There are some things in life that you don't really pay attention to unless you're forced to. This was me when it came to waste within the fashion industry. I new all of the ins and outs of patternmaking and testing patterns on muslin. As a student I had been conservative simply because of the cost, but never really thought about all the paper and fabric that essentially became useless once the pattern was completed.
Then, I started my own clothing line with new eyes and the waste seemed insurmountable. While we made every effort to place the patterns in a manner that generated as little waste as possible, when you're creating a few hundred shirts, a large portion of waste is inevitable. Not just from the shirt designs but from fabric that is unusable for it's intended purpose. (This is a common thing when purchasing wholesale. One must be prepared for a 3-5% loss. )
So, we're working on it. The clothing we're creating now are specifically desiged to be low waste (if not zero waste). Plus, we're using the waste in different and fun ways. We've begun experimenting with natural dyes and different accessories. We can't wait to see see what comes of it.
It's the beginning of a new era for Blessed Designs. For now, we're creating earrings. If you haven't seen our zero waste earrings, go check them out! We'll be adding more designs soon.
