Developing Considerate Design: Meeting Individual Fashion and Clothing Needs Within a Framework of Sustainability

This paper addresses The Fashion Paradox – the economic importance of the fashion industry set against its inherent obsolescence and waste through constant change. A new methodology is being developed for designers to approach these complex problems, and to evaluate the impact of design decisions through the development of personalized fashion products. A new “Considerate Design” process model is being created through analysis of practical design processes by transferring tools and methods from engineering design within a framework of sustainability. This project responds to the rapidly changing context of fashion and positions the user at the centre of the design process. It will produce personalized fashion products using 3D body scanning and rapid prototyping techniques integrated with different production processes: the direct 3D manufacturing of seamfree knitwear; the making of bespoke hand-crafted bags, and the direct digital creation of body conformable seamless textile structures. The sub-projects each represent different levels of the industry, to test economic viability of products which are individually tailored to requirements, contributing to the development of mass customization. Considerate Design will reduce environmental impact of fashion products and consider both the end user and the entire product life cycle.