Announcing ZER0

ZER0 is a praxis based research project investigating the application of zero waste design to handwoven clothing and accessories.

It has been estimated that across the fashion industry, an average of 15% of fabric is wasted at the cutting stage, i.e when the garment pattern is cut from the fabric (Rissanen, T. and McQuillan, H. 2024). Zero waste design aims to eliminate this at the design stage through purposeful, thoughtful and innovative techniques.

Zero Waste Design (ZWD) was historically a necessity – cloth took a long time to make and the materials were precious or scarce but over time the desire for fashion has overtaken the need to conserve materials. ZWD aims to rebalance this.

My research will focus on combining two aspects of ZWD: pattern cutting from rectangular forms and loom constructed garments whereby the garment is shaped on the loom with minimal seaming or cutting off-loom.

I will be designing a capsule collection, initially at quarter scale, called ZER0 to illustrate the research whilst sharing inspiration, process and designs on my new blog https://studiocynefin.blog/

The image shows some early ideas and prototypes at quarter scale, drawing inspiration from both historic forms and designers already commanding attention in this space such as Holly McQuillan and her spiral trousers in the seminal book Zero Waste Fashion Design (Rissanen, T. & McQuillan, H. 2024).