Leo Qian
Waste Not, Want Not
Prompt: Students are to create a garment with 36” inches or one meter of a selected fabric or use an old garment to be repurposed. You may cut, alter, or manipulate the material to create a functional wearable form; however, you cannot discard more than 25% of the old garment being used.
This is an upcycled shirt designed and reconstructed from three old shirts. My concept for this project focuses on size inclusivity by using three garments that no longer t me to create one that casually ts my current size. As a plus-size individual who is 6′ 3″ studying fashion design, I wanted to challenge the lack of accessibility and accommodation for diverse body types that are excluded by standardized sizing in the fashion industry. The prompt of this project stems from sustainability, from which I decided to deconstruct old garments and reconstruct them into a new design to promote design waste consciousness. Upcycling is an accessible and effective design intervention to address and reduce existing textile waste from overconsumption in the fashion industry.
