Deep in the Atacama Desert in Chile, colourful piles of debris litter the landscape of the driest desert in the world. Every year, over 39,000 tonnes of unsellable clothes are discarded in the desert. Unfortunately, Atacama is not unique in this regard – rather, it is one of many locations worldwide where last year’s unsold garments are disposed of. Full of toxins and synthetic dyes, the waste of clothes doesn't biodegrade—the result: an environmental disaster that has been largely overlooked.
Although global media outlets have reported on this environmental and social disaster, the fashion industry has continued to flourish, unleashing its negative impact on local economies, human lives, and our planet.
In order to find a solution, we will have to radically alter today’s capitalist system of overconsumption and create new ways of production.
Designer’s Role in Circular Economy
Focusing her research on the environmental degradation caused by the fashion industry, Holly McQuillan explores zero-waste systems through the lense of innovative design and textile form production. With extensive experience in the critical theme, Holly explored zero-waste systems thinking in innovative design and production of textile forms. Through research, publication, workshops and lectures, the New Zealand designer is constantly trying to amplify the impact of zero waste and sustainable fashion design.
Not only does the fashion industry widely over-manufacture due to mismanagement, leading to a large number of clothes getting destroyed without ever even being bought; on the consumer side of things, clothes are purchased and consequently discarded thoughtlessly. Throughout the product chain of a clothing item, we consider waste an inevitable result of manufacturing. Holly points out that, "Within a year, around two-thirds of the material used to produce clothing becomes waste. Currently, only 10% of this material is recycled, with the rest ending its useful life in the incinerator or landfill."
Holly focuses specifically on how the textile industry could do better; she looks at ways at which designers can eliminate textile waste through frugal pattern cutting.
Experiment 0
In Experiment 0, Holly McQuillan, fashion designer Karin Peterson and textile designers Riikka Talman and Kathryn Walters explore 3D weaving methods for standard jacquard looms that could make extremely versatile garments that adapt to bodies changing size over time. One of the methods they’ve looked into is the use of shrinkable yarns when making garments.
The result is a zero waste product which requires only one seam and uses a vast range of textures not generally seen in garment fabrics.
CTT x Planet City
CTT x Planet City
With the same aim of zero-waste, Holly McQuillan collaborated with Karin Peterson and Kathryn Walters. The designers and weaving team created clothing for the speculative art film commissioned in Melbourne Triennial 2020, entitled 'Planet City'. The director and architect Liam Young directs it, and costume direction is by Ane Crabtree.
Through researching how design can reduce the immense amount of waste produced by the fashion industry, designers like Holly McQuill are taking crucial steps towards a more sustainable way of producing garments. Decisions made at this early stage of product development matter; the material selection and manufacturing processes used by the designer directly impact how big the ecological footprint of a garment might be.
However, designers are obviously just one of the many cogs in the machine; in order to enact real, enduring change, we as a society must radically change our current relationship with clothing. This shift in perspective needs to go hand in hand with a systemic shift supported by all stakeholders collaborating critically and extensively, including industry, brands, non-profits, governments, and consumers. ‘Something to think about as we find ourselves confronted with this year’s ‘Black Friday’.
The New Zealand designer did a PhD in sustainable fashion design practice at the Swedish School of Textiles at the University of Borås.
Holly was recently named Assistant Professor of Materializing Futures at TU Delft in the Netherlands. She is still researching in the studio Critical Textile Topologieswith fashion and textiles designers and weaving specialists.
A native of Leiden (the Netherlands), Zaza Jung is currently pursuing her Master’s in Migration History at the Humboldt University of Berlin. In her spare time, she enjoys playing music, improving her German, taking long walks along the Spree, and learning how to live a more sustainable life. In addition to teaching one-on-one Dutch classes, she works as a freelance editor. You can find her on LinkedIn or reach her at zazajung101@gmail.com.