Upcycling as a Design Strategy for Product Lifetime Optimisation and Societal Change

Designers and product developers are taking greater responsibility for the problems presented by the inefficient and unsustainable systems used to create new fashion items. The culture of transience, newness and perceived obsolescence, so prevalent in the fashion industry, has led to growing over-consumption and consequentially high volumes of waste. Clothing is often disposed of with as much as 70% of its potential lifetime still left. Upcycling seeks to provide a transitional solution to the textile waste problem, by optimising the lifetimes of discarded products from an inefficient system, as technology moves to develop more sustainable approaches. As a design based waste solution, upcycled fashion production utilises textile waste to create products with a higher retail value than traditionally recycled goods. This paper aims to analyse the innovative ways in which UK based upcycling designers are recreating style and value from discarded materials, and the benefits of this process. The author’s own design process, as a UK based upcycling designer, was documented and examined. Challenges and solutions to upcycled production were then further investigated through structured interviews and observational field trips with leading UK based upcycling practitioners. The practical implications of this research include the development of an innovative, UK based sustainable design and production approach, which directly tackles the issue of textile waste and offers scope for further employment and training within the industry. Social implications include recommendations on how best to engage with the public on environmental issues in the apparel industry, and the wider implications of these issues

Establishing a pre and post-3D Body scanning Survey process for Able-bodied UK Women Aged 55 Years+ to Determine an Appropriate Waist Position for Garment Development

Change in human body morphology is well-documented for developmental growth from childhood to adult. However, the morphological change from adulthood to older age is less detailed and less discussed within literature concerned with anthropometric application and clothing construction. This, perhaps, explains why females aged 55+ are the demographic most frustrated with the fit of ready-to-wear garments [1]. A prerequisite for the accurate generation of size chart and pattern development relies on precision in the location and demarcation of landmarks [2,3], therefore an understanding of the changes in body size and shape, how this impacts on anthropometric practice, and, more specifically, the body landmarks is fundamental to provide correctly fitting garments patterns for mature women. Consequently, the aim of this research is to establish a pre- and post-3D body scanning survey process for able-bodied UK women aged 55 years and over, giving them the opportunity to self-select a suitable waist location for clothing from four defined waist positions. A pragmatic, mixed-method methodology was developed to evaluate anthropometric theory and praxis, landmark placement, and subjective body image estimation, to determine the success of their practical application in developing appropriate garment patterns for this demographic. The methodology consisted of four stages: recruitment of eighty (80) women aged 55+ using the three strategies of convenience, snowball and random sampling; the 3D body scanning of each participant using two TC[2] scanners; the use of a visual aid to allow the self-evaluation of personal waist position for garment development; and the evaluation of the visual and numerical scan data against this self-evaluation. The findings indicated that recruitment of this demographic is problematic as it is reliant on subject willingness for participation and this group of subjects were often critical of their body morphology. The questionnaire response rate was 67% which reduced the sample size down to 52 women. The visual aid indicated that the participants were able to readily identify the position of their waist regardless of body morphology. Rectangle, hourglass, triangle and bottom hourglass body shapes were represented in the sample set. The most common body shape shared by this demographic was that of the rectangle and analysis of waist height from the floor position before and after waist landmark modification indicated that the rectangle was the body shape which was most prone to waist placement error from the participants point of view. All body shapes required waist height modification to the original waist height landmark based on participant evaluation of where they felt it comfortable to wear their waistband. Comparative analysis confirmed distinct variation in subjects’ evaluation of waist positioning for a garment and scanner MMU MEP definitions. 59% of participants’ waists landmarks were placed differently by the scanner compared to the placement by the subjects themselves. This study concludes that to improve landmark placement accuracy providing a visual aid to the participant for evaluation in tandem with the practitioner evaluation would be a practice that is useful for common but difficult to locate landmarks, such as the waist. Responses from this visual aid operator evaluation the scan data and more specifically the landmarks

Design of Sports Compression Garments: Exploring the Relationship Between Pressure Distribution and Body Dimensions

In recent years, a wealth of research on the functionality of sports compression garments (SCGs) has emerged due to their increased popularity among athletes and SCG brands’ claims that they improve exercise performance, shorten recovery and prevent injuries. With most researchers from medical or sports science backgrounds, existing studies are biased towards these fields, neglecting considerations of users and the SCG-body-relationship. To address this gap, this study applied an online survey and wearer trials to create an understanding of user experiences with SCGs. 145 SCG users (65% male, 35% female) completed the online survey. Results show that the respondents have a positive attitude towards SCGs with 78% believing in their recovery-enhancing properties, whilst 49% believe that SCGs improve performance. To examine the behaviour of SCGs on the body, 33 wearer trials with active females (31.0 ± 8.57 years) were conducted. The participants’ body measurements were captured using a 3D body scanner (Size Stream, USA). Each participant was fitted into Skins A400 Women’s Active Long Tights and Long Sleeve Tops using the brand’s size chart. Pressures applied by the garments were measured at 22 locations using a pneumatic pressure measurement device (PicoPress®, Microlab, Italy). The wearer trials revealed that, despite high levels of user satisfaction identified by the online survey, compression levels varied widely across different individuals. This suggests a strong perceptual effect of SCGs. Variations in pressure levels are likely to be associated with variations in fit due to problems with the applied sizing system. The study adds a more garment- and user-focused outlook to the current research base and highlights the importance of adequate fit of SCGs. For SCGs to provide physiological benefits, they need to apply controlled pressure, which requires pressure prediction during the design phase. This will be addressed by the next stage of this research project

A collaborative apparel new product development process model using virtual reality and augmented reality technologies as enablers

© The Textile Institute and Informa UK Ltd 2018 This study presents a collaborative new product development (NPD) process model that accommodates different perspectives of stakeholders in an apparel value chain and expedites robust new product outcomes. Advanced technologies are demanded to establish such collaborative NPD process models. Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies have become prominent in product realisation during this process, to evaluate multiple alternatives. The study proposes a twofold approach where, in the first phase, a qualitative study was carried out to evaluate the viewpoint of value stream collaborators to study the potential opportunities and limitations of applying VR and AR in NPD process. In the second phase, a quantitative study was carried out to assess the apparel consumers’ awareness on VR or AR applications, perceptions on such technologies, and intention to use such technologies in the context of apparel business. Data collection consisted of 10 in-depth interviews with experts in the industry and 94 survey responses from apparel consumers in the United Kingdom. It is concluded that VR and AR technologies will be enablers for NPD’s success in the apparel industry in providing quick responses to consumers to enhance the performance of the new products

Whole Systems Thinking for Circular Economy Design Practice

To develop the role of designers in the context of the circular economy, this paper investigated the concept of whole systems thinking in design practice. Designers’ practices were examined not just from the product orientated perspective, but by taking a more holistic systems thinking approach. This addressed a combination of the market, consumers and communication, plus design and production processes, supply chain and end-of-life considerations. The paper presents individual case studies of environmentally motivated fashion design that displayed differing levels of positive impact based on their breadth of design activity, and whether a wider systems-based design approach was successfully incorporated. The methodology employed a review of literature relating to circular systems and design approaches, and combined this with primary data from semi-structured interviews. Interview data from ethical fashion brands and designers identified barriers to the wider adoption of circular economy fashion strategies. Core competencies required to handle the complex technical issues related to whole system design were analysed in terms of the options available to support designers. Current techniques employed to bring products to market and effectively communicate their wider features and benefits to consumers were interrogated and modelled to establish where knowledge gaps lay. The paper concludes that the designers taking a systems based approach are more congruent with the circular economy model and the wider skills and attributes that enable such approaches, such as research skills and entrepreneurial methods. Findings on the effectiveness of current circular design systems offer key industry insights on the changing role of designers and the necessary mindset for systemic change. Academic implications of the research include the establishment of whole systems thinking in the training and development of a new generation of designers, to improve and enable positive design decisions. Originality lies in developing circular fashion approaches that draw from and improve upon existing strategies to create sustainable innovation

Standard vs. Upcycled Fashion Design and Production

Value streams for collected post-consumer textiles continue to be analyzed within the global challenge to develop and employ commercially viable, yet ethical and sustainable strategies within the fashion industry. Upcycling is an existing strategy applicable to fashion production, with discarded materials used to design and create higher value products, keeping them in productive use for longer. A number of very small, niche upcycling enterprises have emerged in the UK. These brands have succeeded in creating stylistically relevant and commercially successful fashion styles utilizing waste textile materials. The advantages of scaling these enterprises up are not only environmental, but also economic and social, thereby creating a sustainable and innovative business model for UK-led fashion production. Due to high levels of three key metrics of carbon, water and waste, UK government agency WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) has identified textile products as priority materials for reuse and recycling. Upcycling enables a sustainable design option for reuse techniques to be employed for greatest economic and environmental benefit, in which used clothing and textiles are sourced for the production of newly designed fashion products. This paper identifies the key differences between standard fashion design and production processes and upcycled fashion design and production processes, in order to aid the development of large-scale fashion upcycling in the UK, and contribute to a circular economy

Application of Fickian and non-Fickian diffusion models to study moisture diffusion in asphalt mastics

The objective of this study was to investigate certain aspects of asphalt mastic moisture diffusion characteristics in order to better understand the moisture damage phenomenon in asphalt mixtures. Moisture sorption experiments were conducted on four asphalt mastics using an environmental chamber capable of automatically controlling both relative humidity (85 %) and temperature (23 °C). The four mastics tested were identical in terms of bitumen type (40/60 pen), bitumen amount (25 % by of wt% total mix), mineral filler amount (25 % by wt%) and fine aggregate amount (50 % by wt%). The materials differed in terms of mineral filler type (granite or limestone) and fine aggregate type (granite or limestone). Preliminary data obtained during the early part of the study showed certain anomalous behavior of the materials including geometry (thickness)-dependent diffusion coefficient. It was therefore decided to investigate some aspects related to moisture diffusion in mastics by applying the Fickian and two non-Fickian (anomalous) diffusion models to the moisture sorption data. The two non-Fickian models included a two-phase Langmuir-type model and a two-parameter time-variable model. All three models predicted moisture diffusion in mastics extremely well (R 2 > 0.95). The observed variation of diffusion coefficient with thickness was attributed in part to microstructural changes (settlement of the denser fine aggregates near the bottom of the material) during the rather long-duration diffusion testing. This assertion was supported by X-ray computed tomography imaging of the mastic that showed significant accumulation of aggregate particles near the bottom of the sample with time. The results from the Langmuir-type model support a two-phase (free and bound) model for moisture absorbed by asphalt mastic and suggests about 80 % of absorbed water in the free phase remain bound within the mastic. The results also suggest that moisture diffusion in asphalt mastic may be time-dependent with diffusion decreasing by about four times during a typical diffusion test lasting up to 500 h. The study concludes that both geometry and time-dependent physical characteristics of mastic are important factors to consider with respect to moisture diffusion in asphalt mastics

An Assessment of Contaminants in UK Road-Verge Biomass and the Implications for Use as Anaerobic Digestion Feedstock

Biomass from harvested road-verge herbage has potential value as a feedstock for anaerobic digestion (AD) energy plants. However, the proximity to road traffic related pollution sources introduces the possibility of contamination by potentially toxic elements and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Potential sources of pollution from road traffic emissions are identified and the consequent likelihood of certain contaminants being present at elevated levels is assessed. Samples of road verge biomass harvested from selected locations in Lincolnshire UK for use in AD plants were analysed to produce a set of measurements for the presence of the contaminants of interest. The measured levels of these contaminants are compared to reported background levels in UK herbage and soils to assess if there is significant increased concentration in road-verge biomass. Samples of digestate from an AD plant using the road-verge biomass as feedstock were also analysed to determine if there is notable risk of transfer and concentration of contaminants into agricultural land where the digestate may be used for fertilisation. While elevated levels of contaminants were detected, they were not found in concentrations on road verge biomass at high enough levels to cause adverse effects or concerns for its safe use as an AD feedstock

Time dependent viscoelastic rheological response of pure, modified and synthetic bituminous binders

Bitumen is a viscoelastic material that exhibits both elastic and viscous components of response and displays both a temperature and time dependent relationship between applied stresses and resultant strains. In addition, as bitumen is responsible for the viscoelastic behaviour of all bituminous materials, it plays a dominant role in defining many of the aspects of asphalt road performance, such as strength and stiffness, permanent deformation and cracking. Although conventional bituminous materials perform satisfactorily in most highway pavement applications, there are situations that require the modification of the binder to enhance the properties of existing asphalt material. The best known form of modification is by means of polymer modification, traditionally used to improve the temperature and time susceptibility of bitumen. Tyre rubber modification is another form using recycled crumb tyre rubber to alter the properties of conventional bitumen. In addition, alternative binders (synthetic polymeric binders as well as renewable, environmental-friendly bio-binders) have entered the bitumen market over the last few years due to concerns over the continued availability of bitumen from current crudes and refinery processes. This paper provides a detailed rheological assessment, under both temperature and time regimes, of a range of conventional, modified and alternative binders in terms of the materials dynamic (oscillatory) viscoelastic response. The rheological results show the improved viscoelastic properties of polymer- and rubber-modified binders in terms of increased complex shear modulus and elastic response, particularly at high temperatures and low frequencies. The synthetic binders were found to demonstrate complex rheological behaviour relative to that seen for conventional bituminous binders