For my final assignment in undergrad, I had to watch a short film called "The New Black, A Film About The Future of Clothing"
This film has made me more aware of how luxury consumption can easily shift to sustainable consumption with the technological options available for designers to produce high-end garments while creating less waste. Wastewater production was not at the front of my mind when I previously deemed a brand sustainable enough, but it should be. Nearly 20% of global wastewater comes from apparel production and manufacturing. Through the innovations and firms highlighted, this documentary showed me the connection between science and technology have to the fashion industry.
The innovations that were most compelling and most practical from the video are the clean dying process and the bioengineered fabrication methods. Waterless dye comprises of a highly compressed gas called supercritical carbon dioxide. It uses 50% less energy and chemicals. It does not need approval for safety because there are 7 machines in commercial use today. They can produce just as high a volume of dyed yarn. Traditional dying produces a lot more waste which not only harms the environment but also wastes water. It is more practical and sustainable for the environment and sustainable in production accuracy and efficiency. Dry dye, like bioengineered fabrics, should be tested out at the top and popularized through the fashion industry in a trickle-down method. I see it having more of a success with less risk just because it is already in commercial use. Since it is not commonly known, there is not a consumer concern because it's not being marketed well.
Bioengineered clothing was very compelling to me. A garment made of fermented organisms actually takes away the need to outsource garment production to factories that pay criminally low wages and make their workers operate in poor conditions. The costs associated with current fast fashion production has little science and technological growth to it, so growing fabrics instead of debating the ethics of choosing fabrics based on price makes it seem like being sustainable just presented a new approachable method. The waterless dye is more practical than bioengineered clothing for the common consumer. Bioengineerable fabric would be useful if implemented permanently and as a trickle-down effect; Luxury brands have the means and the resources to test this out. The process was simple because you could grow and sew fabric that is made out of green tea, sugar, acetic acid, and bacteria in the form of nuts. It grows on the surface of the liquid and will take on the shape. It can be grown and controlled in an atelier as shown, and if grown and engineered on a dress form, any couture brand that utilizes this method could either pose a threat to the market or further root themselves as dominator of the market. It is practical because it is combining the operations of two essential industries and bridging any disconnect between the perceptions of what is scientifically possible and worth doing. In terms of preserving the environment, the idea that fashion is above being environmentally friendly and simultaneously affordable needs to be changed because the innovations in this video have proven that notion wrong. Luxury brands have a duty to include these methods in ready to wear lines, especially when consumers are being more environmentally conscious.
Outside of an academic standard, I will have to shift my ideas about what I need to read and learn about if I want a career in sustainable product development. I know about experiential retail and the psychological perceptions on which silhouettes customers desire for their lifestyle, but the personable and customizable aspect of what the video described as “tumbler for the body” will possibly include a method of production that is unique to that specific customer's desires.
If implemented, the assessment of garment and fabric function will now change the product development process and level of expertise will be a new requirement instead of competitive advantage among businesses and employee candidates. The production process of a single garment could no longer be a controllable element of production if utilizing the method of growing fabrics. Having proficiency in science and engineering will be looked at more closely in employee candidates.
The “do it yourself” mentality is vital to the sustainability movement. While technological advancements are still in the development stages, informing the customer of these technologies is half of the battle when trying to make an impact. Change is exemplified by consumer trends and behaviors. If they are aware of the methods, then they are debunking which companies greenwash and reclaiming what factors influence where they shop.
What do you think of the direction sustainability is going in, and what can our industry do better? Let me know in the comments below.
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