In my master's thesis, I designed a unique sustainable collection and researched sustainability, its beginnings, and the modern development of sustainable strategies in relation to fast and luxury or high fashion. The theoretical part began with a detailed review of sustainability and its emergence and development. I continued with a timeline from the second half of the twentieth century to 2010. During a detailed survey of each decade from the 1950s onwards, the survey revealed the reasons for the emergence of sustainability in the fashion industry. Due to the negative environmental impact which the development of the fashion industry has had since its beginnings in the 1960s and up to the present day, the first environmental organizations were formed.
From 1980 to 2000, the textile and clothing industries accelerated and had a negative impact on the planet. Deforestation, overuse of antibiotics and pesticides, pollution of the environment and drinking water, pumping of biodiversity and emission of greenhouse gases make the fashion industry the second most polluting industry in the world. The textile and apparel industries use a lot of pesticides and water to grow cotton and chemicals in dyeing textiles. They create an alarming amount of carbon footprint while transporting textile products around the world. Through the research, I confirm that sustainability needs to be addressed holistically, as all modern industries are connected and they must all play their part when it comes to environmental and ethical issues.
In the theoretical part, I introduced some contemporary brands that incorporate sustainable approaches in their design and business.
In the practical part, I designed a sustainable collection that results from theoretical research. I focused on some sustainable strategies and laid the foundations for my fashion design. So my collection has sustainable strategies in place that have made it less negative for the environment. Because the collection was produced locally, I had a minimal carbon footprint. Using the tables, I show the consumption of goods, trimmings, the cost of tailoring and sewing, and the final price of the product. In this way, I highlight transparency.
|