JD Institute of Fashion Technology
Fashion Designing and Sustainability

The world is a paradise that offers a sufficient amount of fashion options and items to opt for. Behind all of the glamour of a fashion styling industry lies a depleting fashion industry that is in a great debt of depletion. In today’s era of depletion, ‘Sustainability’ is the only concept that could lead to a healthy world. Sustainability is a revolutionary action that is adopted by the fashion styling industry in order to manage damage control. Nowadays, fashion designers have created a great deal of sustainable styling that offers a revolutionary change in not just the fashion system but also in society. Here, we are with a list of actions that you could implement in order to become a sustainable fashion designer.

Tips to become a sustainable fashion designer

1. Slow down: Fashion designers are the ultimate creators of new fashion trends. Fast fashion system has made the environment a hub of fashion wastes that includes disposed clothes and other fashion styling accessories. The only step that could make a difference in the environment now is slowing down these fast fashion systems. That’s when a sustainable designer comes into the loop. The major focus of a sustainable fashion designer is to choose quality over quantity.

Slow fashion system allows designers to establish transparency in his or her designs while the production process takes place. By avoiding mass production of the fashion styling things, one can use the resources at a more realistic pace. This kind of product helps in less wastage of fashion waste and meets more demand of the growing fashion styling industry.  We can do our small bid too by avoiding the trends that will not last long. This way we are helping in sustainability too. Help customers find their true fashion voice.  

Though, as a consumer of a fashion styling industry fast fashion might seem more convenient and cheap than slow fashion. But slow fashion is effective in the long run. It is true that it will take time to educate society about the fast fashion cycle. But what sustainable fashion designers are doing is very important for society.

2. Choose materials wisely: Materials are important to make garments and therefore materials do make a difference in the fashion styling industry. In order to reduce unwanted disposals of the garments, the longevity of a garment needs to be increased. It is very important as a sustainable fashion designer to pick the right garment material that reduces the chances of early disposal of the garment. 

A sustainable fashion designer should also be mindful of the durability of garment material. He or she should know what garment material is sustainable and gentle on our planet. Organic and natural fibres such as cotton, linen, hemp, bamboo, etc are the material options that are beneficial and healthy for our environment. A sustainable fashion designer should avoid synthetic fibres like nylon, polyester, spandex, etc as they are harmful to our environment. 

A sustainable fashion styling industry could also give a warm welcome to the recycled materials. A sustainable fashion designer can use plastics in order to create sustainable fashion wear. 

3. Be vocal about your cause: As sustainability prioritizes quality therefore it has made its way into many people’s fashion choices. Sustainable fashion choices have become a valid option adopted by the consumers as they are realizing that the planet needs to be taken seriously now and they don’t even have to compromise with their fashion style while choosing sustainable fashion options. As designers, one is not just entitled to share their knowledge about shapes or colours but also sharing the importance of sustainable fashion. The fashion designers are the voice of their brand. Therefore, be vocal about what you care about. Be it about the planet or a crisis, make sure to stand up for your cause through your sustainable fashion choices. And let people follow you in your venture of careness and values. This will not only help you as a sustainable fashion designer but also helps in building healthy buying habits in your consumers. 

4. Reduce waste: Another essential step to fashion sustainability is to minimize the waste being produced during garment construction. Effective use of the pattern-making techniques by the smart placement of patterns on the fabric could result in the production of less waste.  As a sustainable fashion designer one should make sure that the remaining pieces of the unwanted clothes are collected and recycled. Think creative ideas that would lead to fashion sustainability. Waste is never a waste until and unless you think it as a waste. Therefore, think out of the box ideas that would be vital for revolutionary fashion sustainability.  

5. Care labels: Another essential method of incorporating fashion sustainability in designing is through care labels. A sustainable fashion designer should have an understanding of the instructions labelled on a care label. There should be properly written care instructions on the labels of the garments. This will directly help in sustaining the durability and longevity of the garment. Hence, reducing the chances of discarding these garments. In order to keep the garment long-lasting, we need to even teach the customers to care for those garments.

6. Upcycle: Upcycling is one of the remarkable approaches to sustainable fashion. During upcycling, sustainability meets creativity at a whole new level. It is a sustainable fashion designer’s creativity when they are able to incorporate two different things to create something new. Using old garments to create new garments is much more popular and fashionable these days. Sustainable fashion is a very innovative step towards eco-fashion. Never forget to opt for upcycling as an option while attaining fashion sustainability. 

These are some of the essential tips that are required to become a sustainable fashion designer. Sustainability is the only vital step left in order to create a healthy living in the environment. Being a sustainable fashion designer doesn’t only require a degree of a fashion course but also a mind of a thinker and believer of sustainability.