Top 5 challenges for designers to create sustainable fashion

In the U.S, ethical and eco-friendly products are finally becoming “en vogue”. As the world is finally coming to terms with the effects of global warming, designers, perhaps out of necessity as well as interest, are designing and creating with the environment in mind.

Sustainability in fashion can be defined in several ways. The London College of Fashion defines the term as “harnessing resources ethically and responsibly without destroying social and ecological balance.” I prefer a shorter version, which is “balance of people, planet and profit”.

Some designer’s focus on the concept of sustainability in regards to timelessness or a focus on quality and slow fashion, while others focus on the carbon footprint of the item. Whatever the specific focus, “sustainability” is increasingly part of the conversation in the fashion world.

I spoke with Abbey Liebman, a renowned footwear designer, Cornell design major based in New York. She’s also the fashion design mentor at Tomaeto Tomahto. One of Tomaeto Tomahto’s goals is to help customers understand the different parts of “sustainable” design and manufacturing.

I wanted to learn more about what challenges designers are facing to create sustainable fashion.

After working for 7 years in the footwear/accessories industry, she has personally seen the obstacles that companies and designer’s face when attempting to design and manufacture sustainably. Here are the top 5 challenges that she as a designer needs to overcome to produce products that align with our values.

1: Exposure

Although the desire for these goods is only growing, existing shopping platforms rarely highlight sustainable items, and often focus on the aesthetics. Only recently have successful accessory and clothing brands begun to give more back story about where and how their goods are produced. For designers with small amounts of investment and backing, it is difficult to get noticed in the sea of advertisements on the internet. Often, they are compared to items that are similar but that are not produced ethically/eco-friendly. Many times, items are not properly labeled, and the information is not presented well by the seller.

2: Production Challenges

One form of sustainable fashion is circular fashion. It refers to “clothes, shoes or accessories that are designed, sourced, produced and provided with the intention to be used and circulated responsibly and effectively in society for as long as possible in their most valuable form, and hereafter return safely to the biosphere when no longer of use”. (Dr. Anna Brismar, 2017, circularfashion.com). Some of the principles of “circular fashion” include: designing for resource efficiency, recyclability, without toxicity, and with renewables. For more on all 16 principles of circular fashion, visit www.circularfashion.com.

Abbey says, any time a designer is creating a product there is almost always waste associated with that product. Either in the initial conception, sampling, production, packaging, and in the item itself, it is almost impossible to limit all waste factors, even with using recyclable materials.

Design/manufacturing is a business that must employ people. For cost and strategic reasons she says, it can be impossible to truly embrace all points of circular fashion. Focusing on a few achievable points is more reasonable and closer to reality for many firms.

3: Finding Work

Even in 2018, many corporations do not put sustainability and ethical fashion at the forefront of their priorities (despite their marketing efforts). For designers coming out of school, such as herself, it can be difficult to find positions in companies that align with their values. She would have loved to have pursued something more ethical right after school, but the opportunities were scarce. There are small design companies working on sustainable/fair trade goods, but not a lot of jobs available overall. Which means, this generation needs to create their own sustainable design work. The more we support sustainable fashion businesses now, the more we give a chance for other designers to work in this space.

4: Education

In design schools in NYC and Abroad, few universities focus on the importance of designing for minimal waste and understanding the fashion cycle. Personally, her own journey to design sustainably was through online research, talking with friends and family and colleagues, and working in the industry seeing what I wanted to change. If we take time to educate our students about sustainability in fashion during their training, we can make a difference for future generations.

5: Finding Resources

Designers like Abbey should have more open access to factories, artisans, and information that can help them manufacture to be closer to the circular fashion model. Abbey is committed to helping designers in their path to create sustainable fashion. Using second hand and vintage items, focusing on repair, redesign and upcycling, or on artisanal crafts and slow fashion: these are just some of the ways designers can commit to “sustainability” in their design process.

I believe it’s important to support designers in being able to create sustainably. As I have learnt from Abbey, the future of fashion can only change for the better if the people creating it, the fashion designers, have access to

a) education around sustainability

b) a broader and bigger audience

c) competitive jobs in the sustainable fashion industry

d) eco-friendly and ethical alternatives to standard manufacturing processes.

Tomaeto Tomahto takes out the complexity of finding conscious fashion brands that match style, ethical and eco-friendly preferences of potential customers.

We create exposure of stylish yet sustainable fashion brands to a highly targeted audience. We create a shoppable experience where before has only been a top-down style recommendation from influencer to follower.

Our focus is to increase demand for sustainable fashion products and thus transform industry standards.