What is your design focus?

What we define as fashion is different than clothing. Clothing is the production of materials that can be worn. “Fashion is a way of behaving that is popular in a particular time and place [1]“ Our fashion clothing choice shows who we are. It is readable according to a certain system. Different cultures have different systems and we need to keep notion of the signs our clothes give.

This blog is about how we as humans can be good for the world by making and using fashion. Some people think it is the responsibility of companies to produce ‘good’ products and services. Others think it is the task of the consumer to ask for ‘good’ products, because as long as they do not ask, companies will not produce it.

I think neither one of these options is the solution, it is about the correlation with one another.
 A consumer does not know what is possible at this moment. A company does not know what is desired. I do know that we have to make and use fashion differently than what we are doing now, and I will call this innovation.

Kate Fletcher explains the innovation possibilities in her book Sustainable fashion & textiles, design journeys [2]

• Process focus – Example: Better control of the washing process with improving the washing machines and drying techniques.
  
• Product focus – Example: Designing fabrics and garments to cause less impact as they are laundered, like fabrics that clean themselves and need less washing.
  
• Consumer focus – Example: Designing with influencing the habits and values associated with cleaning our clothes.

The more radical innovations focus on consumption patterns. They bring the biggest benefits because they are based on cultural change and shifts in consumer consciousness. In contrast, changes to products or processes can be introduced more quickly as they generally involve familiar technologies and require little change to established behaviour, but they bring smaller scale improvements.

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[1] Definition of fashion
[2] Kate Fletcher, Sustainable fashion & textiles design journeys, 2008, p80