Simply Denim
Upcycled Denim in Ready-to-Wear to Promote Sustainability
Context
Create a sustainable line of 6-8 fashion items
Challenge
Incorporate some aspect of sustainability that is doable
Solution
A ready-to-wear line made of upcycled denim
These 6 women’s ready-to-wear looks incorporate garments made from overstock denim. I chose denim in a wash that is widely used and hence could be more easily found and used for my garments. Also, the only fabric used is denim, and I use the back and front of the same denim fabric to create contrasting colors and textures for style.
Process
Conserving water by upcycling denim
One of the world’s natural resources, it’s so vital to conserve water. It’s pure, beautiful, nourishing, and cleansing. It helps create a lot of clothing, and more importantly, sustains us -- keeps our planet and us alive.
A way that we can conserve water is by upcycling denim. American consumers demand an estimated 450 million pieces of denim per year. To create your favorite jeans, it requires about 1,800 gallons of water just to grow enough cotton to produce one pair, and even more water to create the whole roll of denim fabric from which the jeans are cut.
After the jeans are cut from the denim fabric, there are still leftover pieces of it. Instead of having these pieces go to the landfill as textile waste, to conserve water from making new denim, and because of the wide availability of denim fabric, due to consumer demand, I have decided to use overstock denim to create my designs.
Minimalist, classic style with flair to promote sustainability
I designed minimalist, classic style clothing with a little flair that would be flattering to a whole range of people. That way my design can appeal to a wider range of body shapes, and hopefully be in people’s closet a lot longer since it’s a classic design.
Multiple iterations
I did 50 sketches and narrowed it down to my favorite 8-10 sketches. From those 8-10 sketches, I did another 30 sketches, and then narrowed it down to my favorite 9 sketches. I fine-tuned these 9 sketches to create my final 6 looks.
Results
Upcycled denim collection in 6 looks
Here is my sustainable line shown in 6 looks. I have drawn technical flats in pen to accompany each look.
