Sustainable Fashion Textiles Research

In the late 1990s New Zealand fashion gained some international recognition for its dark edginess and intellectual connection due to its colonial past (Molloy, 2004). In the years since, this momentum seems to have dissipated as local fashion companies have followed a global trend towards inexpensive off shore manufacturing. The transfer of the making of garments to overseas workers appears to have resulted in a local fashion scene where many garments look the same in style, colour, cut and fit. The excitement of the past, where the majority of fashion designers established their own individuality through the cut and shape of the garments that they produced, may have been inadvertently lost. Consequently a sustainable New Zealand fashion and manufacturing industry, with design integrity, seems further out of reach. The first question posed by this research project is, ‘can the design and manufacture of a fashion garment, bearing in mind certain economic and practical restrictions at its inception, result in the development of a distinctive ‘look’ or ‘handwriting’?’ Second, through development of a collection of prototypes, can potential garments be created to be sustainably manufactured in New Zealand?

This research essay examines the target audience’s profile and preferences for the development of the garment brand Gaia & Dubos, which creates and produces ecological and ethical high-end garments for women in the province of Quebec, and explores the best environmental and ethical practice to establish a sustainable fashion enterprise. The research methods for this project combine a literature review, an online survey and four individual interviews with the target audience in an attempt to answer the research questions: (1) Who is the target audience (demographics, values, lifestyle and habits)? (2) What are the target audience’s preferences when it comes to ecological and ethical clothing? (3) What is the best environmental and ethical practice for a clothing brand?

Flexible, inclusive and accessible provision of education and training online can provide a supportive learning environment to the students studying fashion with the help of blended, flipped classes or online courses. Also the employees working in the fashion domain might be exposed to the on-the-job training activities through e-Learning courses for instance on learning about corporate history, culture or new safety regulations. This research investigates the role of new media in education in the field of fashion, harvesting existing online courses and categorizing them according to subdomains so to provide a clear overview of the field. More than 60 available online training platforms related to the fashion domain are analysed. Results may be considered as a first picture of the e-Learning domain related to the fashion industry.

The exhibition was at the Crafts Council 2006, and toured the UK until end of 2007. It was the most visited show held at the London gallery since their records began.

*Why did you want to develop the Well Fashioned exhibition?*
The fashion industry has been something that has intrigued me for the last 15 years. In 1996 I started teaching at Chelsea College of Art and Design and became involved in a research project there, I became aware of how polluting and damaging the textile and fashion industry was (on a par with the chemical industry)i and once I started unearthing some of those facts it really became quite shocking; I started to think, ‘I’ve been contributing to this pollution both as a maker and as a consumer!’. Since then, I’ve been collecting information and case studies of designers and products and gathering general information about the fashion and textile industry, incorporating it into my practice; making my studio practice and the textiles I use as green as possible and to try and come up with new products that would perform better environmentally. Also whilst teaching I was very aware that I was constantly speaking to new generations of designers who were being taught a great deal about the aesthetics of design, but very little about the environmental effects of those design decisions. Between 80-90% of the total life cycle cost of any product (environmental and economic) are determined by the product design before production even begins.ii This places a huge amount of responsibility into the hands of the designer...

The Textile Toolbox: New Design Thinking, Materials & Processes for Sustainable Fashion Textiles reviews the design research conducted between June 2011 and May 2015 by a team of University of the Arts London (UAL) textile researchers, led by Professor Rebecca Earley, who are part of the Swedish funded multi-disciplinary Mistra Future Fashion (MFF) consortium. The objective of the consortium is to research opportunities to advance a more sustainable and competitive fashion industry.

The fashion industry has been increasingly under the spotlight as a significant contributor to global environmental and social issues. Life-cycle assessment is a standard tool used to investigate the environmental impacts of all stages of a product's life. Life-cycle assessment, however, is generally not extended to the consideration of social issues. On the other hand, stakeholder analysis is a systematic process of identifying individuals and groups whose interests should be taken into account when developing a policy or a programme. This paper provides a conceptual and analytical framework by conflating life-cycle and stakeholder analyses to develop responses for the fashion industry. The paper illustrates that identification of stakeholders and their interests, responsibilities and accountability can provide a basis for the development and implementation of appropriate policies and programmes to respond to environmental and social concerns within the context of corporate social responsibility. Fashion O O industry Apparel O O Environmental O O impacts Life-cycle O O assessment Stakeholder O O analysis Corporate social O O responsibility Supply chain O O management Anika Kozlowski is a designer and MASc candidate at Ryerson University in Environmental Applied Sciences and Management. Her current studies are in sustainable fashion with a focus on corporate and consumer behaviours.

A film's visual design is increasingly determined digitally, after principal cinematography. This essay charts the nature of the digital revolution in relation to digital colour grading. Faced with the new digital devices, filmmakers are casting about for appropriate, respectable functions. The paper examines how the first two mainstream Hollywood releases to feature digital colour designs, Gary Ross's Pleasantville (1998), and Joel and Ethan Coen's O Brother Where Art Thou , work as aesthetic prototypes. It argues that digital colour may not so much entail a revolution as careful and considered integration, and one role of the early digitally graded film has been to set out concrete methods for reining the technology to craft norms. Close formal analysis of colour design in these films also illustrates how the aesthetic problems of the digital age replay the dynamics of stylistic development from the classical era.

This chapter proposes a normative sustainable business model composed of the elements in which a fashion brand would engage. These elements include product sustainability, sustainable supply-chain management, design practice, business innovation, and consumer engagement. The model adopts a systems thinking approach in identifying elements within the fashion system and their organization. Typically within the field of sustainable fashion, the effort has been on technological modifications within the supply chain. Although these efforts can significantly reduce environmental impacts, the outsourced manufacturers are in control, thus limiting the influence of a fashion brand. The emphasis in the model is on those elements within the direct control of the business, particularly design practice. The holistic approach looks at how the design practice can evolve to increase sustainability within the supply chain, the product, innovative business models, and consumer consumption. By shiftin...

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to identify the reported indicators in corporate sustainability reports, other documents and the websites of 14 apparel brands belonging to the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC).
Design/methodology: A content analysis of the corporate sustainability reports, other documents and websites of the 14 SAC apparel brands was conducted to identify indicators related to sustainability. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected on all reported sustainability initiatives, actions and indicators. A normative business model was developed for the categorization of the indicators and a cross-case analysis of the apparel brand’s sustainability reporting was conducted.
Findings: Eighty-seven reported corporate sustainability indicators were identified. The study finds that there is a lack of comparability among them. The majority of the indicators dealt with performance in supply-chain sustainability while the least frequently reported indicators were in the areas of business innovation and consumer engagement.
Originality: This paper provides one of the first in-depth reviews of the indicators reported by apparel brands within their websites and other forms of corporate sustainability reporting.

Keywords: CSR reporting; sustainability reporting; sustainable apparel; sustainability indicators; corporate social responsibility; Sustainable Apparel Coalition; Global Reporting Initiative

Zero waste fashion design refers to design that results in garments that contain all of the fabric used to make them. Conventional approaches waste approximately 15 per cent of the fabric used in the design and make of a cut and sew garment. The responsibility for this wastage belongs with manufacture, which is constrained by what has already been designed. The economic systems that underpin fashion design and manufacture are such that there is little economic incentive to be con-cerned with this wastage. This article reviews key points from my doctoral research, completed in 2012 and conferred in 2013. Significant historical sources are discussed, followed by contemporary zero waste fashion designers. My study demonstrated that zero waste fashion design could generate new opportunities for collaboration between fashion design and fashion manufacture. Here I review some of the systemic challenges that wider adoption of zero waste fashion design would require.

Wearable electronics has emerged from a niche industry to one expected to rise to US$70 billion by 2025 (Harrop, 2015). While starting to recognise environmental concerns they have yet to become an industry driver. In this paper we explore options to better position wearable technology in the Circular Economy.

Sanayileşme, teknoloji ve hızlı moda kavramı ile birlikte artan tekstil üretim sürecinde ve tüketim sonrasında pek çok atık ortaya çıkmaktadır. Sürdürülebilirlik kapsamında bu atıkların imha edilmesi ile ilgili çalışmalar yapılmaktadır. Bazı çalışmalar; tüketici öncesinde yani üretimde oluşan atığın azaltılması yönündedir. Bir giysi oluşturmada günümüzde en fazla kullanılan teknik; dikiş ile kumaş parçalarının birleştirilmesidir. En büyük tekstil atığı da bu üretim bandında oluşmaktadır. Güncel pastal serim programlarında bile bu atık ortalama %15 civarındadır ve dünya tekstil endüstrisinde tekstil atıklarının sadece %15’i geri dönüştürülebilmekte, kalan %85’lik kısmı çöplüklere gönderilmektedir. Giysilerin sadece pastal aşamasında değil, parçaların birleştirilmesi esnasında, prototipte, dikiş sonrası giysinin temizlenerek tüketiciye sunulmaya hazır hale getirilmesinde pek çok lif, iplik ve kumaş parçası atık haline gelmektedir. Sürdürülebilirlik kapsamında ‘daha az hammadde atığı’ ile giysi üretmek mümkündür. Bu kapsamda çalışmada; daha az atık kavramına uygun şekilde tasarlanıp üretilen giysi örnekleri verilmiştir. Tüp dokuma tekniği, yuvarlak örme, keçeleştirme gibi teknikler ile kullanılan liflerin özelliklerine bağlı uygulanan bitim işlemleri ile giysilerde farklı formların daha az atık ile oluşturulabildiği görülmüştür. Bu üretim yöntemlerinin yaygınlaşması ile sürdürülebilir tasarım kavramının benimsenmesi hedeflenmektedir. / During the textile production that increased with the industrialization, technology, and concept of fast fashion and after the consumption plenty of wastes are emerging. Within the scope of sustainability, studies are carried out for the destruction of these wastes. Some studies aim at reducing waste in pre-consumer in other words in production stages. At the present time, the most commonly used technique in creating a garment is stitching. The largest textile waste is also come to exist in this production line. This waste is an average of 15% in current garment spreading programmes and only 15% of textile waste can recycle in the world textile industry, 85% sent to the dumps. Many fibers, yarns, and fabric pieces are becoming waste not only during the garment spreading process but also during the assembly of parts, in the prototype, after sewing of garments in making them ready to be presented the consumer. It is possible to produce garments with ‘less raw material waste’. In this study, the garment samples that designed and produced in accordance with the concept of less waste have given. It has been seen that different forms in the garments can be formed with less waste by using different techniques such as tubular weaving, circular knitting, and felting. With the expansion of these production methods, it is aimed to adopt sustainable design concept.

The co-relation between what design is and how design thinking can help achieve the exact definition of a product that is in the mind of a consumer. After numerous reading within the constraints of limited data and information at hand , I have tried to develop an understanding of the processes it takes to develop a refined product that has saleability. Design is not just about the product looks like and feels like but it is about the function of it. The research methods in order to carry out this study have merely been through extensive reading of different journals, book extracts and articles.

This chapter discusses and explores the role that design-led approaches can perform in encouraging people to (re)engage with clothing repair. Each year approximately 350,000 tonnes of used clothing is sent to UK landfills but research suggests that this figure could be significantly reduced if wearers were to actively and routinely repaired damaged clothes (WRAP 2012). As leaders within the fashion industry strive to improve the production of fashion clothing through cleaner/efficient/ethical processes, this chapter looks at the part that designers and consumers can play in utilizing garment life cycle extension strategies, as a way of reducing unnecessary textile waste.

Zero waste fashion design (ZWFD) refers to design practice that incorporates pattern cutting to eliminate fabric waste as a byproduct of garment manufacture. ZWFD can be a lens to examine the fashion system through. Integrating pattern cutting into fashion design can enrich the related roles and facilitate new forms of collaboration. ZWFD requires close collaboration between design and manufacture, which can benefit both in unforeseen ways. ZWFD poses challenges and opportunities for fashion design education. It points towards fashion design being a rich range of problem-solving practices, by uncovering new questions about the fashion system as a whole.

Understandings of sustainable fashion as oxymoronic arise from how fashion is defined; this chapter will draw from ethnographic and other qualitative approaches to explore how fashion practices can be understood as sustainable. Defining fashion as assemblage and as embedded in everyday practices and consumption, emphasis falls as much on continuity as change and long-term relationships to things as to novelty. Focusing on micro-practices such as choosing what to wear suggests possibilities for enhancing already existing sustainable practices.

This paper aims to explore bricolage as a metaphor for a sustainable crafts-based textile design practice, using Levi Strauss's bricolage concept as a framework. The author's practice-based PhD project is part of MISTRA Future Fashion (2011), an international research consortium of scientists and designers, that is investigating the sustainability of the Swedish fashion industry. The author's PhD is attached to Project 3/TED within the consortium, Sustainable Design Thinking and Processes, and aims to create pedagogic methods that develop sustainability mindsets in textile and fashion design students. In order to achieve this, an understanding of the epistemology and values of a design practice that works with textiles and the body, and engages with the sustainability agenda, is necessary. However, there are few existing methodological descriptions of textile design practice in the design research literature, and no descriptions of a sustainable textile design practice. Similarly, there is a lack of research on the role of values or intention in a design practice and this research aims to extend the description of a textile design practice that includes a value system based on a sustainability agenda. This paper argues that a bricolage metaphor is a useful framework for understanding a crafts-based textile design practice that includes a values system that supports sustainability, and for making explicit the differences and parallels between a design and science research approach. The first part of the PhD included a literature review of design methodology, sustainability theory and psychology theory on values and worldviews, followed by an auto-ethnographic review of the author's own past textile practice (2007)(2008)(2009)(2010)(2011). This paper represents the next stage of the project and includes a literature review of bricolage as a concept across a variety of academic literature, and a synthesis of these findings with the outcomes from the auto-ethnographic review. Five characteristics of the bricolage metaphor have been identified in relation to the author's practice: Using limited resources;

Fashion is widely considered the second most destructive industry to the environment , with a global supply chain employing 58 million people worldwide. During the period of 2000–14, clothing production increased by 50 per cent, as fast-fashion evolved and the luxury sector ascended. Recently, a number of high-profile fashion designers are taking the decision to consciously depart from the constraints of the seasonal fashion calendar, enabling them to reconnect with the creative process, focusing on quality and customer experience. 'With fashion there is too much fear, not enough time, and not enough love' (Elbaz 2017). While sustainable fashion has often been considered a consumer-led movement, which brands have been pressured to act upon, it is important that businesses demonstrate social responsibility through a collaborative approach incorporating design, innovation, technology and communication to successfully create desirable sustainable products

This paper presents an emergent systemic context in a current research project in which the authors are engaged. The research investigates the design of service-systems that facilitate the evolution of garments through multiple-use lives made possible with the strategic integration of textile decoration, built up in complexity over time, such as digital printing, over-dyeing and embroidery. The projects asks: What if a shirt were designed from the beginning as an integral part of a fashion service system? What if the design of both the product and the system enabled the object's aesthetic to evolve over time? The authors propose a system for iterative surface decoration of garments over time, as an alternative to purchasing additional garments to satisfy desire. Design for partial disassembly is a key aspect of this service-system. The authors argue that a rethinking of the current economic and business systems is required for such a service-system to flourish. Findings from the...

Luxury is a quality that is difficult to define as the historical concept of luxury appears to be both dynamic and culturally specific. The everyday definition explains a ‘luxury’ in relation to a necessity: a luxury (product or service) is defined as something that consumers want rather than need. However, the growth of global markets has seen a boom in what are now referred to as ‘luxury brands’. This branding of products as luxury has resulted in a change in the way consumers understand luxury goods and services. In their attempts to characterize a luxury brand, Fionda & Moore in their article “The anatomy of a Luxury Brand” summarize a range of critical conditions that are in addition to product branding “... including product and design attributes of quality, craftsmanship and innovative, creative and unique products” (Fionda & Moore, 2009). For the purposes of discussing fashion design however, quality and craftsmanship are inseparable while creativity and innovation exist under different conditions.
The terms ‘creative’ and ‘innovative’ are often used inter-changeably and are connected with most descriptions of the design process, defining ‘design’ and ‘fashion’ in many cases. Christian Marxt and Fredrik Hacklin identify this condition in their paper “Design, product development, innovation: all the same in the end?”(Marxt & Hacklin, 2005) and suggest that design communities should be aware that the distinction between these terms, whilst once quite definitive, is becoming narrow to a point where they will mean the same thing. In relation to theory building in the discipline this could pose significant problems. Brett Richards (2003) identifies innovation as different from creativity in that innovation aims to transform and implement rather than simply explore and invent. Considering this distinction, in particular relation to luxury branding, may affect the way in which design can contribute to a change in the way luxury fashion goods might be perceived in a polarised fashion market, namely suggesting that ‘luxury’ is what consumers need rather than the ‘pile it high, sell it cheap’ fashion that the current market dynamic would indicate they want.
This paper attempts to explore the role of innovation as a key contributing factor in luxury concepts, in particular the relationship between innovation and creativity, the conditions which enable innovation, the role of craftsmanship in innovation and design innovation in relation to luxury fashion products. An argument is presented that technological innovation can be demonstrated as a common factor in the development of luxury fashion product and that the connection between designer and maker will play an important role in the development of luxury fashion goods for a sustainable fashion industry.

Sustainability within the fashion industry is a matter of growing concern with the emergence and surge of the fast fashion system. The research literature is aimed at defining the current fashion scenario, understanding the roles of stakeholders involved and presenting significant existing models of sustainable design. This chapter proposes the need for a practical strategy towards a sustainable future by setting short-term and long-term goals. Education as a solution that penetrates into the layers of institutes, collaborative design, and brands is discussed along with the notion of developing better consumer relationships through emotional and conceptual strategies for value addition. This chapter touches upon recognizing topology as an exploitable concept for innovative sustainable design. Re-evaluation of the design process is explored through the development of a hybrid cutting technique called Planar Flux, inspired by the Mobius strip, that urges one to view patterns axially while reducing fabric consumption, cutting and construction simultaneously. The success of the technique is assessed using parameters of collaboration, development of zero-waste pattern and positing its application in a fast fashion business setup. The aims are to corroborate the benefits of such a system, its influence on the consumer and contribution to all aspects of sustainability.

The Worn Again project aimed to investigate textiles recycling, looking to the textile design researcher/practitioner to propose significant change through the creation of high quality artefacts. The project was designed for the TED group at Chelsea, intending to support both individual and collaborative action, and to build the research expertise and culture for textile staff and students at the college.

The project offered the research community in this field a model for practice-based research for the upcycling of textiles. This was an iterative process where by design-led explorations tested existing sustainable design theory, leading to the development and adaptation of appropriate research methods, and creating new models for practice-based research. This in turn lead to the creation of new artefacts which embodied the thinking, and further reflection and redesign methods lead to the proposal of new sustainable design theory.

When the project began in 2005, design practices in textiles recycling were limited to recutting / reshaping / restitching, often giving a somewhat patch-worked aesthetic to the remade product. At the other end of the scale, commercial and technical approaches tended to break the original textile down and remake it into a new fabric. This project embraced both of these approaches, but also sought to question the design decisions that were inherent in this activity. Through the project the researchers sought to both create new design methods for recycling, and also to give the resulting artefacts a new, ‘higher value’ aesthetic.

These are the notes to a course delivered at H&M in Sweden, in 2013, as part of the Mistra Future Fashion programme. The London-based research team compiled the case studies to serve as inspiration for 350 designers at the company. A selection of the case studies and 35 of the designers went on to complete a course which included redesigning some of their best-selling products using TED's The TEN cards. The outcomes can be found in the project report (www.textiletoolbox.com)

This paper examines the relationship between fabric that is wasted through conventional fashion design and manufacture, and the physical and visual ability of a garment to endure. Research shows that designing garments without creating fabric waste in the process is feasible (Rissanen, 2008), and that design strategies exist to incorporate fabric that is normally wasted 'back' into a garment. The need for garment repair can be delayed, and repair as well as later alteration of the garment can be made easier. Strategies that venture beyond merely designing classics also exist that can make the garment more visually durable. Considered fashion design can positively impact on extending the useful life of a fashion garment. In a broader sense, this paper supports a shift from sustainable design to design for sustainability, calling for design that fosters more sustainable lifestyles instead of 'sustainable' products. The current disposability of clothing is problematic. While clothes are seemingly durable goods, they are often marketed as fast changing fashions and made of increasingly inexpensive materials with quality of construction often neglected. Clothing today is more economically accessible than ever before, at least in developed nations (Allwood et al, 2006, pp11–12). Compromises in the quality of fabric and construction, and the outsourcing of manufacture to nations of cheap labour enable us to buy clothing in quantities not seen before. Despite the relatively low economic costs of fabric and clothing, these should be treated as precious and valuable due to the investments embodied by the fabrics and garments, investments made during fi bre generation, design and manufacture. These investments may include water, material resources, energy and time. Fabric is a product with an ecological footprint attached but arguably not always treated as such by the fashion industry, and nevertheless relatively small increases in material inputs (fabric) at the fashion design stage can result in more physically and visually durable garments. Hypothetically this could result in a lesser need for new clothes. Through a review of texts on garment construction, repair and maintenance, and case studies of men's shirts from the 18th century to today, it becomes clear that various transformative acts by the consumer pertaining to garment maintenance can become a fashion design consideration, alongside aesthetics, economics and ergonomics. The fashion designer cannot entirely control

This master's thesis investigates design opportunities to motivate and enable sustainable consumer behaviour, especially regarding wasteful fashion and clothing consumption. A literature review provides a theoretical framework and builds background knowledge for three explorative case studies. These practice-led case studies gradually increase the user-involvement in sustainable consumption behaviour. Each case study elaborates a particular research question, evaluating the opportunities to change consumer behaviour with a different design approach. The case studies build upon one another, thus the third case study is discussed in most detail. Selected findings from these three case studies provide an insight to the possibilities of design for person-product attachment with participatory design concepts like 'half-way products': design objects which are intentionally 'unfinished'.

The conclusion drawn is that designers can enable a joyful participation in clothes making, for example with half-way products, and thus foster a stronger emotional value towards garments. This emotional value is likely to facilitate a stronger person-product attachment and encourage longer lasting products. Additionally, the research shows that the participatory design concept – 'half-way product' was very much appreciated. The study concludes with possible future prospects.

Attentiveness to ethical and ecological sustainable practice is building in the garment industry. However, many researchers still consider the garment-making manufacturing system to be ethically and ecologically unsustainable. This thesis explores how industry connections between emerging Australian designers and traditional artisans in India can foster new possibilities for ethically sustainable collaborations. It draws on the experiences of forty-two fashion students collaborating with Indian textile artisans as well as the researchers twenty five years as a fashion practitioner, collaborating with Indian manufacturers.
It is argued that firsthand experience for students working with artisans, suppliers and ethical manufacturing practices will increase awareness of the complexities of a sustainable fashion future. This research offers a sustainable model of collaborative practice for future generations of emerging designers, which will build a deeper understanding for better ways to source and design. For artisans, the significance of this thesis could be to build an economically sustainable practice considering contemporary design. It suggests ways to engage in ethical and sustainable practices working with Indian artisans. The outcome of this research aims to contribute to a growing field of ethical practice in fashion and textiles.

In the field of fashion, sustainability is a priority, and the lingerie market is no exception. According to market research firm Mintel, the 2020 global lingerie market is valued at over $ 36.7 billion, with bras holding the most extensive market segmentation. Due to the complexity of the bras mixed materials, small pattern pieces, construction methods, and difficulty in disassembling, there are significant challenges to turning it into a sustainable garment. With the rise in smaller lingerie brands that are well educated in the critical nature of sustainability, it is essential to recognise the approaches taken in the brands' communication of their sustainability through product design, material selection and messaging. This study employs a qualitative approach to examine eight sustainable lingerie company's Instagram posts, stories and hashtags, applying textual and visual analysis to understand sustainability branding and initiatives. The research discusses the current sustainable approaches that lingerie brands are utilising with theoretical and practical implications.

In today's fashion system, dominated by business models predicated on continual consumption and globalized production systems that have major environmental and social impacts, the consumption of 'sustainable fashion' takes on an almost paradoxical quality. This paper explores this paradox by focusing on a previously under-researched group of consumers-'sustainable fashion consumption pioneers' who actively engage and shape their own discourse around the notion of sustainable fashion consumption. These pioneers actively create and communicate strategies for sustainable fashion behaviour that can overcome the nebulous and somewhat paradoxical reality that sustainable development in the fashion industry presents. Specifically, we use passive netnography and semi-structured interviews to illuminate the role of motivational and contextual factors that help shape these consumers' definitions of sustainable fashion including such key behaviours as purchasing fewer garments of higher quality, exiting the retail market, purchasing only secondhand fashion goods, and sewing or upgrading their own clothing. Central to much of these behaviors is the notion that personal style, rather than fashion, can bridge the potential disconnect between sustainability and fashion while also facilitating a sense of well-being not found in traditional fashion consumption. As such, our research suggests that for these consumers sustainability is as much about reducing measurable environmental or social impacts as it is about incorporating broader concepts through which to achieve goals beyond the pro-environmental or ethical.

Since its beginnings in the middle of the 19th century, fashion has been narrated through multiple media, both visual and verbal, and for such different purposes as marketing and advertising, art, costume history, social research and cultural dissemination. In this light, fashion has represented an important piece of material culture in modern industrial urban societies and in postcolonial and non-western contexts. Today, we are witnessing a turn in this imaginary as issues related to social, environmental and cultural sustainability come to predominate in many areas of human activity.
The book addresses this challenge. By facilitating encounters between disciplines and cultures, it explores a multitude of fashion issues, practices and views that feed the contemporary fashion imaginary: local cultures, linguistic codes, TV series, movies, magazines, ads, blogs, bodily practices. The book deals with a paramount issue for fashion studies: how do the production and circulation of fashion imaginary come about in the 21st century?

This research essay examines the target audience’s profile and preferences for the development of the garment brand Gaia & Dubos, which creates and produces ecological and ethical high-end garments for women in the province of Quebec, and explores the best environmental and ethical practice to establish a sustainable fashion enterprise. The research methods for this project combine a literature review, an online survey and four individual interviews with the target audience in an attempt to answer the research questions: (1) Who is the target audience (demographics, values, lifestyle and habits)? (2) What are the target audience’s preferences when it comes to ecological and ethical clothing? (3) What is the best environmental and ethical practice for a clothing brand?