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Sustainability in Fashion Design

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  4. 2018 - Kent State University Undergraduate Symposium on Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity
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  6. Sustainability in Fashion Design
Author(s)
  • Danielle Bennett
Abstract

Inspired by the nostalgia of growing up in the desert combined with 80s silhouettes emerges the colorful fashion design collection entitled “Dusk.” “Dusk” brings traditional southwestern-wear to the contemporary fashion market while focusing on leather techniques/surface design. There is a moral dilemma in using leather as a textile; while it is beautiful and functional, is it wrong to use animal skin on something as frivolous as clothing? In attempts to explore this predicament and move towards ethical fashion design, “Dusk” uses a technique called up-cycling, which is the process of taking unwanted clothing from thrift stores and tearing them apart to make an entirely new garment, and large scraps of leather that were left unused due to damage or size. Using this method, I have created five aesthetically pleasing, yet sustainable garments. After making these garments, I have concluded that sustainable practices are possible when it comes to leather in fashion design, but there is a time cost. These garments took hundreds of hours of meticulous planning, hand painting to achieve uniformity, designing, and constructing. At the rate that the fashion industry moves, it would be hard to implement these practices on a large scale, but not impossible.

Format
Conference Proceeding
Publication Date
2018-04-05
Contributor(s)
Faculty Mentor
Chanjuan Chen
Roundtable Moderator
Mrs. Chanjuan Chen
Subject
  • Fashion Business
  • Fashion Design
  • Natural Resources and Conservation
  • Sustainability
Modified Abstract

Inspired by the nostalgia of growing up in the desert combined with 80s silhouettes emerges the colorful fashion design collection entitled “Dusk.” “Dusk” brings traditional southwestern-wear to the contemporary fashion market while focusing on leather techniques/surface design. There is a moral dilemma in using leather as a textile; while it is beautiful and functional, is it wrong to use animal skin on something as frivolous as clothing? In attempts to explore this predicament and move towards ethical fashion design, “Dusk” uses a technique called up-cycling, which is the process of taking unwanted clothing from thrift stores and tearing them apart to make an entirely new garment, and large scraps of leather that were left unused due to damage or size.

Comments

Hey there! I name is Dani Bennett and I grew up in Cave Creek, Arizona. In high school, I loved writing music and photography, so I have always been interested in creating art. I now major in fashion design and I have fallen in love with the craft.

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