Can Circular Economy reconcile the paradox of fast fashion and sustainability? Sustainability and Other Stories is both a case study and fashion collection. The pieces in the collection were designed for circularity using different techniques to close the loop. The project aims to reinforce the political role of design and explore the link between consumption and social behaviour in a globalised world.
The functional clothing brand PYUA manufactures winter sports clothing from previously recycled or recyclable materials in the so-called Closed-Loop Recycling System. This system avoids resource waste and reduces CO2 emissions. The fluorocarbon-free fittings set a high standard: the polyester laminate Climaloop, which is developed specially for impregnation, is pollutant-free. The accompanying repair service contributes to prolonging the service life.
Pure Waste Textiles makes 100 per cent recycled yarns, fabrics, and ready-made garments. The raw material for the textiles is collected from two main sources – cutting clips from ‘cut, make and trim’–factories and yarn waste from spinning and weaving mills. Sorted by colour and quality, the textiles are mechanically opened back into fibres. Depending on the final use of the fabric, the cotton waste can then be mixed with chemically recycled polyester or viscose fibres and spun into yarns. Knitted or woven, the yarns undergo a finishing process and are cut into the final product. No harmful chemicals are used during the recycling process. Each Pure Waste T-shirt saves up to 2,700 litres of water in comparison to a T-shirt made of virgin materials. 90 per cent of the energy used for in the recycling process comes from renewable energy.
Kleiderei is a lending service for clothing. For a fixed amount, subscribers receive a monthly package with four pieces of clothing to their home. The clothing is customised to suit subscribers’ respective taste, to which end a questionnaire has to be filled out during registration. The products consist of (young) design brands, selected vintage pieces, and donated clothes. The project facilitates a diverse wardrobe and the sampling of new styles – avoiding fast fashion or excess. Clothing can also be loaned ‘offline’ at the Kleiderei store in Cologne.
Traditional clothing manufacturing creates an average of up to 18 per cent textile leftovers. Upmade closes the loop by applying upcycling on an industrial scale and reducing the amount of textile leftovers. With the help of the Upmade software, excess materials are turned into garments. Waste is therefore brought back into the consumption chain. Upmade reduces production costs and CO2 emissions, while saving energy and water. The project provides a profitable and scalable solution to the problem of textile leftovers for any size of a brand. Brands and manufacturers can obtain a certification.
The designer Reet Aus is dedicated to Slow Fashion. Her upcycled collection is made entirely from post-production leftovers. For her collections she uses the Upmade method, an industrial upcycling method that she has developed. The method involves a complete lifecycle analysis of the garments and enables the circulation of leftover materials back into the production chain. The ‘Reet Aus’ collection is therefore very efficient. For example, each Up-shirt saves on average 91 per cent water, 87 per cent energy and creates 80 per cent less CO2 in comparison to a conventionally produced T-shirt.