EL CONCEPTO DE PATRIMONIO Y SU VALOR EDUCATIVO

Building on a model developed from initial interviews during MSc research into upcycling in the UK womenswear industry (Han, 2012), designers were also for feedback on how faithfully this model represented their current design and production processes. Processes may be investigated in real time through participant observation, through retrospective interviewing or by constructing a processual account through the examination of documents (Bryman, 2012).Taking this feedback into account, a revised upcycling process model was been created to show the continual feedback loops between sourcing and each stage of the upcycled design and production process. In graphically documenting a process and showing the interrelated and overall view of various aspects of the system, a holistic analysis can take place (Jacka and Keller, 2009). Five upcycling brands plus the researcher’s own upcycled design practice were consulted to develop the initial upcycling process model presented in Section 10.4.1.3.13 of Appendix D from page 380 to 383. In this second round of research, six designers from five brands were able to give feedback on the initial model. Of these six designers, three were also from the initial round of research in which the first model had been formulated. Feedback from designers presented in Section 10.4.1.3.4 and Section 10.4.1.3.13 of Appendix D, regarding each stage of the process model was used to further refine the initial model and create a truer representation of the professional fashion upcycling process which can be used to inform scaling up the process for mainstream retail.

The design brief outlined the task of producing garments in a sustainable way, taking into account all lifecycle stages, including the use phase and end-of-life considerations. This initial stage was felt to be the key opportunity for integrating sustainability into the entire design and production process, setting out how these considerations would be incorporated along the whole supply chain. When producing upcycled fashion, the sourcing stage must occur near to the very beginning of the design and production process. As this form of sourcing uses only

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what is available at the at the time in the form of post-consumer or post-production textile waste, instead of requiring newly made materials, it is necessary for designers to spend significant amounts of time researching where materials will be available, how suitable they are for designs and how much is available. This stage of research must occur before initial sourcing, to obtain the right fabrics needed for design and production to occur. After initial sourcing, fabric sourcing for upcycled design then continues on throughout design and production.

Figure 38. The Revised Upcycling Process Model

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As a circular economy fashion strategy, upcycled fashion design tends not to follow the traditional fashion seasons of Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter, but instead pursues a slow fashion course, gradually adapting designs according to available source materials. This enables popular pieces to be made available on a regular basis and to be adapted according to customer feedback, current trends and changing fabric supply. Along with the feedback from customers, creative research also directly precedes the design stage. Upcycled fashion design uses the same traditional creative processes as standard fashion design such as moodboards, sketches, toiles and design research and inspiration. Once designs are created, a noticeable departure from traditional fashion design can be observed in the pattern cutting and fabric combinations. Upcycled designs have a distinctive design formula which allows for fabric substitutions, taking into account the changeable nature of fabric supply. Often panelling and a structured ‘patchwork’ style of pattern cutting make best use of limited and changing material sources. Interchangeable pattern pieces can be substituted at design level or at manufacturing level to make best use of available resources. This flexible design formula clearly defines the unique aesthetic of upcycled fashion.

The extra work required in sourcing materials and creating smaller production runs of designs made from multiple fabrics can often lead to higher retail prices for upcycled garments. This further emphasises the need for consumer understanding of upcycled and ethical fashion for successful retail. Social media and in-store dialogue with customers provide opportunities to engage the public with these issues and provides an opportunity to receive feedback. Repeat custom also serves to provide key back on successful designs. Difficulties have arisen when upcycled designs have been sold alongside second hand garments in a charity shop. Several informants described this as a situation in which consumers were shopping for low cost items in a charity shop, and were not seeking higher priced upcycled pieces. The difficulty of competing with much lower priced items was an indication that charity shops were definitely the wrong place to sell upcycled designs. Informants felt that a more successful strategy was to have a dedicated upcycled and sustainable fashion shop, even if this were also to be part of the charity, but separate to the charity shops selling second hand clothes. Selling upcycled fashion in a charity shop may also be affected by the stigma of second hand clothing which some consumers feel, preventing these more biased consumers from entering into the charity shop selling upcycled designs which they may have in fact found to their approval.

Finding the right market for upcycled designs has been a constant challenge to the industry, and most labels working solely with post-consumer textiles have had difficulty scaling up and continuing to trade on a long term basis. Labels using a combination of pre- and post-consumer textiles, or switching to solely pre-post-consumer textiles have experienced more success scaling up their operations and producing wholesale supply. One informant discussed

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these differing approaches and questioned whether the limited success experienced when using post-consumer supply was linked to the practice of selling into the wrong existing markets, indicating that new markets needed to be created. Difficulties were also faced when selling upcycled collections to retail buyers in the UK. Limited understanding of the variability of upcycled stock and fears of poor quality presented barriers to the wider acceptance and retailing of upcycled fashion. More success has been experienced when selling to shop owners and retail buyers in locations such as Germany. Informants also discussed their current strategies of promoting their designs and communicating the features and benefits of upcycled and sustainable fashion. Once again social media and in-store dialogue were the main methods. Providing enough information about the products ethical credentials and origin of the source materials needed to be carefully balanced against showing garments for their aesthetic appeal.

Utilising upcycling as a circular economy fashion strategy can present challenges of labour intensive production, extensive fabric sourcing research and increased promotional work ensuring consumer and retail buyer understanding of the garments produced. This can often add to the final retail price, making upcycled fashion unaffordable for many, resulting in limited company revenue for brands to grow their business and benefit from economies of scale. An uncertain economic climate creates further risk for brands wishing to secure finance to scale up production, leading to a lack of long term success for some brands and designers.

Investment into the industry could ensure wider success, although recent media emphasis on corporate social responsibility may also lead to a wider adoption of the principles of upcycling for larger, well established retail brands. For these brands, it will be necessary to equip their designers with the necessary skills, knowledge and agency to make decisions affecting production, labour and materials, as well as the use phase and end-of-life considerations to truly implement a circular economy fashion system.

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