This is mostly a collection of resources that those interested in zero waste and low waste fashion can use to get started and start their research.
Resources for zero and low waste fashion are scarce and hard to find so if these are topics you are interested in, bookmark this page because I will be adding more as I come across new information and people who work in this area.
And please, share any resources you find in the comments (shameless self-promotion welcome if related to zero or low waste fashion).
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What is zero waste and low waste fashion?
This might seem like a simple question, but the answer is quite complex. In short, zero waste and low waste fashion both try to diminish and limit the amount of waste that comes from producing clothes. This goes all the way from fiber production (whether natural or synthetic) to disposal of old clothes, and includes all the steps in between.
Consumers, can usually only control where they buy their clothing items, how they use them and care for them, and how they dispose once they can’t be used anymore. Designers and producers can usually go a step forward and affect how materials are used and disposed of.
If you sew, knit, crochet, or do any craft that could be used to construct clothing, you can challenge yourself to make it low or zero waste as well. In sewing this would mean using as little fabric as possible and using as much of it as possible, while only buying what you need. There are quite a few patterns to be found for free on the internet and even more to be purchased that involve very little waste, if any at all. I’ve listed some sources below. If you use yarn or thread, zero and low waste means buying only the amounts that you need and using any leftovers. Using sustainable or repurposed materials is also important when it comes to producing low waste fashion.
Of course, low and zero waste fashion goes hand-in-hand with consuming less fashion overall. Limiting your purchases to only what you need and making sure you care for your items so that they last as much as possible are both important parts of it.
Reaching full zero waste fashion might be impossible, however it can be a goal while low waste is implemented.
Articles
- Sustainable design techniques
- Zero waste fashion (at Wikipedia)
- Zero waste fashion: a new, sustainable fashion practice
- Zero waste fashion: what it is + 7 brands implementing it today
- Zero waste sewing
- Zero-waste design
- Zero-waste fashion: why it is so important
Blogs
- The craft of clothes
- Modconned (artist’s blog with a low of zero/low waste fashion)
- Fadanista
Books
- Fashion Fibers: Designing for Sustainability
- ReFashioned: Cutting-Edge Clothing from Upcycled Materials
- Zero Waste Fashion Design
- The Conscious Closet: The Revolutionary Guide to Looking Good While Doing Good
- The Sustainable Fashion Handbook
- Zero Waste Sewing: 16 projects to make, wear and enjoy
- Eco Fashion
- Sustainable Fashion and Textiles: Design Journeys
Brands and people
Video
- 15 Ways to Be a Sustainable Fashion Brand (Without Stifling Creativity)
- Making Clothes without Making Waste
- Simple Zero Waste Top with Amy Sperber
- 3 creative ways to fix fashion’s waste problem | Amit Kalra
- Zero–Waste Fashion Design with Holly McQuillan
- Zero Waste Pattern-making Presentation
- Design lessons on zero waste fashion with Etsy seller Ninoshka
Embers on the hearth 