Fast-Forward: Proposals for a Light and Restorative Fashion Alternative

Futurescan 4: Valuing Practice, Post-conference proceedings.

The increasing dominance of ‘fast fashion’ in the current commercial context, has resulted in a market full of products designed to be economically efficient in production. Clothing sales are increasing in volume and their lifespan is reducing (Ellen MacArthur Foundation 2017). The prevailing, and rightly accepted response to this issue is to focus on ‘slowing down the fashion system’. However, researchers here acknowledge that there may need to be an alternative for parts of the clothing market. Not all garment archetypes are suitable for long-life.

The recent emergence of ‘fibre to fibre’ recycling technologies allows us to think of longevity in a different way; from a ‘material recovery’ perspective and not only through extending product life. The question becomes; can we make fast-fashion better, with lighter impacts on the environment? Can fast-recovery become a viable circular strategy for at least part of the fashion and clothing market? Can we achieve an overall reduction in ‘environmental cost per wear’, with new material and production models?

This paper reflects on a practice-led and multidisciplinary project, within the Mistra Future Fashion programme (2011-2019), which tested new proposals for systemic change in the fashion market (Goldsworthy and Earley 2019). The design research task was both to challenge established understanding of best practice in sustainability and also to present alternative visions for consideration. Through the design of the project, the aim was to develop new ways to foster the deep collaboration needed to solve the complex problem of making fashion circular.

A new wearable 'paper' was developed and other commercially available nonwoven materials reworked, as inexpensive twenty-first century fabrics with intentionally short lifespans, that can be effectively recycled or industrially composted. The materials were transformed through innovative finishing techniques and tested with scientific partners for strength, recyclability, compostability, environmental impacts and importantly, user acceptance.