3. Circular Open Source Fashion¶
Research & Ideation¶
This week’s lecture expanded my thinking on modular clothing ideation and how it could be used in sustainable approaches to both fashion and costume design. I was especially interested in finding ways of creating modular seam structures for zerowaste garments and exploring what was achievable with natural fibers.
References & Inspiration¶
Like Stephanie Johnson, I was made connections between this week's course content and the Paco Rabanne's chainmail dresses from the 1960s. I would like to do more experimentation on ways of achieving the plastic effect with biodegradable materials.
Tools¶
- Inkscape
- xTool Studio
- CLO3D
Process and workflow¶
This week, I had to adapt my project outcomes to align with my current limitations with the software. The updated workspaces in the newer version of Rhino make it difficult to following the tutorial, and I had a difficult time trying to ideate anything in that workspace. In order to move forward, I ended up just ideating in paper and using Inkscape to maps out the shape and cut scheme for the module. I then used CLO3D to create the garment pattern and figure out the seam structures.
Step 1 Module Design¶
I started with creating paper modules and seam structures.
Once I achieved a successful module, I recreate proportions and cut lines in Inkscape. I used the Inkscape tiling feature to repeat and nest the module shape. I tested pattern with the laser cutter on canvas using the cut recommendations from this link: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DCSsyEYRrBp/
I created a sample where pattern details were created through etching. I liked the golden transparent effect, but it took over an hour to cut and degraded the fabric structure.
Step 2: Garment Design¶
I assembled the test module to determine an assembly pattern I liked and then began thinking about how it might be applied to the body using zerowaste garments from my wardrobe. I ultimately chose the huipil pictured above because it seemed like a garment that I could manage on my 12" x 12" cutting bed.
Using the proportions from the huipil, I began designing the pattern in CLO3D. I started by breaking up the larger square pattern into pieces that I could cut on the small laser bed. I went back and forth between paper prototyping and CLO3D to figure out the seaming structure. I eventually reconfigured the pieces to be in the 1.5" increments to match the connection points of the module.
I had trouble exporting the pattern pieces from CLO3D to an svg file so I ended up redrawing them in Inkscape. Here is a video to what that process looked like:
Step 3: Garment Assembly¶
I was able to cut the garment patterns in layers on the laser cutter using the same settings as the initial sample. The maximum number of layers of canvas seems to be 3. Once cut, assembly went fairly smoothly. I marked adjustments that needed to be made as I went and will update them on the pattern before uploading it to www.oscircularfashion.com.
Project link on OS Circular Fashion
