Design, Sustainability and Australian Mass-Market Fashion: Three Case Studies
DESIGN, SUSTAINABILITY, AND AUSTRALIAN MASS-MARKET FASHION: THREE CASE STUDIES Alice Ruth Payne BVA (Hons), U.Syd, BDesign (Hons), UTS. Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy School of Design Creative Industries Faculty Queensland University of Technology August 2013 Keywords Fashion, design, sustainability, mass-market, Australia, design process, fast fashion, fashion designers, product development, design for sustainability Design, sustainability, and Australian mass-market fashion: Three case studies i Abstract The production and consumption of fashion garments has negative environmental and social impacts that extend from the extraction processes of raw materials, through to the waste generated at end of life. The design process is a crucial point of intervention, in which decisions made by the designer can potentially mitigate these impacts. However, to what extent can mass-market fashion designers consider environmental sustainability within their design process? To explore this question, this study presents three case studies from different market levels in the Australian mass-market fashion industry. The case studies are assembled through interviews with designers, along with an analysis of the Australian mass-market fashion industry. The need to reduce risk, to respond to trends at speed, and to lower the cost of production are major constraints on the design process, regardless of the designer’s personal commitment to environmental sustainability. Hence while Australian companies may make interventions for sustainability in other areas of their business, intervention in the design of the garment is a difficult proposition. This research attempts two contributions to the knowledge surrounding fashion and sustainability. First, it maps the design processes within the Australian mass- market fashion industry, itself an under-examined aspect of Australian fashion studies.
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