Sustainable Fashion and Textiles: Design Journeys
- ISBN13: 9781844074815
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
Product Description
This inspirational design handbook presents a new vision of sustainability in the fashion and textile sector based on design thinking and practice. It brings together for the first time information about lifecycle environmental impacts, practical alternatives, design concepts and social innovation, and frames them in a sustainability context. It challenges existing ideas about the scope and potential of sustainable fashion and textiles, and sets out a broader, more inter-connected and forward-looking picture drawing on ideas of human needs, industrial ecology, speed and rhythms, and participatory actions, as well as knowledge of materials.
The book not only adds to the understanding of this subject area, it also presents practical information for textile and fashion practitioners. All eight chapters present a combination of long-term and short-term solutions. They deal with making changes to industry as it exists today and at the same time they articulate a new vision for the sector based on sustainability principles.
Arranged in two sections, the first four chapters represent key stages of the lifecycle: material cultivation/extraction, production, use and disposal. Each explores design opportunities to improve resourcefulness supported by case studies and data and brings new perspective to these issues by framing them in an ecological context. The remaining four chapters are more conceptual and far-reaching. They are concerned with altering the scale and nature of consumption and not just the quantities of resources expended, and address wide-ranging ideas including: fashion, human needs, localism, services, shared products, creative participation, and fast and slow clothes. While each of these chapters are complete in and of themselves, their real value comes from what they represent together: innovative ways of thinking about textiles and garments based on sustainability values and an interconnected approach to design.
Sustainable Fashion and Textiles: Design Journeys
Written by admin under Fashion Books.
cameron tonkinwise
June 21, 2010 at 10:01 am
This is by far the best book on sustainable fashion currently available. What makes it the best is that it is clearly written by a designer, and not just a fashionista. This means that it actually gets to what it means to DESIGN garments that are more sustainable over their whole use-life, rather than just SELECT less toxic or exploitative materials. Fletcher covers that side of fashion design comprehensively and elegantly, but her real contribution to advancing sustainability in fashion is to sketch out a way of designing with a view to the LIVES of garments. Her “Lifetimes” project, discussed in the book, makes clear that very different types of sustainable design strategies are needed for different types of garments; the little black party dress needs a different kind of sustainable designing from the work blouse or everyday jeans. The focus remains, as with much sustainable fashion, on small run boutique offerings (though with less only-ever one-off junk-fashion thankfully) – the guide for fashion designers in large retail garment businesses remains to be written. But at least Fletcher has a clear rationale for her non-large-scale focus: the promotion of distributed local industries that allow richer connections between designers, makers and wearers. This should be a mandatory text for junior fashion design students.
Rating: 5 / 5
A. Oliveira
June 21, 2010 at 12:19 pm
This is a required reading for a class of mine as a senior textile design major. The information is current, enlightening, and constructive. Alternatives to tradition means are easily accessible for all. Great color photographs of work being made by green designers included. Highly recommended for designers, manufacturers, or anyone who is interested in making more conscientious decisions for their wardrobe.
Rating: 5 / 5