Hacking the loop : How to encourage consumers to upcycle their clothes in order to reduce consumer fashion waste and lessen the environmental impact of fast fashion?

• Main Author: Crljen, Tonka
• Format: Others
• Language: English
• Published: Linnéuniversitetet, Institutionen för design (DE) 2019
• Subjects: fashion sustainability; upcycling; co-design; craftivism; skill sharing; Design
• Online Access: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-86099

The core of the project lies in upcycling. From the start of the research, I wanted to find new creative ways of upcycling garments and textiles.However, upcycling is a part of a greater whole which deals with addressing the problem of fashion waste. It gives new value to the clothes and prolongs the life span of the clothes. It is a craftivism act since it plugs into an existing system and shapes it towards a more sustainable direction. Thus this project wanted to take a larger approach and include consumers into the process. The purpose of the project was to explore one of the ways to encourage consumers to upcycle their clothes. This was done through an upcycling workshop. In the upcycling workshop, the consumer visualized the way they want their clothes to be upcycled. Their garments were then upcycled using DIY methods such as stitching, patching, and painting. The process was recorded in details. The whole process was then translated into a craftivist zine. The zine demonstrates how to do your own upcycling workshop and how to upcycle three garments. The upcycling workshop and the zine want to encourage the consumer to upcycle by giving them the necessary skills to do so.