The type of textile I want to experiment with is cotton. A renewable energy source is required for this type of textile, because the majority of the world’s shirts and clothing in general are made through the means of weaving cotton or synthetic cotton fiber. The specific prototype or the project I am planning on producing is a cotton shirt, where the intention behind the piece of clothing is that it can be repurposed into other pieces. My product would be more reliant on human correspondence, but I feel as though that’s a prerequisite to forming a stable cradle-to-cradle cycle. Within the confines of the project, I want to create a piece or multiple variants of cotton garments, and plan out the intermediary factor that will facilitate the transition from the piece of clothing having been used to the new intended purpose. I personally am thinking of a set location, or an architecturally designable “box” that can accept used pieces of cotton clothing to repurpose it. More reasons I chose cotton include its large remnants in waste and landfill, along with my own familiarity with the material. I hypothesize that the product will be effective in showing the environmental results I foresee through its application.
The user base for my product is youth. I feel as though a cotton t-shirt is flexible in terms of being worn to the point of appealing to all demographics whether it be pertaining age (specifically), race, etc. Based off of the fact that the cotton is dyed, my user base would see the appeal in the hue of the dye. I want to experiment with the turmeric dye especially, because of my inclination towards the specific color produced. In order to narrow my target down to a single user, my product’s perfect user would be in his teens, possibly early twenties, with a taste for 90s fashion and vintage cotton tees. I want to use the vintage t shirts produced by Liquid Blue/Skulls as a reference point for my designs. My ideal user would also have gauges and in terms of target . demographic, none stands out in particular. Any type of person would be allowed to enjoy the garments that are produced through the redesign project. Although it may be difficult to create an entire t shirt from scratch, I believe it can be done. I think the dye will be a great addition.
