Individually Unique. Together Complete.

There is one thing that we all have in common, worldwide. We are all apart of the textile industry, whether it is apparel or interior. Some people take pride in being unique and individual and some people could careless what their clothes or house looked like. However, I do believe everyone is unique and creative in his or her own way. I think most people find pleasure in expressing themselves through what they wear or how they interior spaces appear. It gives people a sense of identity and comfort within themselves. I understand that some people do not think that these two factors are important and do not really understand the concept of the two, and that is why we are here to help consumers get it.

After this weeks reading from Fuad-Luke, I have learned the value of the concept of design activism. There is an important combination of staying unique as individuals and being environmentally aware of our collective design ideas. My design idea stems off of my last post about taking leather, plastic and cotton accessories such as purses and transforming them into pillows. Although I am an apparel student, I find myself spending more time decorating my house and wanting to buy or reupholster interior goods. And so I began to think about how to relate design activism to my interests.

My design concept is to have a company that focuses strictly on personalizing interior products in a sustainable way. The client could meet up with a designer from the company and work on different combinations of taking purses, shoes and other clothing and turning them into pillows or reupholstered furniture. This would allow the client to recycle and reuse materials they have lying around their house and still maintain their unique style. I feel that this company and concept would satisfy the needs to a broad market of older women who have collected purses and materials throughout the years and feel a need for a change while meeting their utilitarian and aesthetic needs.

Throughout this enjoyable course I have learned the basic of sustainability as well as the in-depth problems we face as consumers and designers. I have also learned that we are all innovators and are capable of finding solutions to the problems, we just have to step up to the challenge. I enjoyed the blog buddy system because it gave me multiple perspectives and insight on topics I would have never thought of. I would like to learn more about the upcycling process and become more educated with companies that meet these sustainable standards.

Purse-to-Pillow

            Today, my mom had asked me what I wanted to for graduation. I immediately began online shopping and making a wish list for her with all of the things I wanted. I then realized I had put a few purses on that list. I got to thinking of all the purses I had collected over the years whether it be leather, plastic, cotton, or hemp and thought I need to do something with the purses I do not use anymore before I consider getting another one or two. We as consumers, merchandisers, and designers think we need a new purse with every outfit for every occasion. We get bored with the same ones. I am guilty of wanting to carry a new one every week and then never using it again after I purchase a new one. Purses are constantly changing and we as consumers are constantly buying them because we want them. In result, when we are through with them we put them in our closets to collect dust. This problem has helped me come up with a solution to get these purses dusted off and back out into the industry to create a new product. 

 

            As discussed in the Cradle-to-Cradle article, my design idea falls under the technical metabolism concept because the purses will be broken down into pieces and will be reused to make pillows. This technical metabolism concept is designed to reused materials through multiple product cycles in a closed-loop system. The purse will be broken down into individual pieces and the pillow, itself, will be made with the fabric of the purse. The straps, buttons, zippers, etc. will all be used to make these decorative pillows to add character and uniqueness. In my design concept, I will be making a whole new interior product out of apparel goods. Today, many people, like me, do not like matching pillows for everything and actually like to create their own pillow arrangements. We like decorating our furniture and beds with pillows that are not identical and may or may not have the same color scheme. Since there are so many different purses it will give people a large variety to choose from. The pillows will be eco-friendly due to the fabrics used and reuse of the products. The fabrics will first become a purse and secondly become a pillow. After being reused to make pillows, the fabric will then be recycled to become the stuffing for the pillows. Instead of just letting our unused and unwanted purses sit in our closets and take up space we need to upcycle these products because they will not only benefit us but also our environment.

            In the Cradle-to-Cradle article, they encourage us to become more aware of the cradle-to-cradle processes instead of the cradle-to-grave concept. This design concept portrays the cradle-to-cradle process because these products are going through the cycles of industry in order to keep these high-quality products alive. By recreating these purses into pillows and back into the pillows for stuffing we are creating a positive approach in making the environment more sustainable. This concept also relates to McDonough’s and Braungart’s article because it is a “product of service,” which means it recreates new end uses for a product instead of throwing the materials away. We are always trying to think of new and creative ideas to become more sustainable and this cradle-to-cradle cycle will give the unwanted purses life, again.

            The reading, Textile Futures, gives us a few examples of how a designers “resurfaced” products that were going to be thrown away. Instead of letting these garments go to waste, the designers have taken these products and transformed them by using their own design concepts and creativeness to make a new, fashionable creation. Becky Early, one of the designers, collects used fashion textiles and reprints them with her own designs to keep them wearable and up-to-date with fashion. She wanted to recycle garments that were only worn for one season or were easily outdated garments, just like the purses we accumulate over the years that we use for only one season or soon become old-fashion. Although her focus is on textile products, our concept designs are very similar due to the fact that we are both being innovative in new products that will have a positive effect on our environment instead of a negative one.

            The C2CAD article breaks down the sustainable apparel design and production model into four steps; Problem definition and research, sample making, solution development and collaboration, and production. This article shows us that if we use the right resources, are knowledgeable about the industry, and have a creative imagination, you can come up with solutions to make the environment more sustainable. Like my purse idea, there are endless products that I could make to keep the cycle going, but I will probably need to communicate with a few other designers or manufacturers to help me with come up with new ideas.