Response to Gullingsrud and Perkins—Alessandra

Much like Scatturo’s piece, Annie Gullingsrud and Lewis Perkins are focused on re-wiring designers’ and retailers’ intent behind their designs. They include several solutions for how clothing can be designed to be sustainable, and that clothing’s purpose should be to benefit and enrich the human experience, not burden it with the omen of future disaster. Their focus is on “Cradle to Cradle” design, or the idea that pulling the resource out in order to make something should also benefit where the resource was pulled from. For example, by using products that are easily recyclable, the designer is indirectly benefitting where the textile came from since they won’t need to remove so much in the future. This idea, while it seems simple to many, is actually quite revolutionary in the fashion industry. Fashion pieces throughout history are either made to be worn often or meant for leaving a lasting impression on those around you, or art you can wear. None of these are related to what happens before the piece is made, and that is why we find ourselves in the critical situation we’re in. By focusing on enriching all destinations of a fashion piece——from sourcing to creation to closet to disposal——we’re able to solve the fast fashion problem without resorting to giving up personal style or slowing everything down. 

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