Circular Open Source Fashion¶

Week03: Students checklist¶

Image Source: Fabricademy Handbook

1. Objective¶

This week focuses on Open Source Circular Fashion, exploring how modular configurations and zero-waste systems can transform garment design. The learning outcomes involve mastering everything from 2D vector design and laser cutting to developing digital workflows that anyone can reproduce. We began the week with an inspiring lesson on circular design by Claudia Simonelli, followed by a fascinating lecture by Zoe Romano from Milan, Italy. Today, Zoe works as a freelancer, educator, activist, and social impact specialist. She shared insights from various projects she has championed over the years, including the EU-funded initiative The Woolshed Project: A new era for alpine wool. Her talk focused on supply chains, extending material lifespans in rural areas, and recycling local wool through washing and processing. As she perfectly put it, the goal was creating a "disrupted supply chain of the wool from the sheep."

2. References, research & inspiration¶

Local wool supply chain¶

A Faroese parallel from Our Own Lab. Zoe’s presentation mirrors a story from our own place here in the Faroe Islands. In my introduction, I shared a project where we created a sittingmat using a circular design framework, which we modified and tailored specifically to our local Faroese wool. Have a look in my introduction.

Our process is deeply rooted in the local community: • Summer Shearing: The first photos show my children and me shearing the wool from our sheeps during the summer. • Traditional Washing: You can clean the wool the "old-fashioned way," as shown in the picture. • Local Entrepreneurship: We are fortunate to have a local startup on the island called Vestergarður. Backed by agricultural grants, they have invested in washing machines and an automatic carding machine. My role in this chain is sorting the wool by color and removing dirt and debris. Afterward, I drive down to them with our raw wool, which they wash and process until it is clean and ready for use in the lab.

Image source: Tina Grønbech

After washing the wool, it is carded into the desired colors. The necessary pieces are then created in the felt loom, making them ready to be laser cut.

Image source: FabLab Vágur

We also created a denim cover for the sittingmats. We laser-engraved the denim with different local mountain hiking routes and crafted unique buttons made from local sheep horns.

Image source: Tina Grønbech

Image source: IJsblink Floortje

Image source: IJsblink Floortje

Image source: IJsblink Floortje

You can find the link to the PDF with the full introduction to making your own sittingmat right here:Download instructions (PDF)

Taking it a Step Further: Zero Waste in Action¶

We didn’t stop at the first mat. To embrace a truly circular mindset, we took the offcuts from the first project and used them to create a second seating mat. By cutting the leftover pieces and arranging them into a landscape-like pattern, we were able to needle-felt the components together using the felt loom in our lab. The result: Zero waste and two uniquely beautiful designs. You can see the final result here.

Image source: Tina Grønbech

Image source: IJsblink Floortje

Image source: Tina Grønbech

This entire process beautifully highlights one of Zoe’s most resonant remarks: "Low-tech is the new high-tech." It serves as powerful proof that what we create with our own hands is here to stay. By designing with a focus on longevity, repair becomes a fundamental part of the design right from the very beginning, rather than an afterthought. It shows that sustainable ideas and circular supply chains can be successfully brought to life in rural areas and in small-scale local environments.

Rák Lab¶

I am excited to introduce a new project: Rák Lab, a specialized research and reuse laboratory as part of Fab Lab Vágur. The lab is dedicated to transforming marine industrial debris found on shorelines from the North Atlantic into new, functional products. This November, we will launch our very first public workshops in a temporary pop-up lab, utilizing our newly acquired plastic shredder and melting machine. Building on our award-winning "Blue and Green Education" framework, our long-term plan is to expand our machinery park and scale our operations by incorporating other local waste streams. As we secure ongoing funding to keep the lab open, we aim to expand our material research to include textile offcuts for fluff, single-use hospital packaging, and waste and fishing nets from our local fish factories on the island.

Image source: Eva Bullens for FabLab Vágur

The name Rák meaning Currents of chance carries a vital dual meaning for us: literally, it translates to "ocean current" or "wave," referencing the debris brought to our shores, but metaphorically, it signifies a "trend" or "shift in tide," as we aim to spark a cultural movement toward a circular economy in our community.

Image source: Eva Bullens for FabLab Vágur

Image source: IJsblink Floortje for FabLab Vágur

Looking ahead to 2027, we are also planning a new community project to help local sheep farmers create and recycle their own sheep tags using recycled plastic.

Image source: IJsblink Floortje for FabLab Vágur

Image source: Eva Bullens for FabLab Vágur

How the Herring Sleeps¶

For my inspiration this week, I am drawing from the local book "Náttúrunnar Børn" (Children of Nature), written by Jørgen M. Olsen in 1982. To ensure accessibility for a wide audience, the book is uniquely published with Faroese, Danish, and English language compiled together in a single edition. The book provides a beautiful account of the behavior and natural cycles of the Atlantic herring within our local Vágsfjørður—including the fascinating discovery of how the herring sleeps vertically with its head pointing downward. Book: Children of Nature

Image source: from the book

Inspired by these marine wonders and Claudia’s presentation on tessellation, I wanted to explore this captivating concept where mathematics, art, and the natural world collide. A tessellation represents a powerful expression of "changing forms"—a geometric pattern of shapes that fit together perfectly without leaving gaps or overlaps, a phenomenon found everywhere in nature from honeycomb structures to fish scales. As direct inspiration for my pattern, I selected a series of illustrations from the book showcasing how herrings move collectively in a school—constantly shifting, changing lanes, and altering their direction in unison.

Image source: from the book

Translating this movement of direction into an artistic framework, I focused my project on the anatomy of a fish. I designed a modular fish shape engineered to interlock seamlessly into a continuous pattern. The geometry allows the shapes to be woven and tiled together efficiently, mirroring the dynamic rhythm of a schooling swarm while creating a repeating layout perfect for the surface design of a sustainable pillow or bag. To bring this to life, I digitally drafted the vector file and processed them for the laser cutter in our lab, allowing for maximum precision when assembling the final pieces.

3.Tools¶

4.Process and workflow¶

From Fabricademy Bootcamp to Week 3¶

I was fortunate to attend the Fabricademy Bootcamp in Ireland this past May, where Claudia Simonelli first introduced us to open-source circular fashion. During the bootcamp, I sketched out my first draft of the modular fish shape for a circular pattern, through a intro tutorial in Rhino. However, my initial design was far from perfect—it included gaps and generated some material waste. To try and improve this and achieve a truly zero-waste tessellation, my next step is to import the SVG file into Fusion 360 to refine the geometry: I also want to scale it down a bit, and then bring it into Inkscape to prepare the final vector paths for laser cutting. The following pictures shows the initial outcome from the tutorial from the bootcamp.

Image source: Tina Grønbech

Material Experiments: From Paper to Fish Leather¶

Before jumping into the final production, I began experimenting with the first version of the shape by physical prototyping to explore how the fish shapes could interlock. I started testing the geometry in paper and later moved on to felt. These hands-on tests allowed me to play with the weaving of the pattern, and I discovered that the fish modules can actually be woven together in several different ways – just like the herring in the story. I used normal felt from any craft shop, 2mm thick. The setting in the lasercutter i used is:

Insert laser settings felt

Image source: Tina Grønbech

Image source: Tina Grønbech

Once the digital design is completely optimized in Fusion 360 and Inkscape, my next goal is to laser cut the final pattern using beautiful fish leather, which I was lucky enough to receive as a gift.

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• Download references Links to online reference files, PDF, booklets

• or embed your own PDF as:

• Video references: Vimeo (only when not yours)

• Video references: Youtube (only when not yours)

3. Tools¶

4. Process and workflow¶

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4.1 Step 1¶

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4.2 Step 2¶

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4.3 Step 3¶

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5. Results¶

6. Weekly reflection & critical thinking¶

• What did I learn? What did I personally find interesting or surprised me?
• What would I do differently? If something "failed" do I know how else to tackle it now?"
• How does this connect to my final project or my learning trajectory?
• What are implications and possible applications, think also from the ethical or environmental aspect, how it could connect to your practice and project?

7. Fabrication files & References¶