Understanding the Concept of Circular Fashion
“We are starting to understand the social and environmental impact of overproduction and consumption of our clothes. But it doesn’t have to be this way if circular fashion is practiced. Circular fashion is a great way to better the environment. More fashion brands need to start implementing it like H&M is. I advise people to start shopping for clothes that will last them years rather than what is trending at the moment.” -Brandon Alfaro
Time sure does fly. It is crazy 2021 is about to end, and as humans, we must bravely move onward to another year. Before 2021 comes to an end, I wanted to touch on the subject of circular fashion. A cycle that is currently being curated and implemented into the fashion industry.
By understanding the concept behind circular fashion, our minds can explore the limitless possibilities of improving this strategy. So years from now, circular fashion can create a sustainable plan that will forgo the existing wasteful dynamic of the modern fashion industry.
“Let’s enable the products of today to become the resources of tomorrow.”
The concept of circular fashions starts with seeing products and materials kept in use for as long as possible. This would include: restoring fabrics, cutting out waste, reselling pieces, and recycling everything.
There are multiple unique circular design practices. Today I would like to focus on one aspect, which is raw materials. The beginning of fashion circulatory starts with textiles. All fabrics can be separated into two different categories. The first one is mono materials or blended materials. Mono materials consist of one material instead of a blend making it easier to reuse and recycle. While blended materials have a make-up of several fibers causing them to have difficulties in the recycling and reusing process.
To practice circularity, we must start by having suppliers and designers work together to be more considerate of using mono materials in their collections. Lastly, imagine a circular fashion cycle where textiles can decompose into the ground to fertilize the earth we walk on. I would like to introduce biogarmentry, an innovative fiber I have been following.
“What if clothes were alive and photosynthesized?”
Currently, a work in process, a textile that is 100% biodegradable. This disruptive textile is created from algae and acts as a plant, absorbing CO2 and releasing oxygen. Once the lifespan of this textile is over, it can decompose into the soils of the earth. Blending material science, design, and the creative minds of this generation will allow us to discover a fully circular fashion cycle.
Thank you so much for reading! This will be my last blog post for the year, so happy holidays to everyone. Cheers to 2022, to another year of appreciating every moment of life and courageously exploring the unknown.
PSA: A huge shoutout to the homie for stepping out of his comfort zone and modeling for my blog post. Much appreciated “haha”!
With love,
Thy Phan