Thinking Out of the Box for Sustainable Fashion Design

This paper aims to delve into the variables of Sustainable Fashion Design from a creative perspective. Fashion sustainability in many ways is perceived as just a niche, fad or marketing tool, or for those that are serious about sustainability, a cause with many obstacles. This topic that has been up for debate for a while will be analyzed and viewed from the authors‘ perception and experience in setting up a sustainable fashion label. The paper further discusses the importance of sustainability within the fashion industry. Consumerism in fashion creates large waste of water, energy and landfills, and this isn't going to change in the near future. Which means that there needs to be new creative developments to deal with consumer demand, fashion aesthetic and the environmental implications this entails. There are various means and methods for a company to be sustainable, as well as many obstacles that come with this. For one, there is the preconceived idea that if a company or organization claims to be sustainable they need to adhere to being 100% sustainable. In addition, by using environmentally friendly fabrics, such as organic cotton or recycled polyester, there is an unusually high requirement for certifications, which with both these points, can delude good intentions. Therefore, new methods are being brought to the forefront and explored. For example, these new methods include that of the 3 R's, reduce, reuse, and recycle. The 3 Rs are being experimented with not only by students but designers and organizations alike. By defining sustainable fashion through rediscovery of its representation, this topic is then further explored on how to implement these new opportunities within large organizations, as well as for small entrepreneurs and students. It concludes that in order to progress towards a future where sustainable fashion is the norm rather than a niche, one needs to take what is already available from the sustainable methods and start evaluating and working in a new creative way by ―thinking out of the box‖ to overcome obstacles