reFORM: Applying modular concepts to the apparel design process

The master thesis “reFORM: Applying Modular Concepts to the Apparel Design Process” investigates an alternative design approach towards sustainable fashion and clothing. The main objective is to propose a way to slow the pace of fashion by promoting sustainable consumption and use practices that extend the lifecycle of products using modular design solutions. These solutions specifically cater to the sensibilities of designers and consumers as they greatly influence supply and demand in the industry; which in turn has ecological and sociological effects. The thesis can be classified as project-based and is made up of two conversing parts of equal relevance: theoretical study and concept development. Research methods employed review academic literature and collected focus group data. The theoretical part of the thesis presents and discusses several sustainable design strategies directly related to consumption that have been known to support emotional durability and product longevity. These strategies which include participatory design, transformability, and modular design are combined with design opportunities yielded from market research to create a solid basis for the concept development. All stages of the concept development process are described at length prior to the presentation of the new design concept. Furthermore, a modular garment is designed, produced, and rendered in three different types of materials to tangibly illustrate how the new concept could work in practice. The final concept proposes/promotes creative sustainable design practices and solutions that consider garment lifecycle in advance using system and design thinking strategies in tandem with modular methodologies derived from engineering perspective. Based on the produced garment’s modular design structure and the numerous style variants it yields, it is expected to extend it’s own lifecycle by way of continuous transformation; simultaneously satisfying consumer needs for ‘new’ without producing more. According to focus group participants, the garment’s readily transformable and customisable features are considered to provide more personal design options capable of instantly gratifying the ever changing physical and emotional needs of consumers than that of non-transformable garments. The thesis serves as a counteractive response to the fast pace of fashion by offering possible solutions for overconsumption and the early disposal of garments. It proposes design methods that maximise product variants while minimising production; offering economical, ecological, and sociological benefits for everyone involved and/or affected by the lifecycle of products. Relevant fields for this work include new fashion practices and sustainable development