Eunice Esomonu - Week 3: Circular Open Source Fashion

Eunice Esomonu - Fabricademy 2018-2019

Circular Open Source Fashion

This week we learned about circular open source fashion and modular design. So, Circular Fashion is an industry connecting platform for all stakeholders to collaboratively realize a cradle to cradle inspired circular economy for textiles. The Circular Design Platform supports fashion brands to design circular and sustainable products in a lean and efficient process. Furthermore, Modular Design is a design approach that splits up a system into smaller parts called modules, which can be independently created.

With Modular Design and Fashion. I looked for inspiraton and ways to showcase and create a clothes item with modular nodes.

Research

I didn't know much about modular design and modular fashion so I did research and it looked like Ankara Print Designs to me. So, my inspiration for my project is based on ankara designs.

ankara print 2
Circular Print ankara print.
ankara print 2
Tessalation Print

Materials

  • Trotec Laser Cutter
  • Adobe Illustrator
  • Black and White Neoprene
  • Scissors

Procedures

Design

I worked on my design but was confused with what to create and how to create it. So, I started off on paper by created sketches and later paper prototypes on a possible design for this piece.

  1. I started created sketches for a mushroom design inspired by the second ankara print.
    2. materials
    Mushroom Drawing
  2. I cut the mushroom and tried to see if they connect.They kind of did but I wasn't comfortable so I made different designs.
    3. materials
    Cut Mushroom Design
  3. I altered the design to turn it into a horn design. That didn't work.
  4. So, I shifted my horn design without cutting the pieces. So, I made a ciruclar design so when you flip back; it would connect and create a horn. However, you are able to connect with each other.
    5. materials
    Connected cut circle
  5. Create the design in illustrator so it could be cut in the Trotec Laser Cutter.

Execution of the design

  1. I cut out my initial design with the Trotec Laser Cutter. It connected on paper but not with the neoperene.
    2. materials
    Adobe Illustrator with initial piece
  2. So, I designed a connector design with Adobe Illustrator.
    3. materials
    Adobe Illustrator connector piece
  3. I cut that design with the Trotec.
    4. materials
    Laser Cut pieces
  4. I started connecting my initial design with my connector design.
    5. materials
    Start Connecting
  5. I initially didn't know what to make but felt that the material will make a good chocker/scarf.
  6. I would connect more pieces to create a neoprene scarf chocker that would go to my chest.

Results

I was able to connect the neoprene so it created a chocker that ran down my chest. In the future, I'm hoping to create it with a more comfortable material that allows for users to wear for longer periouds of time because Neoprene is itchy. Also, I want to create a design that uses less waste than creating two designs.

materials
Completed Neoprene chocker
materials
Finish results (on me)