Hi folks! In my previous post about Jackie Cortlett’s online plaidmaking class, I discussed how her fabric company, Motif, supports fair trade artisans in Bangladesh, shielding them from low wages and the risks of trafficking. Today, let's shift our focus to sustainability: what it entails, why it's crucial, and how Jackie integrates it as a core principle at Motif.
Sustainability has been a major buzzword in the fashion industry since the 2010s, describing efforts to reduce the environmental impact of fast fashion. This encompasses energy and water usage, as well as the choice of fabrics (e.g., favoring natural fibers like cotton and linen over synthetics like polyester or rayon). I first encountered discussions about sustainability around 2012 during my studies at Parsons, and by 2015, it had entered mainstream conversations, emphasizing the importance of mindful consumer choices and addressing the fashion industry's negative effects. Today, the focus has shifted towards brand transparency, with companies sharing details about their production processes.
How does Jackie implement sustainability in her business? In our class discussions, Jackie outlined her approach, starting with recycled fibers from CYCLO, a company that gathers fabric waste from large-scale clothing factories, effectively "closing the loop."
Additionally, the hand-woven fabric she uses saves energy and reduces global warming potential by four times compared to industrial woven textiles. It's a powerful combination! Here are some more impressive statistics about Jackie’s Cyclo x Hand-woven collaboration:
Hand-woven fabrics
1.) Use 10X less electricity (kWh) than industrial woven textiles
2.) Save our environment from 10X more CO2
One pound (about three yards) of zero-waste CYCLO fabric
1.) Saves over 300 gallons of water
2.) Saves our environment over 7 lbs of carbon dioxide
3.) Frees up about the same area of land from chemical-heavy cotton farming
3.) Saves over 3lbs of eco-toxicity by using zero new dye
As I work on my own collection, sustainability is a constant consideration that led me to enroll in Jackie’s class. I admire her ongoing commitment to using recycled fibers and hand-looms to create exquisite artisanal fabric, and I plan to incorporate the fabric I designed in her class into my upcoming collection. As a designer, I’m passionate about creating, but watching the documentary "The True Cost" on Netflix made me pause and reflect on the environmental impact and ethical considerations of the fashion industry. Do I want to contribute to a supply chain known for its brutality?
Certainly, there are challenges to embracing sustainability in design. It takes more time and can be expensive. However, the outcome is worth it: superior quality products that don’t contribute to climate change or exploit underpaid labor. The ethos of slow fashion encourages us to cherish our garments, buy less, and care for them rather than constantly chasing trends and discarding them when they're no longer in vogue.
While achieving 100% sustainability may seem daunting, we can make meaningful progress by incorporating sustainable practices where feasible. All my collections may not exclusively feature handwoven fabrics, but the experience of designing the fabric and learning about its production has been a valuable starting point and a source of inspiration. It doesn’t hurt that the finished product is so stunning! Thanks so much again to Jackie for this wonderful and thought-provoking class.