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How Fashion Design at Cardiff Met has encouraged my passion for sustainability

Erin working on a piece at home
Erin working on a piece at home

Hiya! I’m Erin a final year Fashion Design student and I am obsessed with second hand, pre-loved materials and upcycling! Here’s where it all started…

My sustainable fashion journey began during my first year in term three, when we were introduced to the Fashion Visualisation module. For this module the brief was designed to expand our understanding of sustainability and trend forecasting.

We were challenged to ‘design and produce a limited-edition shirt from surplus waste textiles and pre-loved fabrics’. This is where my love for second-hand materials and upcycling inevitably flourished. I became really excited by the idea of thrifting pre-loved materials to create a limited, one off garment.

Having always loved vintage and second-hand clothing, I already knew my way around a charity shop, but from there on I became quite the magpie. I began collecting all kinds of materials from charity shops; duvet covers, curtains, tablecloths, trims, ribbons and buttons, my fabrics and materials stash is never ending!

With the current climate crisis and the sustainability of fashion being such a hot topic, I loved that CSAD encouraged us from our first year to start thinking about the ways in which we can reduce our impact on the Earth’s natural resources.

Along with the new brief, we were equipped with various resources; articles, documentaries and books that would shape our understanding of sustainability within fashion. Right from the start, I found that thinking about sustainability during our design process was really encouraged.

We had many talks and webinars with people from industry to gain further insight into the topic as our tutors pushed us to think more sustainably in innovative ways.

Starting my sustainable journey so early on in my university experience was really beneficial. It meant that my understanding developed and greatly informed my practice. I became more aware of different aspects of sustainable fashion, and grew more invested in making my garments in a more ethical and sustainable way.

Because upcycling and sustainability became such a crucial part of my work, my essays for Constellation modules (the theory aspect of the course) often included the ideas I had been exploring in my Subject modules. In fact, it was through writing my dissertation that I began delving much deeper into the topic, focussing on upcycling beyond resource efficiency, arguing whether upcycling can improve the longevity of consumer relationships with clothing by enhancing emotional comfort. Johnathon Chapman’s 2005 book Emotionally Durable Design has greatly informed my discussion on sustainable and durable design: “Waste, therefore, is a symptom of expired empathy, a kind of failed relationship that leads to the dumping of one by the other.”

Through upcycling pre-loved soft furnishings, my fashion collections aim to use waste as a resource in order to be more sustainable, whilst evoking feelings of nostalgia and emotional comfort for the wearer. I love using unique, pre-loved materials because of the emotional history they hold. They are often marked or faded, and this trace of a previous narrative to the fabric creates layers for consumer connection which I feel really enhances my design and compliments my concept.

Over the three years of my time at Cardiff School of Art and Design (CSAD), I have felt my love for sustainable design has flourished due to the encouragement and help from my tutors.

Recently I have become an Ambassador for Sustainable Fashion Week after being introduced to the opportunity by my course leader. I am grateful that CSAD has given me the tools, understanding and support in order to continue my sustainable fashion journey in the future.

Interested in learning more about sustainable fashion? Here are some books that I’ve found really useful:

  • Cradle To Cradle: Remaking the way we make things by Michael Braungart and William McDonough
  • Emotionally Durable Design: Objects Experiences and Empathy by Johnathon Chapman
  • Fashion and Sustainability: Design For Change by Kate Fletcher and Lynda Grosse
  • Sustainable Fashion and Textiles Design Journeys by Kate Fletcher