Circular fashion campaign

The fashion industry is a major contributor to various environmental problems. These range from high water consumption, enormous CO₂ emissions to precarious working conditions, as well as pollution of water and land. Today’s fashion items are not valued; they have turned into disposable goods – a significant portion of sold clothing is never worn even once. We are talking about mountains of discarded clothing, such as those in the Atacama Desert in Chile, which have already reached gigantic proportions and continue to grow daily. This waste poses a threat to our environment, as much of our clothing today is made from blended fabrics that contain a high percentage of plastic, which breaks down into microplastics over hundreds of years.

During a workshop week, the idea for the Circular Fashion Campaign emerged—a project developed in collaboration with Maria Seika and Joshua Stütz. We worked with offcut materials from a local clothing production company and aimed to give them a new purpose. Wool, as a natural fiber, has great potential, offering benefits such as heat insulation and biodegradability. While working with the material, we began to ask ourselves: What if we started viewing decay in a positive light? Isn’t it beneficial to align the lifecycle of our products with those we observe in nature? Through our campaign, we aim to raise awareness of the potential of natural fibers and highlight the significant environmental issues caused by the fashion industry. Our product serves as a vehicle to convey this message to the world. By piecing together offcuts and creating a unique design through sewing, the final look symbolizes the idea that, while the product may eventually break down, it won’t harm the environment like synthetic fabrics do.

Another idea we wanted to explore is the concept of a “material passport,” which would allow customers to learn about the history of their clothing. Where does it come from? What materials were used? Is it recyclable or even compostable? During our process, we experimented with various techniques, such as shredding woolen offcuts and mixing them with other materials. It was a fantastic experience, and I still look back with much gratitude for those collaborative sessions. If you’re interested, check out our Instagram channel left.in.pieces.campaign.