EUROPE
The Danish Fashion Institute (DAFI) has launched a free online platform created to empower clothing designers and product developers to produce clothes more sustainably; helping to cut out waste in fashion and to extend the life of clothes.
The online platform – Design for Longevity – has been produced in association with leading European fashion councils and universities, and in consultation with practitioners from across the fashion sector. The result is an evolving online resource containing the most relevant information, inspiration, practical tools, and guidance on sustainable design. It will help designers to implement changes into their own operations quickly and effectively; whether working in large companies or as solo operators, and across all clothing categories.
Design for Longevity has been produced as part of the European Clothing Action Plan (ECAP), the first EU-Life funded project to drive sustainability throughout the entire lifecycle of clothing, supported by the LIFE financial instrument of the European Community.
DAFI’s new platform aids the decision-making process during design; helping to drive industry action on sustainability, and to shape positive consumer attitudes towards extending the active life of clothes. The platform helps bring theories of circular production into real-life design environments, providing practical support, and helping individual businesses to design clothes more sustainably.
DAFI has worked with key institutions and experts on sustainable design across Europe to produce the materials that designers need, and the tools they can use. “We’re continuing to work with a wide range of brands, retailers and issue-driven organisations, as well as research institutions, to make this an evolving platform that is a conduit for new research and design,” said Tobias Harboe, project manager at DAFI.
Design for Longevity has identified and prioritised a range of possible design actions within the platform. These include:
- Key trends
- New possibilities in design and manufacture
- Innovative business models
- Choices around fibre and fabric
- Craftsmanship
- Options for re-use and recycling
- Care and repair
- How and why consumers dispose of clothing
