Challenges, Opportunities, and Threats of Sustainability Fashion Designers - Coursework Example

What are the Challenges, Opportunities and Threats that Sustainability Fashion Designers Face? What are the Challenges, Opportunities and Threats that Sustainability Fashion Designers Face? Introduction The widely acceptable consensus in the fashion industry is the need to structure it around the demands of the consumers and the revenue bottom line. Coupled with the issues related to labor, fashion industry involves significant resource wastage, and has long been accused of condoning a system that deludes the moral values held by the fanfare.1 For instance, it has been often referred to as a rag trade, demonstrating the level of unsustainability exhibited in its traditional practices, prompting the need for change in business to guarantee its existence beyond today. As expected, such change must start with design, despite that this only constitutes a small part of the general industrial processes, but affects the entire supply chain. The design change is meant to show that the barriers faced by the fashion design industry can be overcome through creative cost reduction, which can be done through reuse of resources, reduction of waste, and recycling of materials in all steps of design processes. Slowly but steadily, the fashion industry is progressing well to catch on with corporate sustainability and social responsibility. Initially, there were the 1980s and 1990s anti-fur campaigns.2 As a result, the majority of retailers have moved to eliminate the use of fur for their products, or generally taken measures of ensuring that good conditions for animal welfare are maintained in fur supply chain. Similarly, the past years have seen the fashion industry face increasing criticism in regard to the environmental footprint, and there has been another reaction on brand level, where many designers have established their individual sustainability strategies and commitments, together with commitments made on industry-wide scale, which have included initiatives like Natural Resources Defense Council’s Clean by Design, and the Sustainable Apparel Coalition campaign.3 According to Rider, the sustainability incorporated in business and design concepts should not be considered as mere eco friendly, but should be implemented to constitute standards for the general supply chain and ensure it has a trickledown impact on the entire market. It simply implies that sustainable designing and fashion is not just environmental friendly, but also exhibits economic viability over a long period.4 Walker demonstrates that the fashion industry has been fully incorporated into the global economy. Moreover, globalization has facilitated invasion of brands into the global market and accessing of cheaper facilities of production in developing nations, as well as the widening the consumer base who purchases these products.5 Therefore, there is a growing need for diversity in the array of fiber alternatives for the purpose of securing a sustainable future in fiber garment production. The recent innovation evidenced in the organic fiber use demonstrates an important development, which has been greatly bolstered by the scarcity of resources, as well as lack of companies with a long-term material vision. In the recent years, there has been a gradual move by the sustainability leaders within the fashion industry, embracing a proactive approach to address environmental concerns at the start of value chain during garment designing, as opposed to their past reactive responses. Sustainable designing in fashion has greatly concentrated on selection of materials.6 For example, there has been development of several materials meant to help designers and product developers in choosing materials on the basis of environmental impact the material is bound to have on the general lifecycle of the clothing. Whereas the material selection can significantly influence the impact on environment throughout the life cycle of clothing, making it a priority, there is a need for the retailers and brands to be careful to avoid equating sustainable designs with simple plug of information on materials into a computerized tool.7 Sustainable designing needs a comprehensive and holistic perspective that considers not just the manner in which the fashion production occurs, but how the same is consumed. Presa observes that sustainable material could, after all, have limited effects in poorly-designed, low quality garments used for a short period of time and eventually disposed in a landfill.8 Sustainable Fashion Designers Camille Wellton Wellton is among the modern day fashion designers who have successfully embraced the sustainable design practices. Her brand philosophy effectively taps into the growing interest of slow investment and fashion dressing, through ensuring that all her garments made by her exhibit a tailor-fit style and emphasize on comfort. The designs of the garments she produces make use of the sustainable materials to improve the design, as well as fitting the design, as demonstrated through her tan-colored coat that is made from the luxurious moleskin, which is a textile from plant fiber.9 In addition to this, her designs also employ certified bamboo cotton, hemp-silk materials and modal, which is the experimental textile obtained from Birch trees. Even for those who love the coat designs made by Camille Wellton, she offers the opportunity for mixing and matching elements of a variety of designs to create unique and sustainably beautiful coat. Linda and Chrys Wong Linda and Chrys are fondly referred to as the ‘modern purveyors of green luxury’, and the two signal trends that are most sought after. Most of their eloquent and edgy garments are made from eco friendly materials. The designs made are an expression for iconoclastic people in search for unique flair in their lifestyles.10 The designs began with fabrication of jackets and coats made from recycling cashmere sweaters in the mills to form what is currently among the most regarded modern-day eco-designers in the thriving sustainability industry. The fashion icons adore peace silk, which is processed by use of silkworm cocoons while retaining the pupae inside it alive. Together with the faux fur that is manufactured from synthetic mixed with wood pulp fiber and recycled plastics, all the textiles used are obtained from China.11 Julia Korol Korol is one of the renowned women wear designers, who has embraced the sustainability practice in their designing practices. Like the other modern sustainability designers, she operates in a hybrid position in a pro-people and pro-planet framework, and her existence shows the need for more inclusive design practices that are based on creativity, strategic and financial benefits accrued from the sustainable practices.12 Korol is known for trying to carve a quality reputation as opposed to a quantity reputation. She has been known for her advocacy in efficiency of unit production through adopting a short supply chain. Korol has developed in-house textiles and her manufacturing is exclusively done in London, where she involves suppliers based in the UK. All of them are vetted to ensure all the materials sourced locally are of high quality. Korol’s designing checks that the clothing is made in the appropriate way, and this could involve making quick and time-sensitive decisions. The design brands made have an important potential for a tipping point, enhancing the effectiveness of their sustainable-based production.13 Despite her small scale fashion and design production, Korol is optimistic she will succeed, just like all other big street luxury and brands that began at a low level. Tara MacSharry MacSharry is a ready-to-wear designer, who derives her creative benefits from her operational framework that is more socially responsible, whereby the practice is seen as an opportunity for innovation, as opposed to mere problem solving. According to her, sustainable thinking and designing has had a great inspiration on the created fashion, where the designers have an edge.14 Her new initiative in designs has focused on multi-purpose innovative garments that can be worn in numerous ways without affecting the function or style. This form of production has been seen as cost-effective and more beneficial, especially for customers that need to buy less hence extending the lifecycle of the products. The need for Sustainable Fashion Design The increasing amount of clothing and textile waste has prompted the development of ideas where the waste materials can be reused for the purpose of eco-efficiency. The increased popularity of recycling is largely influenced by the fact that recycling simply requires a small change from the manufacturer to the consumers, hence allowing the consumers to maintain their unsustainable consumption pattern.15 However, sustainability is not just recycling of the used products, and the major focus for sustainable practices is the manner in which the user wishes to accomplish their objective. Among the factors prompting the implementation of sustainability in the design industry is product satisfaction and long life guarantee. The designers have shifted their operation focus from that of exchange value to that of use value, which provides the opportunity to enhance the intrinsic quality of the product together with its durability. Therefore, the designers are able to offer a longer life span for their products together with a deeper use experiences for the customers. A study by Thompson and Coskuner-Balli demonstrates that the biggest dissatisfaction by consumers in the clothing areas is low product quality, particularly during the maintenance and use stages.16 Since it is not easy for the consumers to determine the quality and lifespan of the designed garments purchased, the fashion designers provide information regarding the product’s intended lifespan. The slow design approach is aimed at prolonging the lifetime of the product and deepening the product satisfaction. On the other hand, the slow fashion design increases the time during which the product is used, and also exhibits high quality and ethical values, since it is produced from materials that are durable and sustainable. The adoption of sustainability in fashion design is also important in promoting product attachment as well as emotional satisfaction, and this eventually prolongs the lifespan of the product. According to Halliday, the major objective of the empathic design together with the emotionally durable design should be built on great understanding of the consumers’ values and needs.17 Therefore, sustainability in fashion design promotes meaningful attachment and value for long period. On the other hand, the designs exhibit uniqueness in their production processes since they are a co-creation of the designer and the users. The designers find it necessary to engage in sustainable businesses since it increases product acceptability, as the product largely carries the desires of the consumers.18 The fundamental new designing and co-creational ways require a paradigm shift in the mindset and incorporation of a new model of business in traditional systems of manufacturing. The co-creation approach exhibited in sustainable designing promotes participation of the design process end users. The co-design process provides opportunities to the multiple stakeholders to collectively solve problems, learn, and design the outcome of a design that offers deeper satisfaction for the consumers. Within a co-creation process, the designers interpret the responses of the users and it is through this that the company creates value in conjunction with the users. The sustainability designing is also preferred since the designer can interpret the responses of the users and this enables the designer to create value with the consumers. The process thus promotes a sense of fulfillment on the user’s part, and there is also an easy formation of an attachment to the product. Slow Fashion Gains Momentum Unfortunately, the possible positive impact enjoyed from the selection of sustainable materials are hampered by other fast fashion models of business, which result in the ultimate high waste output and rapid product turnover. The rate at which fashion presentation is done today is extremely alarming, especially considering that few years back only two collections were out for presentation annually; during the autumn/winter and spring/summer presentations.19 The mass market brands witnessed today rotate the collections in store in at least two or three weeks, equating to around twenty collections in a year. Pressure on Designers The increased demand and supply for fast fashion has inevitably led to the creation of a vicious cycle, which is almost out of control, with the designers struggling to compete. Certain designers consider the slow fashion mindset as the centre of the design process, as well as brand identity. For instance, Tara MacSharry, with her brand phenomena, stands out as an ideal example for slow fashion designs. As opposed to fluctuating from one season to another in line with the current trends, her brands undergo a gradual evolution, reworking or reusing materials and the silhouettes retrieved from previous seasons.20 On the other hand, she is a committed slow fashion designer, who has been consistent in reinforcing her identity for the exceptional design exclusivity and quality. Barriers Adopting the sustainable design practice has however, presented numerous challenges to the designers involved. As reported by Sherburne, integration of green innovation in an already existing stereotypical environment is a great problem. Similarly, Wang gives a similar observation in reference to the sustainable design practice, which is portrayed as both complex and difficult. Nevertheless, the designers need to understand the moral and social obligations linked with sustainable design, while acknowledging that sustainability practice has numerous barriers.21 i. Cost Cost is a great impediment to sustainable design. For instance, even after the designer’s commitment to adopt the sustainability approach practice, as well as the intention by the intention by the clients to embrace the sustainably manufactured fashion over the traditional ones; the costs involved in making such a choice are a significantly overriding barrier. It is observed that the sustainability fashion designers often have a great amount of design projects for sustainability, but only a few of these can be funded and pursued.22 This eventual rejection of the proposed sustainability designs inevitably kills the innovation skills among designers. The cost of the sustainably-designed garments is higher than that of the other forms of clothing, and quite often; the consumers opt for the cheaper products. On the other hand, some designers are interested in immediate saving, and the refuse to wait for the long-term saving accrued from sustainable design practices. ii. Materials Numerous challenges have been established in sustainable fashion design, especially in regard to the reliability of the available information about the material, as provided by the manufacturers and suppliers. Sherburne cautions that although the manufacturers and suppliers market and develop environmentally responsible products, there is a problem in certification of such materials as genuinely environmentally responsible, making it hard for the designers to decipher the authentic from the unauthentic, commonly referred to as greenwashing.23 Due to lack of transparency in the material manufacture and supply, some designers are forced to abandon the sustainability design practice in fear of being greenwashed. It is also evident that the environmentally sustainable products are new and less established, hence less accessible. Similarly, there is a limited selection of material regarded environmentally responsible, and this means that the limited ranges fail to accommodate the needs of the clients.24 The limited availability of sustainability design material available locally prompts some designers to import the desired materials to meet the clients’ needs, and this makes the products fairly expensive. iii. The client Clients are also identified as constituting the barriers to implementation of the sustainable fashion design practices. Despite the expressed interests by the clients in sustainable designs, the implementation of the same is a greater concern, most of whom cite feasibility and cost as factors leading to the disregard of their commitment to the sustainability approach. Paulins and Hillery express that despite the fact that many designers are new to the sustainable design processes, there is a need for time to facilitate comprehensive research in the field, and the cost of this is inevitably transferred to the clients, which becomes more problematic.25 The clients also exhibit a strict and insatiable material system and selection, and this makes it greatly disturbing for the fashion designers, due to the limited range of environmentally sustainable products available. Lack of sufficient education to the clients is also considered a significant impediment to the sustainable fashion design practices. Although there has been a great desire expressed by clients to adopt the sustainable fashion design solutions, as well as having awareness on the need for sustainability in design, they have rarely insisted on this. How to increase sustainability in the supply chain To attain the desired systematic change, there is a need to develop a market for sustainable products produced, which is currently too small to consume the sustainable design products.26 The designers have the obligation of heightening the awareness of the customers concerning their clothing and their origins, the manner in which the cloths are made, as well as the environmental and social impacts of the products. Gwilt and Rissanen think the market for sustainable products is readily available and only lacks the knowledge of the products on offer. Internal transparency will play a critical role in helping to increase the market for the products.27 For instance, it is evident that some of the brands do not know the origin of their clothing, as well as how was manufactured. It is important to go through the supply chain to make sure that it embraces the sustainable practices across the board, as well as making communication within the company about the product. Raw material production issues should also be addressed, considering that this presentation area is of a great concern to the industry. In the supply chain, the raw materials use is at the bottom, making it the least visible. It is also inclusive of a variety of industries, such as the agricultural industry that offers linen and cotton, to the oil extraction and refinery that provides nylon and polyester. Any solution to this is greatly dependent on supply chain traceability, and should be applied to the extent of the developing world. Conclusion Essentially, the sustainability practice in fashion design remains an ideal and viable way through which long-term results can be realized. The available evidence indicates that adopting this form of design would lead to better environmental conservation and increased customer satisfaction from the products made for consumption. The desire to compete in the current diverse garment market must not overrule the need to ensure sustainability to safeguard the future of the industry. References Claudio, Luz. Waste Couture: Environmental Impact of the Clothing Industry, Environmental Health Perspectives, 115/9 (2007), 448-454 Fletcher, Kate. Sustainable Fashion & Textiles: Design Journeys. (Earthscan: London, 2008). Gwilt, A., and T. Rissanen. Shaping Sustainable Fashion: Changing the Way We Make and Use Clothes (London: Earthscan, 2011). Halliday, S. Sustainable Construction. (Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2008). Hernandez, M.P. The Outcome of Hong Kong: Reflections from a Gender Perspective (Geneva: IGTN International Gender and Trade Network and Center of Concern, 2006). Hes, D. Facilitating ‘green’ building: turning observation into practice. PHD dissertation (RMIT University, Melbourne, 2005). Hethorn, J., and C. Ulasewicz (eds.) Sustainable Fashion, Why Now? A Conversation about Issues, Practices, and Possibilities (New York: Fairchild Books, 2008). Jones, L. Environmentally responsible design: green and sustainable design for interior designers edited by L Jones. (New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc, 2008). Kang, M., and Guerin, D.A. The state of environmentally sustainable interior design practice. American Journal of Environmental Sciences. 5/2, (2009), 179-186. Kang, M., Kang, J.H and Barnes, B. 2008. Interior Design Characteristics Influencing Sustainable Energy Awareness and Application. International Journal of Spatial Design & Research 8/10, (2008), 17-28. Margolin, V. Design, the future and the human spirit. Design Issues 23/3 (2007), 4-15. Mate, K.J. Champions, Conformists and Challengers: Attitudes of Interior Designers as Expressions of Sustainability through Material Selection. Paper 0066. Paper presented at Design Research Society International Conference. (Wonderground. Lisbon, 2006), 1-4 Miraftab, M., and A.R. Horrocks (eds.) Ecotextiles: The Way Forward for Sustainable Development in Textiles (Cambridge, UK: Woodhead Publishing Limited/The Textile Institute, 2007). Nieuwenhuis, J. First steps in research, edited by K Maree. (Pretoria: Van Schaik 2007) Nordås, H.K. The Global Textile and Clothing Industry post the Agreement on Textiles and Clothing (Geneva: World Trade Organization, 2004). Paulins, V.A., and J.L. Hillery. Ethics in the Fashion Industry (New York: Fairchild Books, 2009). Pidcock, C. A “sustainable design.” Object. 46, (2005), 15. Presas, T. ‘Interdependence and Partnership: Building Blocks to Sustainable Development’, International Journal of Corporate Sustainability: Corporate Environmental Strategy 8/3 (2001), 203-208. Rider, T.R. Education, environmental attitudes and the design professions: a masters thesis. MA dissertation, (Cornell University, Ithaca, 2005). Ross, R.J.S. Slaves to Fashion: Poverty and Abuse in the New Sweatshop (Ann Arbor, MI: The University of Michigan Press, 2009). Sebake, S. An overview of green building rating tools. Green Building Handbook South Africa, (2009), 27-33. Read More