In this semester in Advanced Research Seminar: Fashion, I want to dedicate research on “eco-fashion design”. Specifically to answer these following questions in relation to fashion design, I want to research the impact of fast fashion on the economy and how fast fashion is profitable, as well as the effect of fast fashion in ecology and economy, the second life of clothes and who. Other questions posed are what takes care of them, what would happen if fast fashion disappeared from market, how does fashion fashion effect local economies in the USA and in “third world countries” who is buying these clothes, what are people doing with used the clothes, how can clothing be up-cycled if they contain nylon? Another exploration in this thesis would be not how the economy affect fashion and it’s perceived values, and what it means. Does a higher costing garment equate to a high quality garment and vise versa, how does that affect the viewpoint of the consumer.  An interesting point to question as well is the psychology that goes against buying “eco-fashion.”

Another idea that is interesting to explore is the possibility to create a closed looped system of production and the cradle-to-cradle system of production of making garments, especially how would the second and third life of garments take place, and what would it look like. If this sort of system of production is possible, why is it not implemented now, and how could it be integrated in the current way of clothing made? How are modern patterns made in the industry? What is the industry standard of creation of a “production ready product,” is it the way the product is designed from the beginning that should be questioned, or is it just patternmaking itself that should be questioned? What are parameters in “regular” pattern making and why are those normalized but the something like zero waste pattern making not? How much waste is created in the process of creating a garment and how much of it is justified for the aesthetics?

These questions will be investigated in the perimeters pertaining to the fashion-related waste the US produces. Where the gamarments come from should be open to overseas, since, most clothing worn by people in the US are not made in the USA. But, I’ve decided to specify the region of waste production because doing a comprehensive research of general garment waste production seems unreasonably broad. From the extent of my knowledge in the USA, the system of recycling of clothing items is reliant on charities. Since the 1900s Goodwill has existed to take clothing from the wealthy and give to the poor. But it started as a place that people could learn how to sew and mend their clothes. When did these types of charities change to be merely agencies taking care of only post consumer garments. How did that start and how did the system become highly reliant on non-profit systems instead of the government and is the government involved and if they are how so and how much.