Creative Design: Professional

Life of A Plastic dress

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Abstract

This creative scholarship was inspired by a design challenge for a Junior level Design Studio. The project was developed to highlight the environmental impact of design choices in all phases of a garments life cycle, including an end-of-life burial phase to evaluate decomposition. This project was supported by an external cotton materials grant, meaning all student projects were made of cotton. The need for a synthetic camparison inspired the design and development of this polyester zero-waste garment to be buried along with the student work. The purpose of this garment would be to provide a visual impactful comparision to the decomposition of the natural fibers. A pattern from a previosu project was altered to become a zero-waste version using Clo 3d, the garment was executed in polyester, and was buried for 5.5 months. When unearthed along with the cotton garments it showed no signs of deterioration, only discoloration from the soil's pigments, showing the permanence of polyester garments.

Keywords: sustainability, circularity, polyester, 3d prototyping, consumer perception

How to Cite:

Riewe Stevenson, K., (2025) “Life of A Plastic dress”, International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Conference Proceedings 81(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/itaa.18488