Our design is inspired by the concept of a reversible garment for the modern woman; embodying the values of sustainability and challenging the stigma that accompanies juvenile and fashionably lacking styles that usually are associated with the term “reversible," we will extend the life of used garment materials into that of two garments in one.
A reversible garment is the epitome of sustainable fashion due to its increased versatile nature compared to that of the average one-trick garment.
Our design focuses on marrying the principles of wearable fashion and waste-consciousness with a shift dress silhouette garment that doubles as a top and a dress by utilizing a detachable zipper waist skirt component. Keeping cotton as the focus of our inspiration, we will create one cohesive garment combining two separate re-purposed cotton garments such as a t-shirt and fabric from the skirt of a dress, hand-sewing zippers to the bottom and top halves of the garment. This will allow interchangeability with other garments to allow the wearer to express their individuality by switching the various outfit combinations at will, while still using re-purposed cotton.
Cotton is a sustainable and valuable textile due to its versatile adaptability of use in creating almost all garments and their respective styles. Because of its low maintenance care requirements and durability, it enables its consumer to wear easier and more often, and for a longer garment life span. Cotton can be used to create hundreds of different styles, from button ups to skater skirts, thus making it incredibly easy for someone to find a style they love. Cotton can also be worn in any time in the year, due to its highly breathable nature and comforting softness.
Cotton,unlike many other forms of fabric, is grown, harvested, and converted into fabric here in our home country. This cuts down on toxic chemicals emitted into the atmosphere because cotton has no need to travel across seas by boat to reach our production facilities. According to Barnhardt Cotton Manufacturing, in the last 20 years farming emissions have be cut by 33%, water usage is down 49%, and energy used when in the production phase is down by 66%. CottonToday said, "The tremendous gains in production efficiency from modern technology now allow U.S. cotton growers to produce 50% more cotton on the same amount of land, preserving habitat while promoting fiber and food security. In the United States, insecticide use has been drastically reduced, thanks to biotechnology.."
In short, cotton is one of the best fabrics to use in the fashion industry, not only because of its highly diverse nature and wear-ability, but because the cotton industry continues to make great strides in the preservation of our natural resources and the environmental safety of our world.
Sources:
Barnhardt Natural Fibers Group, 2014
http://www.barnhardtcotton.net/sustainability/
Cotton Natural, Cotton Today, 2014
http://cottontoday.cottoninc.com/natural-resources/habitat-biodiversity/
-Erin and Lindsey