In February, I had the chance to attend Texworld for one day. There’s a lot I would like to share about that experience. I wanted to learn how surface pattern design fits into the fashion and textile industry and I was surprised that the surface pattern design part of Texworld called Printsource was such a small part of the show. I didn’t see a lot of connection between the manufacturers and surface pattern designers at the show. I had expected that there would be more collaboration between the two but they seemed to be two completely different entities within the same show.
By attending, I also learned a term new to me as a surface pattern designer, circularity. I now can’t stop thinking about it. I can’t imagine continuing as a surface pattern designer and not being aware of it. This seems to be the most important thing that I walked away with from attending Texworld this year.
So what is circularity and why is it important for surface pattern designers?
Circularity has to do with the life cycle of a product in order to avoid waste and considers its future environmental impact. The goal is to avoid products from going into landfills from the manufacturer or the consumer. Large companies and brands in the fashion industry are thinking about circularity, therefore as surface pattern designers, we should also be concerned with where our designs end up and if those products will be circular. We should also think about how we shop, are we purchasing from circular brands ourselves? Do we repair our own items instead of discarding them? Do we donate our items or purchase secondhand?
Circularity considers many things but one of them is the quality of the product, is it made to last? Fast fashion was something that was mentioned at Texworld and how it is important for us to convince consumers to avoid fast fashion or buying clothing at a lower price point that isn’t made to last and is more likely to end up in the landfill.
Circularity is also about the R’s: reuse, refurbish, recycle, etc., and building it into the lifecycle of the product but it requires participation from the consumer and convincing them to send the product back or recycling it, instead of discarding it.
Here are some examples of brands moving towards circularity:
Patagonia uses recycled fabric and started a secondhand shop for consumers to buy and sell used Patagonia clothing.
Timberland products are made with recycled and renewable materials. They are also creating a new version of their traditional hiker that is designed for disassembly and each component can be individually recycled.
Levi’s created their first circular jean made of recycled material and is designed to be recycled, while still being made durable to last.
The North Face has a take back program. If you bring back its clothing or shoes to any of their retail or outlet stores, they give you $10 off a future purchase. In turn they will resell it in their resale program called The North Face Renewed, if it’s not in condition for resale, they will recycle or donate it. They are also launching their first circular apparel that will feature a Circular Design hangtag to show that it has been created to be circular from inception and with material that can easily be recycled, while selecting materials that minimizes waste.
This is just a small sampling and brief overview of circularity. There is so much more to learn. Although, this post should give you some ideas to consider, in terms of circularity, as you manufacture or license your own designs on products.
It has given me a lot to think about and I will continue to make sure that circularity is something that I consider in how I purchase, design and consider from brands who may want to license my designs. It also makes me think about digital products and its place in surface pattern design.
I’d love to hear from you if you’ve already incorporated circularity in your surface pattern design brand and/or how you plan to in the future. Feel free to leave a comment on this post or send me a message.
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