HOLLY MCQUILLAN: PORTFOLIO
6
Make/Use: User modifiable zero waste fashion Make/Use explores what might occur if we consider not only the aesthetic of the garments we wear, but also the way we use them and the waste they create when we make them. This ongoing interdisciplinary research-through-design project questions conventions of the clothing industry in relation to knowledge-keeping, production practices and material use, through a proposed multilevel system of engagement dependant on participant skill level, time and available resources. Through developing open source, user modifiable, zero waste fashion designs, Make/Use aims to empower everyday users of clothing, and challenges them 7
to question the relationships they have with their present and future garments.
›› Make/Use: The Big Challenges ›› Make/Use seeks to build a community of early adopters around a new wave of garment/product design strategies that empower users to make, use, remake and reuse. The project centres around the development and testing of an embedded navigational system by which users can formulate a functional understanding of the construction of a garment and its opportunities for manipulation. It explores how the encoding of navigational clues and markers into a garment or product might aid in its facility for creation and modification by the user, thereby enhancing emotional investment and connection, and extending its functional and desirable lifespan. In addition to further reducing material waste, Make/Use seeks to slow the demand for the production of new consumer goods and materials, to the benefit of global ecologies. Since its beginnings in 2012, the Make/Use project has been testing a simple premise: that zero waste practice might combine with use practice to create clothing that better serves both the user and the environment. Initially conceived as part of Dr Kate Fletcher’s international research project Local Wisdom, Make/Use is now in its third iteration. While each iteration of the project offers outcomes that are complete in themselves, the overall project continues to develop and push the boundaries of what might be possible. All patterns and templates for the creation of the garments in the Make/Use collection are available for download. The Issue ›› The fashion and textiles industry is the second largest generator of pollution and waste in the world. From textile manufacture through to retail and end-of-life, clothing has a massive impact on both natural and human resources. Make/Use attempts to address waste generation at three stages in the garment life cycle - production, retail, and (dis)use. In conventional garment production, an average of 15% of the fabric is unused. In 2015 alone, it is estimated that this will add up to around 60 billion square meters of discarded cloth worldwide, from the 8
9
making of around 80 billion garments. Embodied in each scrap of wasted cloth are the resources used in its own production – when you consider that the amount of water used to make a single T shirt could sustain one person for three years, the accumulative impact is staggering. This understanding of the true value of materials underpins the zero waste philosophy. Building on current leading research in zero waste design and production strategies, this research also addresses the postproduction part of the garment life cycle. Postproduction waste is generated when garments themselves are discarded, through the disposal of unsold stock, unworn purchases or items that are no longer wanted – the average consumer regularly uses only 30% of the garments in their wardrobe. Research around maker and user practices has informed the development of the Make/Use system, which aims to turn passive consumers into active, informed and emotionally engaged makers and users.
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Make/Use @ Objectspace ›› The Objectspace exhibition presented the current stage of the research into development of the Make/ Use user-centred system, illustrated through a collection of seven garment designs. Each garment has a few simple variables embedded into the one pattern, which can combine to create numerous permutations of the design. The level of complexity of the garment construction can be set by the maker, making the system accessible for beginners while also offering more challenging modifications for experts. Over four weeks the Make/Use design team will be working in the gallery designing and making zero waste garments and leading weekend workshops that engage participants with the practical application of the zero waste garment concept. Through encouraging visitors and participants, including novice sewers, to make their own simple but experimental garments, Make/Use hopes to assist others to reevaluate their understanding of making, wearing, modifying and designing clothing.
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timo rissanen holly mcquillan
zero waste fashion design 12
›› Zero Waste Fashion Design (2016) ›› This book is co-authored by Dr Timo Rissanen
TEXTILE WASTE There are two broad categories of textile waste: waste created by industry and waste created by consumers. Preconsumer textile waste is created during the manufacture of fiber, yarn, fabric, and garments. The majority is fabric waste from garment manufacture.
(Parsons School of Design) and myself, published by Bloomsbury and is the result of 25 years re-
Postconsumer textile waste is created by consumers and comprises garments and household textiles. This book focuses on designing out preconsumer fabric waste: zero waste fashion design.
search between us. Of the content; the text is predominantly written together with some chapters primarily written by one or the other author
FA B R I C WA S T E : T H E N U M B E R S
while approximately 80% of new design work
Estimated amount of fabric produced globally in the apparel industry in 2015:
(experiments in form, zero waste solutions for desired outcomes) is my own research practice.
10
CHAPTER 1
Average amount of fabric that is wasted when garments are cut and made: 15 percent
15%
400
›› Summary: Fashion is seductive, glamorous, even magical. Yet the industry and the garments it pro-
billion square meters
duces are full of inefficiencies. These inefficiencies are often masked, whether inadvertently or deliberately, as manufacturing is invisible to almost
15 percent of 400 billion square meters:
everyone except those who work in manufactur-
60
ing. Zero waste fashion design addresses inefficiency in fabric use by reframing fabric waste as
billion square meters
an opportunity to explore the magic of fashion;
(Source: Gugnami & Mishra, 2012.)
just like all fashion, zero waste fashion celebrates experimentation and the discovery of new forms. 9781472581983_txt_app.indd 10
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FIGURES 77A AND 77B. Triangles as sleeves: arc T-shirt pattern detail, Void (2012). By twisting the triangle pattern piece into a tapered tube form, a sleeve is able to be constructed. Photograph by Thomas McQuillan.
Sleeve 1A
Sleeve 2A
Zero waste fashion design: The basics
TRIANGLES AS SLEEVES
Front
100
CHAPTER 3
101
1200 mm x 16800 mm
Hem
Back
Sleeve 1B 77A
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Sleeve 2B 77B
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DESIGNING WITH THE FABRIC WIDTH intrinsic quality of the fabric, which in turn is the primary material that fashion designers work with. The width can be the source of design ideas, and conversations about it and within it can bridge gaps between fashion design and fashion manufacturing. Fabrics come in many different widths and various strategies exist within zero waste fashion design to respond to new widths dynamically and quickly. Fabric width, while perhaps a new consideration for many fashion designers, can be an opportunity in design, when approached creatively.
Zero waste fashion design: The basics
In her research into historical cloth and dress, Burnham (1973) pointed out the connection between the loom type used by a particular culture at a particular time, the width of fabric that would result from weaving on that loom, and the kinds of garments that were made from those particular widths. When fashion designers design garments at present day, the width of the fabric is usually not a consideration in the process. Perhaps it should be. It need not be a constraining one; the width is merely the space within which the fashion designer and pattern cutter have the conversation about the design being developed. The fabric width is an
99A
124
CHAPTER 3
125
99B
98
FIGURES 99A, 99B, AND 99C. The geometric maxi dress is made by piecing two shades of gray fabric together to create new fabric widths and colorways. Photograph by Thomas McQuillan.
FIGURE 98. The geometric maxi dress is made by piecing two shades of gray fabric together to create new fabric widths and colorways. Courtesy of Holly McQuillan.
99C
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89A
FIGURES 89A AND 89B. Simple trouser setup: straight leg trouser, Void (2014). The straighter cut of these trousers is achieved through a reduced overlap in the nesting of the front and back leg. Photograph by Thomas McQuillan.
Zero waste fashion design: The basics
FIGURES 90A AND 90B. Basic spiral trouser setup: hem width is determined by the difference between fabric width and diagonal line. Leg width is determined by fabric length. Waist and hip width are determined by placement and shape of crotch seam relative to fabric length. This results in a conventional trouser silhouette without side or inseam. Courtesy of Holly McQuillan.
90A
114
CHAPTER 3
115
1400 mm x 1445 mm
89B
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14
90B
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This design is developed through the Planned Chaos approach and revolves around the simple placement of neckline and armholes. It can be modified in many ways to generate a range of outcomes and silhouettes. It combines flat pattern cutting with drape to develop the design to its final realization. The block used is usually a darted bodice block, but it can also be a shirt or blouse block, even a jacket block. The block will be determined by the final goals of the project. If you aim to resolve the design into a shirt, then begin with a block with sleeves. The key fixed areas will be the relationship between neckline and armholes and the armhole/sleeve crown relationship. Fabric length is twice the length of the garment, and the width the volume of cloth available to the designer to achieve the trapeze silhouette. For example, using a 200-centimeter-long (78¾ inches) length of cloth will result in a top that is 100 centimeters (393⁄8 inches) from shoulder to hem. A narrow cloth results in a less voluminous trapeze design. There is also a potential direct relationship between the width of the fabric, which determines the button placket (button wrap) length, and the length of the center-front opening where the button placket is sewn.
by Holly McQuillan
94
1200 mm x 1500 mm CHAPTER 3
This is a setup for a sleeveless tunic design with a center-front opening with button placket and inseam pockets. It uses a piece of cloth 120 centimeters wide and 150 centimeters long (47¼ × 59 inches). As it is symmetrical, it is folded along the grain line, to measure 60 centimeters by 150 centimeters (235⁄8 × 59 inches).
Detailed instructions: 1
FIGURE 72. Sleeveless tunic: Trapeze silhouette. Courtesy of Holly McQuillan.
72
9781472581983_txt_app.indd 94
2 Mark out a rectangle half the width (60 centimeters/235⁄8 inches) by the full length of the cloth (150 centimeters/59 inches). Label selvage (sl), fold line (fl), and top and bottom cut edges (tc and bc). Six centimeters (23⁄8 inches) down from (tc), draw a straight line parallel to this. Label as button wrap (2 centimeters [¾ inch] button wrap with 1 centimeter [3⁄8 inch] seam allowance). Mark center-back hem (cbh). Mark (a) approximately halfway from button wrap to bottom cut edge (72 centimeters/283⁄8 inches). Place the center front of front bodice block one centimeter from (fl), aligning shoulder/neck point with (a). Place darted bodice on the back, aligning shoulder seams so as to eliminate them; mark in position of center-back neck (cbn) point.
95
3
Widen neckline 5 millimeters (3⁄16 inch) all the way around, and extend the back neckline to the (fl) (b). This teardrop shape becomes an insert, which supports the back drape form. 4 Mark around front and back armhole (c), marking the side seams ([d] and [e]). Continue the back armhole around in a smooth rounded line to join the front armhole (f); this forms the pocket bags when divided in two (g), so ensure a hand will fit comfortably inside. 5 Measure from shoulder around (f), and mark at halfway point (h). Extend a line at a right angle, and then curve toward selvage (i). 6 Cut garment, sew cut line (f), attaching (e)–(h) to (d)–(h). Sew back pleat (b) + (cbn). Insert teardrop insert at (cbh), then resolve final design on mannequin, considering button wrap and pocket placement.
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FIGURE 73. Alternative layout of Trapeze tunic setup; by moving the neckline and armholes, fullness can be redistributed to any axis of the body. Courtesy of Holly McQuillan.
Zero waste fashion design: The basics
The length of front and back is determined by the placement of the armhole and neckline; moving these toward the front hem will generate a shorter front and longer back. The same mechanism can be used to orient the fullness toward a particular axis of the design.
Begin with a darted bodice block and pivot the darts out of the shoulders and into the waist. This is the starting point of the trapeze silhouette and allows for the shoulder seams to
be eliminated. There can be a direct relationship between the half width of the fabric (which determines the button wrap length) and the length of the center-front opening, where the button wrap is sewn.
Zero waste fashion design: The basics
TRAPEZE SLEEVELESS TUNIC
96
CHAPTER 3
97
74A
FIGURE 74A. Trapeze tunic setup: fullness distributed to backs (2014). Photograph by Thomas McQuillan.
74B
FIGURE 74B. Trapeze tunic setup: centrally oriented fullness (2014). Photograph by Thomas McQuillan.
73
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Shapeshifting Conference: Auckland University of Technology April 14-‐16, 2016
1
MakeUse V2: Digital textile technology for user modifiable zero
waste fashion Authors: Holly McQuillan
Abstract The evolving discourse on zero waste fashion design addresses justifications and approaches for designing and making these garments in ways that attempt to fit within the existing structure of fashion education and industry. However, little has been explored about the relationship between the outcomes of zero waste fashion design and the potentially elevated fashion user experience it might enable. This paper and associated creative works explore the emerging field of enriching the fashion user experience: the post-production and post-retail environment; an area that historically the fashion industry has given little attention to. MakeUse builds on Kate Fletcher’s work within Local Wisdom, specifically in the context of what she terms the Craft of Use of clothing, and the application of knowledge and skill which enables us to “mitigate … intensify, and adapt” clothing to suit our lives. MakeUse places zero waste fashion practice in the context of user practice, where the user becomes an agent in both the design and ongoing use and modification of the garment. Through actions and opportunities facilitated by the designer, an enriched designer/maker/user relationship is possible. Using methods such as digital textile print and embroidery, embedded instructional material, online support and distributed production, MakeUse provides user modifiable zero waste fashion products and an associated product use experience that acknowledges both the opportunities and limitations each user brings, while intensifying their skills, knowledge, needs and desires. Keywords: zero waste, modification, use practices, digital textiles, online
Introduction The evolving discourse on zero waste fashion design addresses justifications and 16
approaches for designing and making these garments in ways that attempt to fit
Shapeshifting Conference: Auckland University of Technology April 14-‐16, 2016
11
Shapeshifting Conference: Auckland University of Technology April 14-‐16, 2016
15
Figure 6. Relationship between user involvement and cost.
Figure 3. Digital print and prototype demonstrating embedded make and
Conclusion
modification instructions.
While many products employing mass customization have been developed, none have integrated this with the benefits of zero waste fashion design, or through this
To assess the ease of construction, a fashion graduate was asked to sew the
sought to transform the fashion consumer into a fashion user - an active agent in the
garments with limited instruction or support. This tested the success of the
ongoing use of clothing. In MakeUse, embellishments such as digital print and digital
embedded instructions and suggested the degree of online support that may be
embroidery function in multiple ways, as decoration, instructions and finishing,
necessary for future makers and users. Findings include the observation that the
ensuring the user experience is as simple and accessible as possible. While Alistair
garments non-traditional shapes were initially difficult to understand for the
Fuad-Luke and Anja Hirscher (in Niinimaki, 2013) present halfway objects which are
experienced sewer, who may be used to seeing particular forms. Despite this the
intentionally unfinished, MakeUse integrates this approach of active involvement with
graduate was able to sew the garments successfully. The bias tape section was
Fletcher’s use practices, while taking advantage of the inherent benefits of zero waste fashion design. Together this supports the ongoing, changing and iterative
17
Local Wisdom WGTN Local Wisdom WGTN: Local Lab 01
Local Wisdom WGTN 2013 In a visual performance of local garment waste, 30kg of discarded garments were sewn into a single 70m long, 130cm wide roll of fabric. In the UK 30 kg of fabric and textile waste is sent to landfill per person every year. The roll of “fabric� was used by participants in a community workshop as raw material.
18
RESEARCH & SCHOLARSHIP SUMMARY 1.1 Research Projects ›› Make/Use (2013 - ongoing)
›› Space Between (2012 - ongoing)
›› Make Use is a research project exploring the intersec-
›› In collaboration with Jennifer Whitty we developed
tions of zero waste fashion design and use practice.
a response to up-cycling corporate uniforms pro-
developed as a result of my involvement with Lo-
duced by Booker Spalding for Kiwi Bank. Outcomes
cal Wisdom, Make/Use explores the intersections of
have included a series of processes and up-cycling
simple easy to make but innovative zero waste fash-
techniques applicable to range of source materials
ion deisgn forms and their potential for use over time.
that can be undertaken easily by machinists with a low skill level. This enables the easier implemen-
The research has evolved over three iterations,
tation of what is usually a complex (and therefore
the first tested through workshops as part of
rarely implemented) waste reduction strategy. Im-
Local Wisdom WGTN: Local Lab; the second
ages and text from the project have been accepted
shown at London College of Fashion’s ‘Craft of
for publication in a forthcoming book on sustainable
Use’ event in 2014, and the most recent itera-
fashion education. The project is ongoing.
tion as an exhibtion, workshop series, catalogue and website. Four pieces from the exhibiton are
›› The Cutting Circle (2011)
being purchased by Te Papa, New Zealand’s
›› Organised, hosted and chaired The Cutting Circle:
national museum, for their permanent collection.
Risk and Fashion Design, a research project and symposium on creative risk taking and sustainable
›› Local Wisdom WGTN (2012-2014)
fashion design at Massey University. I successfully
›› Local Wisdom WGTN aims to design, explore and
secured International Visiting Researcher Funding
promote sustainable fashion practices in response
(Massey University) to bring leading international
to what has been termed “the craft of use” within
scholars in this area to Wellington - Julian Roberts
Wellington and New Zealand’s “local” urban
(Royal College of Art, London) and Timo Rissanen
and natural context. I proposed a series of work-
(Parsons, New York). ‘The Cutting Circle’ and aims
shops that incorporate and develop sustainable
to explore risk taking in the context of fashion de-
fashion practices using a gift economy framework
sign, particularly through innovative Pattern Design
and exploring notions of risk. They involve the Lo-
such as Zero Waste Fashion and Subtraction Cut-
cal Wisdom: WGTN team and other designers
ting. Outcomes include: a website (with patterns de-
and participants, who will actively be involved in
veloped through the project digitally and freely dis-
the development of new design practices through
seminated); a journal article in the Research Journal
a series of photo-shoots, interviews, field-trips
of Textiles and Apparel; and a presentation as part
and workshops with volunteer participants be-
of the Fashion Colloquia @ Parsons 2013. This is an
tween March and September 2013. The end goal
ongoing international collaboration.
is an international symposium with accompanying book and exhibition of outcomes from across the global project held in United Kingdom Spring 2014. This is an ongoing international collaboration.
19
1.2 Exhibitions ›› McQuillan, H. L., Archer, J. L., Fox Derwin, E., Kane., Bailey., & Menzies. (2015). Make/Use Exhibition (No. Of Pieces: 9 garments, 6 flats, digital prints, screen prints, 1 website, 1 catalogue/publication, exhibition design, modular furniture parts, film and cognitive tools). Objectspace Gallery Auckland, New Zealand. ›› For a month in 2015 Make/Use was on display at Objectspace Gallery in Ponsonby, Auckland. The Objectspace exhibition presented the current stage of the research into development of the Make/ Use user-centred system, illustrated through a collection of seven garment designs. Each garment has a few simple variables embedded into the one pattern, which can combine to create numerous permutations of the design. The level of complexity of the garment construction can be set by the maker, making the system accessible for beginners while also offering more challenging modifications for experts. Over four weeks the Make/Use design team worked in the gallery designing and making zero waste garments and leading weekend workshops that engaged participants with the practical application of the zero waste garment concept. Through encouraging visitors and participants, including novice sewers, to make their own simple but experimental garments, Make/Use hopes to assist others to re-evaluate their understanding of making, wearing, modifying and designing clothing. ›› McQuillan, H. L., & Rissanen, T. (2011). Yield: Making Fashion Without Making Waste [Exhibition]. The New Dowse, Lower Hutt, New Zealand. ›› Yield is the result of research which surveyed a range of design approaches and resulting aesthetics and aims to demonstrate that zero waste methods need not impinge upon a designer’s unique signature; it can be a creative advantage when designing sustainable fashion. It alerts the world to making fashion without making waste by exploring the work of 13 international fashion designers, including › › Yield Exhibition 2011
20
Zandra Rhodes (CBE), Yeohlee Teng (Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award winner), and Ecco Domani Award winner Tara St James. Yield is the result of an ongoing collaboration and exchange between Timo Rissanen (Parsons, New York) and Holly McQuillan to critique the modus operandi of the fashion industry through zero waste fashion design practice. The exhibition was the first worldwide exploring zero waste in a fashion context where zero waste pattern cutting is the focus. The exhibition proposal was reviewed and approved by both The Dowse and Textile Art Center Exhibition committees. ›› I co-conceived with Timo Rissanen (Parsons, New York) of a zero waste fashion design exhibition which was reviewed and selected by Textile Arts Centre (TAC, New York, USA) and The Dowse Art Museum (Wellington, NZ). Rissanen (Parsons, New York) and McQuillan commissioned artists from Mexico, New Zealand, USA, Ireland, Malaysia, UK and Finland, a process rigorously vetted by both The Dowse and TAC boards. I established a design team and led the overall conceptual direction of the exhibition, with exhibition design roles headed by Chris Jackson, Gerbrand Van Melle and Thomas Le Bas, to explicitly communicate the transformation of two-dimensional pattern to threedimensional garment (a key conceptual innovation of this exhibition). I led liaison between artists, contractors, designers and international museum staff, secured all funding and liaised with press. ›› McQuillan, H. L., (2012). Void. Object Gallery, Sydney, Australia. ›› Void questions the conventional fashion design process that values drawing over cutting, image over form, and explores what happens when fashion is designed from a ‘blank slate’. At its core the garment is a pliable space for our bodies to travel through that should fulfil individual needs for movement, modesty and expression. However, contemporary fashion is guided by money and trend forecasters, media and style-makers first vet the choices offered, never showing the public what is really available or › › Shaping Sustainable Fashion 2012
21
› › Void 2012 revealing the realities of the fashion production pro-
McQuillan, H. L., & Packer, G. (2011). Twinset [Digi-
cess. In Void, the contemporary fashion design process
tally printed linen women’s dress, pant and vest.
is reversed, dealing first with the whole cloth and cor-
Pattern 140cm x 560cm]. The Dowse Art Museum,
responding two-dimensional pattern and lastly with the
Lower Hutt, New Zealand.
X
body and three-dimensional form. Each garment begins
›› Twinset is a collaborative design that was devel-
as a textile Tabula Rasa; drawn on, cut and formed to
oped through research through an iterative process
create a void for the body to travel through. Unexpected
of exchange and response at the junctions between
and unplanned forms emerge, hopefully showing the
Holly McQuillan’s zero waste practice and Gene-
value of good design outside of the vagaries of ‘fashion’
vieve Packer’s digital textile print exploration. Mc-
›› Void was exhibited as part of Evergreen, an exhibition on
Quillan explored embedding multiple garments in 1
contemporary sustainable fashion which included 3 art-
pattern and the advantages that digital printing lends
ists/designers from New Zealand, Germany and Australia.
to this approach when differentiating garments from
It was curated by Steve Pozel of Object Gallery, Sydney.
each other aesthetically. The garments appear to be
1400mm
22
3300mm
1
6
23
2
bi
as
CF
Local Wisdom WGTN. Local Lab 01, 2013 This initial workshop - Local Lab 01, was positioned as exploring some of the problems of the CB
existing fashion industry, such as; waste, globalisation, economics and sourcing.
cm
3
4
24
› › The Cutting Circle 2011
25
RESEARCH AND SCHOLARSHIP cont. made from very different fabrics but are all produced
duction and post-retail environment; an area that
from the same cloth. This approach gives greater flex-
historically the fashion industry has given little
ibility for zero waste fashion design by enabling more
attention to. MakeUse builds on Kate Fletcher’s work
control of the process while ensuring all consumers are
within Local Wisdom, specifically in the context of
provided choice in a sustainable manner. Sponsorship
what she terms the Craft of Use of clothing, and the
was secured for printing of the design from digital print
application of knowledge and skill which enables
specialists Digitex.
us to “mitigate … intensify, and adapt” clothing to
›› Twinset was exhibited as part of Yield: Making fashion
suit our lives. MakeUse places zero waste fashion
Without Making Waste as The Dowse Art Museum,
practice in the context of user practice, where the
Lower Hutt, New Zealand and at the Textile Art Centre,
user becomes an agent in both the design and ongo-
Brooklyn, New York, USA.
ing use and modification of the garment. Through actions and opportunities facilitated by the design-
1.3 Publications
er, an enriched designer/maker/user relationship
›› Rissanen, T. and McQuillan, H. (forthcoming 2016).
is possible. Using methods such as digital textile
Zero Waste Fashion Design. Bloomsbury Publishing.
print and embroidery, embedded instructional ma-
›› Publisher
statement:
De-
terial, online support and distributed production,
sign combines research and practice to introduce
MakeUse provides user modifiable zero waste
a
approach.
fashion products and an associated product use
Written by two industry leading pioneers, Timo Rissanen
experience that acknowledges both the opportuni-
and Holly McQuillan, the book offers flexible strate-
ties and limitations each user brings, while inten-
gies and easy-to-master zero waste techniques to help
sifying their skills, knowledge, needs and desires.
crucial
sustainable
“Zero
Waste
fashion
Fashion
design
you develop your own cutting edge fashion designs. ›› McQuillan, H., Rissanen, T., & Roberts, J. (2013). Sample flat patterns and more than 20 exercises will re-
The Cutting Circle: How Making Challenges De-
inforce your understanding of the zero waste fashion de-
sign. Research Journal of Textiles and Apparel,
sign process. Beautifully illustrated interviews with high-
17(1), pp. 39 – 49.
profile, innovative designers, including Winifred Aldrich,
›› This paper addresses The Cutting Circle, an in-
Rickard Lindqvist and Yeohlee Teng, show the stunning
ternational research initiative by fashion design-
garments produced by zero waste fashion design.”
ers/pattern-makers and educators Timo Rissanen, Julian Roberts and Holly McQuillan. By exploring
26
›› McQuillan, H. L. (2015). MakeUse V2: digital textile
alternative methods of making clothes and patterns,
technology for user modifiable zero waste fashion. In
we have employed ‘risky’ design practice, research
Shapeshifting F. Joseph, M. Smith, M. Smitheram, & J.
and teaching to develop zero waste fashion and
Hamon (Eds.)
subtraction cutting. The project manifested as an
›› Presented and published at Shapeshiting confer-
intensive two-week practice-based research event,
ence in Auckland New Zealand, this paper and as-
where via a series of collaborative collisions, experi-
sociated creative works explore the emerging field of
ments and design intersections, we asked the fol-
enriching the fashion user experience: the post-pro-
lowing three questions. What costs/benefits can we
27
Space Between (2012) Designed in collaboration with Jennifer Whitty this collection responded to a brief delivered by Earthlink, Booker Spalding and New Zealand Post to develop proposed uses for used or returned corporate uniforms. The project developed 4 design strategies which could be used for a variety of garment outcomes and markets with the garments shown only one possible resolution. The work will feature in a Sustainability and Education book published by Ava and opportunities for production are currently being discussed.
5
28
RESEARCH AND SCHOLARSHIP cont. identify to aid the development of a sustainable fashion industry through risk taking at the intersection of our design practices? What new knowledge arises in risky
1.4 Other ›› Formway Design Studio “Dressing the Chair” (2013)
collaborative design practice? And how can this new
›› Formway Design Studio contracted me to design and
knowledge be best communicated to foster an environ-
develop an innovative solution to “Dressing the Chair”
ment of risk-taking within the traditionally risk adverse
for international furniture manufacturer Natuzzi.
fashion industry? This paper primarily discusses our responses to the first two questions and related issues raised. It covers how experimenting with each other’s
›› Zero Waste Biker-style Jacket. Vogue Patterns Magazine (2013)
design practice and practicing in each other’s creative
›› Commissioned by Vogue Patterns Magazine to
space as we both designed and made, enable the free
produce a detailed description of the design, pat-
transfer of ideas and cross-pollination, thus expand-
tern making and construction process for a zero
ing our ability to identify links, gaps and opportunities.
waste garment. Further detail not available at this
The Cutting Circle project has developed experimen-
time due to the non-disclosure agreement in place.
tal practices with emphasis on the fusion of aesthetics, pattern-making, craft and socially invigorating design.
›› Creative Cut Conference (2013) ›› Invited to a member of the Peer review panel for the
McQuillan, H. L. (2012). Zero-waste design practice:
Creative Cut academic conference held at Hudders-
Strategies and risk taking for garment design. In A.
field University, UK in 2013. Reveiwed 4 papers.
Gwilt, & T. Rissanen (Eds.), Shaping sustainable fashion: Changing the way we make and use clothes (pp. 83-97). London, UK: Earthscan. ›› The research examines Holly McQuillan’s and others
›› Commune @ Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (2012) ›› Guest
speaker
at
Commune
where
I
Zero-waste fashion design practice to offer alterna-
presented my research on sustainable fashion
tive ways of designing clothes. A number of innovative
practice to academics, industry and students.
design strategies are used as examples to discuss the creative, social and environmental advantages in changing the way clothes are made which expands upon
›› ReDesign at Textile and Fashion Institute Australia (2012)
McQuillan’s zero-waste design practice; it negotiates the
›› Invited guest speaker at ReDesign where I
space between certainty and risk as a fundamental par-
presented my research on Zero Waste and
adigm for sustainable change. The research presented
sustainable
has lead to McQuillan’s supervision of Master of Design
the
fashion
Australian
practice
fashion
and
to
members
textiles
of
industry.
students, exhibitions and invitations to speak. The book explores the production, use and eventual disposal of
›› Reebok Zero Waste Fashion Pilot project (current)
clothing and aims to develop more sustainable strategies
›› Reeboks design innovation team approached
for the fashion industry. She was invited to write the
me to design for a pilot project exploring the
chapter by author, editor and fashion academic Alison
use of zero waste fashion design for sportswear.
Gwilt (University of Technology Sydney).
29
› › Make/Use 2015 ›› Nike Presentation (2011)
1.5 Student Supervision
›› Presented my research on Zero Waste Fashion Design
My research lead to the supervision of a range of Fashion
Practice to the design team of Future Concepts at Nike.
Design focussed post-graduate students. Greta Menzies (MDes, current); Amelia Taverner (MDes, current); Ame-
›› Floor talks and lectures (2011)
lia Hope (MDes, current); Monica Buchan-ng (MFA); Nina
›› Invited to deliver floor talks and lectures relating
Preston (MDes, 2013); Julia Lumsden (MDes, 2012); Char-
to exhibitions in which my work featured, includ-
lotte Little (MDes, 2011), Michelle Freeth (MDes, 2011)
ing; Stager and Blum Gallery, Kent State University, Ohio; Textile Art Center, Brooklyn, New York; The
1.6 Websites:
Dowse Art Museum, Lower Hutt, Wellington; Ob-
http://www.hollymcquillan.com
jectspace Gallery Auckland and Auckland Museum.
http://www.makeuse.nz http://www.spacebetween.ac.nz
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