Author: Sara Dora Bruszt

This reading was really interesting as it considers both the negative and positive effects of technology on the environment. 

Two terms that I found useful : 

“ecocentric”- which means that technology will for sure have a negative impact on the environment

“technocentric”- means that human ability of tech and science can actually manage the environment

However, the reading claims that these can’t really define the situation in the sustainable fashion industry. Then the text introduces the term “eco-tech” in the fashion industry that emphasizes technologies that are more sustainable during the manufacturing process and the consumption. The author states however that may be the most important point to look at how the fibers used for fashion garments are made because they are the base and starting point of the whole production. Usually, when I think of sustainable and “good” materials I always think of something natural. I think we tend to have this assumption that everything natural is “good”. However, as the reading points out and we previously learned in class, not all natural fibers are really sustainable, sometimes they use chemicals to process them and that is just as bad as creating synthetic fibers. Or for example, cotton plants need a lot of water which is also not very sustainable.

“Disposability is one of the most important technically mediated factors in the design process of all fibers. ” The reading also points out that while natural fibers can be degradable, when producing synthetic fibers, one needs to  pay attention and come up with technologies for recycling these.

Eileen Fisher founded a New York-based sustainable fashion brand. Her designs, just like many other similar fashion brands, are practical and simple, something, she claims, women want to wear. 

One thing that really inspired me too to think about fashion or personally think about what garments I want to or should buy in the future is that she says she got inspired by the Kimono in a trip to Japan. Kimono is something that has been around for hundreds of years and it still looks good on every woman. I  personally think that a lot of fashion items are not really sustainable because people don’t love them enough, because they just designed in a way that simply does not perfectly fit everyone. I notice on myself too. There are some items of clothing that I think look really good on me – so I wear them longer. And there are items that are just not comfortable so I only wear them a few times. What if all clothing was designed in a way that it actually fits the wearer?

The only thing I believe sustainable fashion brands like Eileen Fisher should consider is that their designs only appeal to a certain group of people because they are simple and usually more pricey than fast fashion brands so I believe there should be a way to make sustainable fashion accessible for more people.

Team members: Vanelly, Hanna

Our task was to identify current sustainable trends in the fashion industry. I found this topic extremely interesting and useful because I got to know a few brands and practices that are used to create sustainable fashion. 

I did research on second-hand clothes and found this shop in my hometown, called Szputnyik shop- they sell their own brand, other brands and second-hand clothes as well which I find really interesting in making second hand cool. I also did some research on brands that 3D print clothes or shoes such as Adidas or the Ministry of Supply. These clothes are sustainable because 3D printing does not use as much water as other fabric creating practices. Moreover, the clothes will be more durable and comfortable to wear because they are made for your body.

We also found some sustainable materials such as vegan leather that can be grown and is very durable. 

A link to our presentation: 

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1iNvMvz7Ji-ptSl8qfeCjFiyNxah_8k8OSF8iZecHM0g/edit?usp=sharing

Team members: Vanelly, Dom

My team and I visited the Shanghai Notions Market and were interested in the design of the space in terms of how it is designed to sell and make purchase effective. 

Method: We traced the flow of people looking down from the second floor using pen and paper to figure out which ones are the busy areas.

1. Before attending Notions Market in Shanghai , we had expectations for organized chaos. People flowing through the space in search of items the wanted and then to leave the space. The individuals we expected to see with in the space would be young entrepreneurs and our conceptualization of the space was ti be organized similar materials of items. Our observations were rather unexpected.
2. After a thorough walk though the 1st floor , the lack of organization of the space led us to the 2nd floor to observe the flow of individuals within the space. We primarily observed people using the space merely as though-traffic, appearing in the space just to hastily disappear down the corridor, with food or coffee in hand or nothing at all. One small group of three foreigners entered the space, quickly walk from stall to stall, glancing at the goods on display. The stall owners, all aged with experience sat or stood by their stall , laughing with their neighbors to pass time.
3. In reality this is nit a space where stall owners actively pursue a sale. Rather, Notions Market acts as a space for sale owners to occupy, better services ate needed, providing an open space on the 2nd floor for their grandchildren to play, draw and have fun with the others kids of Notions Market.

Video documentation:

link to our zine documentation:

zine3  

Sara’s medium post

https://medium.com/@sarabruszt/swapr-a19e362f87e

Dom’s medium post 

https://medium.com/@dgn223/the-inception-of-swapr-93e481e396bf

Presentation

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1X9UXpuAGGOA0Yt2zTS71aDi4kyHvKd5BkmZlmEsRib8/edit?usp=sharing

InVision Prototype

https://invis.io/DNR3JY95JUW