Waste What!!!! - final outcome!

front - final 3

back - final 3

And Done......  And so happy with it, I feel as though i've more than proved my point, that waste fabric is not really that at all, it's potential is emmense!!!!!!

These 5 pieces are the result of a lot of research into the fashion culture, systems and practices.

I kept coming across the same idea of the 15% (1) left on the cutting room floor. This figure I know can be changed to 0% by experimentation and communication of these ideas into the public forum, educating the masses on a new way of looking at the clothes you wear. And purchasing accordingly in a slower fashion sense. 

The process of working has been educational. It consists of sorting, laying, draping, placing, constructing, sewing, pleating, gathering, notch system, cutting and binding. In the beginning stages of sorting I realised that there was a heirachy in the scrap bin of different sized pieces and how usable they each would be. 

The 5 pieces include 2 pairs of lycra leggings, 2 merino tops and 1 merino dress. 

The merino garments were draped from the shoulders down, working on all 3 pieces consecutively to ensure I had enough fabric to complete them all. They were pieced together around the dummy form, gathers and pleats were added to create ease. This was a time consuming process but well worth the experimentation. Each piece has been documented with video. The front of the dress and one top are sleeves which I had an excess of in this one bag. They were gathered from certain points to create a drape over the breasts. It has been about finding the right fit for each negative piece, placing and constructing whilst draping. The utilisation of a notch system to align certain pieces whilst sewing.

The leggings I made by drafting a close fitting leggings block and placing pieces on top of that, cutting crotch shapes and piecing the top sections together. The bottom sections are made from side/bottom panels of a dress that were left in the scrap bin, unwanted and unloved!!! These were turned upside down, crotch shapes cut out where they met the pattern and gathered into the smaller yoke. Waistbands and cuffs were added to finish. They are comfortable and easy to wear.

So with a little bit of knowledge and understanding of letting constrictions and conventional ideas go you can still create wearable items. It is a sustainable and ethical solution to the 15% waste problem.

  
(1) Timo Rissanen From 15% to 0: Investigating the creation of fashion without the creation of fabric waste.

Waste What?    Illustration