined areas of the finished garment that are fixed and the remainder of the pattern evolves around these fixed attributes.

Piecing: establish pattern is divided into at least two smaller pieces, enabling the pattern to fit the width.
Merging: putting two pieces together/eliminating seams/darts to create useable negative space.
Blending: established pattern pieces are created. EG. creating pockets. First part of call FUNCTION. Mens pants without pockets: utility.
Embedding: Predetermining a garment piece or entire garment to then in bed in the overall garment pattern
Approaches: Cut and drape, geo cut (geometry inspired) planned chaos (blocks for zero waste pattern) -combination.

As long as the new line intersects a seam line it will fit the same. Instead of small fish dart shapes.

Advice from Holly for Zero waste jacket: use tear drop shape for armhole instead of straight slash line then look at Julia Lumsdens Masters folio for how to use teardrop shape for placket.

Zero waste jacket on body

Best toile so far! Left most is how a man would wear the jacket and the right is how a woman would wear it. Still having issues with sleeve. 

A little bit of Issey

Issey Miyake's basic view for making clothes has always been the idea of creating a garment from 'one piece of cloth', and the exploration of the space between the human body and the cloth that covers it. He has always been a designer who I have admired and his ideas around making clothes are coherent with zero waste fashion. Particularly the designs pictured above represent styles that could be effectively weaved into my collection in a wearable/ready to wear way. 

Slowing Fashion - Gene Sherman and Issey Miyake

The photograph above is an image of Dr Gene Shermans notebook which records all the amazing pieces that she formally collects. For Gene the mantra, ‘buy less, buy better’ is evident in her 25 piece wardrobe which includes the pieces of mostly Japanese designers including Yohji Yamamoto, Issey Miyake and Rei Kawakubo.

The work of these Japanese designers can be described as timeless, original in design and often unusual, which allows the pieces to easily transcend a six-month fashion season. Gene purchases garment during her two annual trip to Tokyo and when she gains a new piece she retires another which she documents carefully and donates/has donated to power house fashion museum. For Gene, this slower pattern of consumption enables her to create a deeper level of engagement with the clothes themselves and to build over time a personal ongoing narrative and set of associative values. I want my collection to correspond with this kind of value and ongoing history. 

Maison Martin Margiela

Maison Martin Margiela is a huge inspiration in all my work. I have rented several books from the library and constantly have them on return and literally lug them round with me just for the sake of having that inspiration with me. I love how the house addresses the ideas of ‘the body’ (whatever shape it may be) and somewhat protects it with distressed tailoring. The House’s philosophy is precisely informed by a procedure that refuses to be governed by the compulsive view that fashion should reinvent itself entirely every single season. Two aspects really interest me about the house’s work:

-     1.  The concept of time and its view on the human body. The concept of time is interpreted in various ways: as the duration that is expressed through the use of certain fabrics and the objects relating to the passage of time and the process of ageing; time in the view of the history of fashion and finally time as referring to the history of the garment itself which is made visible through the externalization of the production process = the sewing of darts on outside of garments/ revealing seams etc. How does this relate to my collection? I want to use Hemp fabrics,100% Linens and organic cotton etc that literally break down over time hence have a history – life. I want my collection to be able to be worn in multiple ways by both men and women therefore the clothes make their own history through how the wearer chooses to wear them and how they fit the individual body shape. Lastly, the process of zero waste pattern making could be effectively externalized in the garments with folds on the outside of seams etc – this works (to me) as by wearing zero waste you are literally presenting a change in attitude in our consumer driven society hence this should be exclaimed and presented to outsiders. I also like the idea that the garments – through the fabrics/production literally show the idea of ageing and decay which draws from my inspiration from the Margareta collection of the Grey Gardens documentary.

-     

      2.  Maison Martin Margiela changes, significantly, the standardized body as prescribed by fashion. (By this I do not mean going against stick thin models etc – rather diving into the idea of male and female shapes). Various collections exploited the idea of oversized clothing, wrapping the body like “gigantic artificial cocoons.” The spring summer collection (2000) featured garments in two different sizes: “A stereotype made up in white cotton to emphasize the basic characteristics of form and to introduce an aspect of abstraction, and an enlarged version of that stereotype made up in a selection of the most typical fabrics for a garment of this type. The enlargements included secondhand dresses, tops and slips whose form and original size have been transformed by hand rendering, a uniform size 74 for all garments.”

These ideas relate so closely to my thinking. The idea of the body in a cocoon and questioning ideas of size in the fashion world (not dress size but sizes of clothing in general and why this is different from a woman to a man. This brings me to the idea of silhouette that Maison Martin Margiela is so famous for challenging – again looked through via the concept of the body. The 1997 collection experimented with the double production process 

“Jackets are cut to a man’s proportions. Once finished, the internal structure is removed and a second feminine shoulder line is added through the use of shoulder pads over which the original man’s shoulder line hangs.”

 I am having a lot of trouble getting the shoulder line to fit both the men’s and women’s form in the jacket I have draped – this idea could solve my issues! To apply a type of accessory that a women could buy with there unisex garment that covers the original man’s shoulder line. Although the house has not talked about a unisex collection, these ideas that cross over from men’s forms to women’s forms are a substantial starting ground for reshaping the silhouettes of men’s and women’s fashion and in doing so re reading the fashion system that grounds this silhouette!

The photograph above shows a classic trench with the collar enlarged – this present the idea of being protected/hidden. It is made by incorporating two vintage coats (fabrics have a history). I like how the garments still have a deffinate structure and the deconstruction process has not hindered this, they still look new and modern. Also note the tabi boots in this image that are probably the most iconic accessory of the house. They are inspired by Japanese tabi.

Flat garments like the ones above and below also caught my eye as you need zero waste garments to be somewhat flat and geometric to be made into patterns. This image is from the 1998 collection that is a series of flat garments whose structure has been adapted so that when they are not worn, they fall totally flat. Assembling panels of industrial garment patterning create foldable pieces. The collection also includes garments that have full-length zippers along the sides, which allow them to be opened completely and laid flat.

The photograph above shows the displacement of the shoulder line towards the front and flattened through a special ‘crushing’ process. I like the aesthetic that this creates.

In conclusion, Maison Martin Margiela is a house, which I completely admire and am inspired to. I believe, concepts of time and the view on the human body could really cohesively work into my project. 

Is recycled polyester fabric RECYCLABLE?

I found this blog on recyclable fabrics and what it is doing to the environment. It seems that a lot of the time although recycling has good methods in mind, it ends up defeating the purpose and doing more bad than good in the long run.

A fabric made of “recycled material” has a certain percentage of polyester which comes from these chips that the recycling facility has manufactured.  Using these chips has several issues which are exclusive to the textile industry:

• The base color of the recycled polyester chips vary from white to creamy yellow, making color consistency difficult to achieve, particularly for the pale shades.  Some dyers find it hard to get a white, so they’re using chlorine-based bleaches to whiten the base.
• Inconsistency of dye uptake makes it difficult to get good batch-to-batch color consistency and this can lead to high levels of re-dyeing, another very high energy process.  Re-dyeing contributes to high levels of water, energy and chemical use.
• Unsubstantiated reports claim that some recycled yarns take almost 30% more dye to achieve the same depth of shade as equivalent virgin polyesters.[1]
• Another consideration is the introduction of PVC into the polymer from bottle labels and wrappers.
• Many yarns made from recycled polyester are used in forgiving constructions such as polar fleece, where the construction of the fabric hides slight yarn variations.  For fabrics such as satins, there are concerns over streaks and stripes.

Most of the plastics in use today can be recycled but, because mechanical recycling produces a less stable polymer, the products which can be made from this recycled plastic are of “less value” than the original.  The products made from the “chips” must be a bit forgiving, such as carpet, plastic lumber, roadside curbs, truck cargo liners, waste receptacles (you get the idea).  William McDonough calls this “downcycling”.  No matter how many smiling people you see throwing their bottles into a recycling container and “preventing the plastic from entering our waste stream” as the media likes to put it – the reality is that the recycling can only be done mechanically a few times before the polymers break down and the plastic is no longer useful or useable – every time plastic is melted down, its molecular composition changes, its quality degrades, and the range of its usefulness shrinks.   So after going from a virgin PET bottle, to carpet fibers, to plastic lumber, to a speed bump – that’s when it enters our waste stream.  So recycling plastic doesn’t prevent this occurrence – it just postpones it.  Read more about “the seduction of plastic” .

To add insult to injury, if you had bought the fabric mentioned above and hoped the fabric would be recyclable as claimed:  probably not gonna happen, because remember how the recycling facility had to separate bottles to make sure each resin was melted with similar types?  Think of the fabric as similar to bottles with different plastic resins:  many fabrics are woven of different types of plastic (60% polyester, 40% nylon for example), or there is a chemical backing of some sort on the fabric.  These different chemicals, with different molecular weights, renders the fabric non-recyclable.  Period.

And even if the fabric we’re talking about is 100% polyester with NO chemical backings or finishes, there is a problem with recycling in the system itself.  Although bottles, tins and newspapers are now routinely collected for recycling, furniture and carpets still usually end up in landfill or incinerators, even if they have been designed to be recycled because the fabric must be separated from other components if it’s part of an upholstered piece of furniture, for example.

Chemical recycling is the alternative technology and it does exist.  During chemical recycling, the materials are chemically dissolved into their precursor chemicals.  Polyester, for example, would be broken down into DMT (dimethyl terephthalate) and EG (ethylene glycol).  These chemicals are then purified and used to make new polyester fiber.  But the reality is that this is difficult and expensive to do.  Patagonia has made using recycled plastics a priority and gives a good overview of the process with interesting comments about the unique problems they’re encountering; read about it here.

Currently, fabrics identified as being “recyclable” really are not  - because the technology to recycle the fibers is either too expensive (chemical) or doesn’t exist (mechanical) and the infrastructure to collect the fabric is not in place.    Few manufacturers, such as Designtex (with their line of EL fabrics designed to be used without backings) and Victor Innovatex (who has pioneered EcoIntelligent™ polyester made without antimony),  have taken the time, effort and money needed to accelerate the adoption of sustainable practices in the industry so we can one day have synthetic fabrics that are not only recycled, but recyclable.

So when you buy a fabric made of recycled polyester, remember it’s at the end of its useful life as a plastic  – and you are contributing to our dependence on non renewable resources and to the overwhelming burden of non-degradeable plastic in our environment.

Jordan, C. (Ed.). (2011, november 11). Is recycled polyester fabric RECYCLABLE? Retrieved may 8, 2012, from O ecotextiles : http://oecotextiles.wordpress.com/2009/11/11/is-recycled-polyester-fabric-recyclable/

This article pretty much looks at how reusing plastic is just prolonging when it is going to be unusable. Does this defeat the purpose? I believe it is better to REDUCE before thinking about RECYCLING 

Why I want to use Linen?

I really like Linen. I think it is long lasting, unisex sex and promotes a sustainable life style. It is a good in between fabric as sometimes you can not source organic fabrics especially a small business starting out. These are some reasons why I should use linen..

Linen is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant, Linum usitatissimum. Linen is valued for its exceptional qualities.

Linen fabrics have been serving humans since approximately ten thousand years ago. It were ancient Egyptians who first started to use linen for clothes and bedding. We know that from rock carvings. Local riches were clad in thin linen fabrics; linen fabrics were used for wrapping of pharaoh mummies. Linen clothes were used as a symbol of “purity and light”. They were considered to be pure and at the same time serve as a guardian for the body of the person who was wearing it.

Peasants used home-made linen clothes.

In ancient Greece linen clothes were a privilege of priests.

 
At later times linen was grown and processed in other, northern, countries.

There it was called  “north gold” and “north silk”. It was used for clothes, table and bed linens, military equipment, canvas for oil pictures.

In previous centuries linen was considered to be a “healthy fabric”.

Despite all those thousands or years behind its back, linen, the most ancient fabric, remains forever young.

Linen popularity is not diminishing, it is growing with each year.

The secret of its popularity lies in the unique and highly valuable qualities of linen fabric.

- It is considered to be able to regulate body temperature by regulating skin-air heat exchange.

Linen absorbs moister well and at the same time releases it quickly, dries out, so linen fabric doesn’t "stick" to the body. Air can pass through linen fabric easily, so the skin is "breathing".

- Linen creates a feeling of freshness in hot weather and comfort warmth in winter. It is due to high thermo insulation qualities of the linen. When the weather is hot, the temperature between the body and linen is 3-4 degree below the air. When it is cold, the linen fabric carefully saves the body’s heat.

- Linen possesses high air permeability and heat conductivity properties. Heat conductivity of linen is five times as high as that of wool and 19 times as that of silk. In hot weather those dressed in linen clothes are found to show the skin temperature 3°-4°C below that of their silk or cotton-wearing friends. According to some studies, a person wearing linen clothes perspires 1.5 times less than when dressed in cotton clothes and twice less than when dressed in viscose clothes. Meanwhile in cold weather linen is an ideal warmth-keeper;

- It  doesn’t cause allergic reactions.

- Linen fabric don’t create static (in fact, even having small amount of linen in the fabric, up to 10%, removes possibility of static on the fabric).

- Linen fabric possesses rare bacteriological properties. Linen fabric is a natural antiseptic, it kills bacteria, so neither bacteria nor fungus can live on it. It also reduces inflammation. These qualities were noted by people long time ago when it was noted that wounds under linen dressing healed faster than under the cotton ones. Wearing linen clothes helps to get rid of some skin diseases - from common rash to chronic eczema.

- Linen reduces gamma radiation nearly by half and protects the human body from solar radiation. Flax fiber from contaminated soils appears not to exhibit even traces of radiation.

- Linen rejects dirt and does not get teaseled.

- Linen and linen-containing articles are easily laundered in hot water, can be boiled and dried in the sun. Hot water kills bacteria and dust mites. Besides they can be hot-ironed thereby ensuring maximum sterilization.

- The more linen is washed the softer and smoother it becomes.

- Linen is renowned for its spectacular durability and long life. The tensile strength of linen thread is twice as high as that of cotton which means that linen can withstand more washing cycles and serve for much longer time than cotton bedding.

- Linen underscores naturalness, softness and relief; creasing is yet another precious property possessed by linen.

- Linen has rich texture and feels pleasant to the touch (we love sewing linen fabric!).

So, to sum it up: linen bedding provides exceptional sleeping environment, is healthy, eco-friendly, easily washed, beautiful and long-lasting .

All these unique features of linen fabrics were always highly valued by people, and now, overwhelmed with and overexposed to synthetics, we are coming back to this natural fabric.

Linen clothes and linen bedding have become fashionable again and make their way back to our life.

Nothing can compare with pleasant to touch, textured, cool and fresh linen sheets in summer or in winter. Linen bedding just help relax and have a tight, refreshing, healthy sleep.

Linen fabric cost is relatively high now, so it has become elite material and is used mostly by mid- and high-class people. (info@linenlinens.com, 2009)

info@linenlinens.com. (2009, Sept 1). Linen Linens. Retrieved May 31, 2012, from Linen Linens : http://www.linenlinens.com/why_linen.html

Organic Cotton

I thought I should look at some organic materials to get a better idea of which ones to use for my collection. This is some research I did on organic cotton.

Organic definitions

Organic refers to the way agricultural products are grown and processed.  It includes a system of production, processing, distribution and sales that assures consumers that the products maintain the organic integrity that begins on the farm.

Setting the stage for U.S. National organic standards, the U.S. Congress adopted the Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA) in 1990 as part of the 1990 Farm Bill. This action was followed by over a decade of public input and discussion, which resulted in a National Organic Program final rule published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in December 2000 and implemented in October 2002.

These stringent standards put in place a system to certify that specific practices are used to produce and process organic agricultural ingredients used for food and non-food purposes.

National organic standards set out the methods, practices and substances used in producing and handling crops, livestock and processed agricultural products. The standards include a national list of approved synthetic and prohibited non-synthetic substances for organic production.((OTA), 2011)

(OTA), T. O. (2011, Feb 16). Oraganic trade association . Retrieved May 31, 2012, from Organic trade association : http://www.ota.com/definition/quickoverview.html

WHERE IS THIS USED IN THE MARKET PLACE? - KOWTOW

SUSTAINABILITY

Fairtrade

“The World Health Organisation estimates that 20,000 people a year die in developing countries from pesticide poisoning, and a further 3 million people suffer chronic health problems”

Kowtow only uses 100% fairtrade certified cotton, as certified by the Fairtrade labelling Organisation and the benefits are:

• The Fairtrade guaranteed minimum price covers the costs of production and provides a sustainable livelihood for Kowtow cotton producers.
• The Fairtrade premium enables co-operatives to fund projects that benefit the organisation and wider community: business and agricultural training; drilling bore holes for clean water; building schools and clinics.
• Kowtow fairtrade producers benefit from advance payment and long-term relationships with buyers.
• Kowtow fairtrade producer groups are democratically run and respect the rights of farmers and farm workers.
• Fairtrade production standards encourage sustainable agriculture and protection of the environment.

Organic

“Cotton covers 2.5% of the world’s cultivated land, yet it accounts for 25% of the world’s insecticide market and 10% of global pesticide sales, making it the most pesticide-intensive crop grown on the planet”

Kowtow only uses 100% organic certified cotton, as certified by SKAL International and the benefit are:

• Never uses genetically modified seeds.
• Conserves soil though crop rotation.
• Retains water more efficiently thanks to increased organic matter in the soil.
• Controls weeds through physical removal rather than chemical destruction.
• Controls insects by maintaining a balance between “pests” and their natural predators through healthy soils.

Manufacturing

The factory in Kolkata, India where Kowtow garments are made has the following benefits:

• Only works with certified organic cotton.
• Factory sponsors projects such as Girls Education, Cow Shed and Cow Donation programs in the farmers villages. 
• All fabric is dyed using Global Organic Textiles Standard (GOTS) approved dyes which are free of hazardous elements such as nickel, lead, formaldehyde, amines, pesticides and heavy metals.
• Employees receive a living wage and factory pays for their social security and pension funds.
• Employees receive House Rent, which is 5% of their basic wages. 
• Employees receive free transport services to the factory.
• Employees receive paid holiday leave, sick pay, medical insurance, subsidies lunches and overtime pay.
• Employees children all receive free schooling.
• Employees work in a well lit, well ventilated and spacious working environment.
• Benefit from work place unions.

Elliott, G. (2010, june 4). KowTow Organic About . Retrieved may 1, 2012, from Kow Tow : http://www.kowtowclothing.com/pages/sustainability

Kow Tow does a fantastic job of maintaining sustainability methods within and outside their company. 

Sustainable fashion an textiles, Kate Fletcher, Chapter 5 - Fashion, Needs and Consumption

I have always been told to reduce before I reuse and recycle. The chapter on Fashion, needs and consumption relates directly to this push to change the way people think about clothing and fashion, building “a new vision for fashion that satisfies needs and minimizes poverties.” (Pg 122)

Fletcher speaks about the importance of fashion to human culture – how it proclaims who we are etc etc but in doing this we must also recognize the “urgency of the sustainability agenda.”

What really captured my attention in the chapter is the idea that garments create, sustain and evoke social integration, relationships and creativity within society. “Relationships can be fostered by designing garments that encourage us to ask deep questions about our sense of place in the natural world…It is about designing confidence and capability-including pieces that encourage versatility, inventiveness, personalization and individual participation.” In conjunction with these ideas, Fletcher also talks about the “new aesthetic” that creates a connection between the consumer and the natural world and how the clothing they are wearing communicates this. “Aesthetics are important to sustainability because they act as a great social attractor, an outlet for ideas, a form of cross referencing and an agent for change.” Through informing people about sustainability though a trend of clothing (e.g. unisex dressing) you are bringing about a change in thinking in our consumerism society for good. This may be as simple as green stitching as American Apparel uses on their sustainably friendly clothing or the Kate Sylvester ‘Made in New Zealand tags that sits along the price tag of her Made in New Zealand garments. One can hope that one day that made in New Zealand tag will be as important as the price tag as it is to a lot of consumers already.

In conclusion, I really like this idea that a garment should integrate society, enhance relationships and increase thinking about sustainability. I believe that in the current economical situation, people look for more than just a ‘trend fix’ when looking for any type of clothing. Conversely they want a story, or an idea behind the piece that sustains as individual relationship. I see this all the time when I work at Kate Sylvester – people want to know what the collection is about and how the print was developed and what fabric it is etc etc. These ideas as not only fantastic for sustainability and slowing down fast fashion but they are also a great marketing scheme for a company with a background like Alain. Therefore, I want this collection to stand out as being versatile, educating, durable, innovative but most of all engaging. I can imagine people coming into a store and looking at draped jackets/pants etc and thinking is this men’s of women’s, how do I wear this, what is this made out of etc. At this point they either try it on and do something individual with it or they ask the shop assistant and immediately are engaged into a conversation. I want the collection to not only be made in New Zealand but look like it is made in New Zealand also. This goes right from the weather conditions in different cities (e.g. could have the Wellington jacket, Auckland jacket etc) to the tags that inform consumers where exactly there garment started and ended.

Time to start designing more!