Broken Grid

  • Amy Lyall

The world now consumes 80 billion new items of clothing every year. A study by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation revealed that one garbage truck of textiles is wasted every second and according to the Copenhagen Fashion Summit, fashion is responsible for 92 million tons of solid waste dumped in landfills each year. Fast fashion is an unintentional consequence of the ‘athleisure’ trend. As we face urgent environmental and social challenges caused by resource depletion, the efficacy of solutions will rely both on creativity and innovation to resolve this great impact. The cradle to cradle concept positively impacts the people and the planet whilst ensures business sustainability. By adopting this holistic approach to textiles, sustainable materials can be ecologically biodegradable that have health and well-being benefits. The textiles I have created focus on the use of natural materials such as merino wool and mercerised cotton. Both materials have performance qualities, health benefits and reflect the aesthetic appeal of conventional athleisure clothing. My visual research captures the essence of the urban environment inspired by outdoor physical activity. This focuses on everyday elements found in these surroundings, highlighting the broken grids created from man-made constructions. The broken structures and irregular fragments create an intermittent pattern. Through my specialism of knitted textiles, I have utilised techniques to translate my drawings of the urban environment, focusing on texture, colour and form. This has enabled me to recreate my theme of distorted broken grid structures. ‘Broken Grid’ both visually and conceptually aims to highlight the broken system of the fashion industry. By creating a ‘slow athleisure’ collection through the exploration of natural materials and handcrafted processes, the aim of my project is to create longevity and encourage consumers to buy less and choose well. This encompasses the concept of the project to encapsulate healthy body, mind, spirit and planet.