Did you know that fabric production accounts for around 80% of the environmental impact of a garment? That between 25% and 40% of the fabric needed to make a garment is thrown away before it even reaches the market? And that 50% of this waste is made up exclusively of offcuts caused by the shape of patterns that don't fit together properly?
With this in mind*, the I.Code team decided to create a ‘Minimal Waste’ capsule in collaboration with the Cholet fashion school, a real creative challenge with the ultimate aim of making its mark on future collections. Designing for circular fashion: integrating upcycling into conventional garment manufacturing processes’, Fashion and Textile 8 (2021).
Background: After working as a software support engineer at Lectra, Mylène L'Orguilloux set herself the task of democratising Minimal Waste Design in France in response to the monumental waste of fabric generated during the cutting of garments. The aim: to explore design solutions where patterns fit together like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, without generating the slightest scrap of fabric. Today, Mylène is behind the RE.FORMONS NOUS project and is co-author of the book ‘Couture zéro Chute’, published by Marabout. For the past 8 years, she has been involved in methodological research to help the sector evolve. She works as a consultant for companies (Kiabi, Décathlon, etc.) and schools (Lycée de la mode, Esmod, etc.), training designers to become autonomous in the practice of Minimal Waste Design. Its commitment: Re-Formons nous: a manifesto to shake up fashion design and encourage reflection, sharing and collective experimentation. Her mantra: ‘Let's deconstruct the rules that shape the way we design’. Her favourite hashtags: #MinimalWasteDesign #ZeroWasteDesign #designsanschute
