ECO-FRIENDLY APPAREL DESIGN A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of ...

224 Pages·2008·23.52 MB·English

by  Kathleen Dombek

RE-FASHIONING THE FUTURE: ECO-FRIENDLY APPAREL DESIGN

A Thesis
Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School
of Cornell University
In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of
Master of Arts

by
Kathleen Michelle Dombek-Keith
May 2008
© 2008 Kathleen Michelle Dombek-Keith
ABSTRACT

The main research question for this study was: how can eco-friendly apparel
design re-think, or “re-fashion,” consumer interactions with clothing in order to
cause less environmental harm while also meeting or exceeding consumer wants
and needs? The objective of this research was to create collections of eco-friendly
apparel designs that would meet the goals for consumer appeal and behavioral
influence, and then to exhibit them so that consumers could react to and rate the
success of these design collections’ concepts and executions in meeting those goals.
Experts in eco-friendly clothing design provided feedback about an initial set
of design goals derived from the literature review. A finalized list of Eco-Friendly
Apparel Design Goals was developed that along with the literature review inspired the
development of a new eco-design framework for this study called the ERRor-Friendly
Framework: effective, resilient, and relational. These goals and principles were
conceptualized and executed into eco-friendly apparel design collections. Each design
concept was inspired by a combination of research-derived information, expert
feedback, and personal inspiration. A panel of design critics evaluated the designs in
order to solve problems, improve designs, and select the most viable ideas. In the end,
a total of five eco-friendly apparel collections were created: two effective designs, one
resilient design, and two relational designs.
The Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) Label and T-shirts effective design provides
consumers with environmental impact data on products so they can make informed
choices and behaviors. The Green Clothing Care (GCC) Label and T-Shirts effective
design encourages low-impact clothing care behaviors. The “Suit Yourself” resilient
design transforms over time to reflect current fashion trends and the wearer’s changing
sizes so that consumers are more satisfied with their clothes and consume fewer
clothes overall. The “No Sew” Projects relational design provides easy, do-it-yourself
projects that allow people with no sewing skills to be creative and make worthwhile
products. “The Dowry Dress” relational design re-thinks the life cycle of a wedding
dress so that it becomes part of the entire life of the marriage.
The five design collections were evaluated during a two-week exhibit at an art
gallery in downtown Ithaca, NY. During the exhibit’s duration, 52 people participated
in the study by completing a short questionnaire assessing each design collection’s
appeal, behavioral influence, and interest in design features. General consumer attitude
and behavior responses were used to identify them as either green or conventional
consumers. The questionnaire data were analyzed using descriptive statistics to
provide a summary of results and chi square tests for significant relationships between
participants’ consumer types and how they responded to the designs. The results
showed that all of the designs possessed positive overall design appeal and the ability
to influence behavioral change. Furthermore, analysis of consumer type with design
assessment results showed no significant differences between how green and
conventional consumers responded, except LCA Label influence.
Based on the questionnaire results for the design assessment and the green and
conventional consumer analysis, each of the five design collections met the study’s
two overall goals for appealing to all consumers, both green and conventional, and
influencing them to change their behaviors. This high appeal and influence indicates
that each design has potential for certain commercial applications, which will have the
potential to reduce environmental impact. However, this study only tested behavioral
intentions rather than actual behaviors. Future studies are needed to evaluate whether
these designs would in fact inspire the intended behavioral changes in consumers and
that those behaviors would indeed produce a net reduction in environmental impact.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
Kathleen Dombek-Keith, who always had a passion for expressing herself
artistically in various ways, was first exposed to apparel design when making
costumes for her Shakespeare literature classes at the Indiana Academy of Science,
Mathematics, and Humanities, Muncie, IN. She went on to pursue multiple degrees at
Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, including a Bachelors of Science Degree in
Apparel Merchandising, a Liberal Arts Management Program (LAMP) honor’s
certification in business, and an Associate’s Degree in Costume Construction
Technology, her true interest. Yet, it was in an ecology class for a mandatory science
credit during her last semester that exposed Dombek-Keith to the environmental crises
we face as well as the work of William McDonough, one of the foremost leaders in
eco-friendly design. It was McDonough’s claim that designers have to be the ones that
change the world that grabbed Dombek-Keith’s attention. As the lone design student
in a class full of science majors, her initial question of “Why me?” soon turned into
“What can I do?” After completing her undergraduate degrees at Indiana University,
Dombek-Keith came to Cornell University to study how apparel designers can make
clothing that is better for the environment.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to thank my major thesis advisor Dr. Suzanne Loker for all of her
efforts over the past years in developing my research skills, but more importantly for
driving me to accomplish more than I thought I could.
I would like to thank my minor thesis advisor Prof. Sheila Danko for her
inspiring and creative teaching style that greatly influenced by design process.
I would like to thank each of the eco-friendly design experts: Natalie Chanin,
Otto von Busch, Benà Burda, Dr. Kate Fletcher, and Prof. Janet Hethorn, who agreed
to be interviewed in order to provide me with excellent feedback on my design goals.
I would like to thank Prof. Anita Racine for all her overwhelming support and
encouragement during my time at Cornell University while I worked as her teaching
assistant and in the development “The Dowry Dress” design for the Kuhlman exhibit.
I would like to thank my panel of design critics Prof. Susan Ashdown and Prof.
Van Dyk Lewis for their stimulating input on my design concepts and executions.
I would like to thank the Human Ecology Alumni Association, the Cornell
Graduate School, and the College of Human Ecology for funding my thesis research.
I would like to thank local corset-maker Judith Johnson for donating her time
and expertise in the development of the corset for “The Dowry Dress,” in particular
for fitting the final corset pattern and inspiring the idea for reusing an old pair of jeans
as the lining.
I would like to thank local eco-fashion writer and event coordinator Wendy
Skinner for her enthusiasm for my work and volunteering her skills to help organize
and publicize my final exhibit, in particular for writing the exhibit’s press release.
I would like to thank the Community School of Music and Arts, Ithaca, NY,
executive director Robin Tropper-Herbel, publicist Lee-Ellen Marvin, and office

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assistant Lynn Abbot for allowing me the time and space for my final exhibit, in
particular for rearranging other exhibits so that my opening could coincide with a
major community event.
I would like to thank John Stager for his time and efforts in helping produce
my final exhibit displays.
I would like to thank my father for a lifetime of design instruction and
encouragement, in particular for his pivotal help in setting-up my final exhibit.
I would like to thank my mother for her unwavering support in all of my
creative endeavors, in particular for providing the inspiration for “The Dowry Dress”
that led to the entire premise of my thesis.
I would like to thank my husband for keeping me well fed, well balanced, and
well loved during the pursuit of my degree, in particular for asking me to marry him,
providing the incentive for creating “The Dowry Dress.”

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH.....................................................................................iii
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.........................................................................................iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS..........................................................................................vi
LIST OF FIGURES....................................................................................................x
LIST OF TABLES....................................................................................................xi
CHAPTER 1...................................................................................................................1
INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................1
CHAPTER 2...................................................................................................................4
LITERATURE REVIEW...........................................................................................4
2.1 Design and the Environment............................................................................4
2.1.1 Why is Design the Solution?.....................................................................4
2.1.2 Degrees of Design Change: Re-pair, Re-fine, Re-design, and Re-think...4
2.1.3 Degrees of Design Approaches: Green, Ecodesign, Sustainable, and
Resilience...........................................................................................................5
2.1.4 Eco-Friendly Design..................................................................................9
2.2 Environmental Concerns: Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) of Clothing...............10
2.2.1 Product Design Criteria...........................................................................12
2.2.2 Material Selection....................................................................................14
2.2.2.1 Natural Fibers: Cellulose and Animal Protein..................................14
2.2.2.2 Manufactured Fibers: Regenerative and Synthetic...........................22
2.2.2.3 Other Materials.................................................................................26
2.2.3 Production Processes...............................................................................26
2.2.4 Distribution..............................................................................................30
2.2.5 Product Maintenance...............................................................................31
2.2.6 End of Life...............................................................................................34
2.2.7 LCA-Informed Eco-Friendly Design Choices.........................................36
2.3 Understanding Consumers and Their Clothing Concerns..............................37
2.3.1 The Green Consumer: Who is she and does she even matter?................38
2.3.2 The Green Product: What does the consumer want?...............................40
2.3.2.1 Consumer Compromises: Performance and Costs...........................40
2.3.2.2 Consumer Confidence: Environmental Claims................................42
2.3.2.3 Peattie’s Green Purchase Perception Matrix (2001).........................43
2.3.2.4 Consumer Requirements for Eco-Friendly Apparel: Fit and
Fashion.........................................................................................................44
2.3.3 The Green Behavior: How will the consumer use it?..............................48
2.3.4 Consumer-Informed Eco-Friendly Design Choices................................51
2.4 Innovative Eco-Friendly Design Approaches.................................................51
2.4.1 Promoting Awareness Through Design...................................................52
2.4.2 Nature as the Ultimate Design Model.....................................................53
2.4.3 Designing Engaging and Meaningful Relationships between People and
Products............................................................................................................54

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CHAPTER 3.................................................................................................................56
DESIGN PROBLEM AND APPROACH................................................................56
3.1 Design Problem..............................................................................................56
3.2 Design Approach............................................................................................56
CHAPTER 4.................................................................................................................59
PHASE 1 - DESIGN GOALS..................................................................................59
4.1 Eco-Friendly Apparel Design Goals..............................................................59
4.2 Eco-Friendly Design Expert Feedback...........................................................61
4.2.1 Natalie Chanin- October 25, 2006...........................................................62
4.2.2 Otto von Busch- November 1, 2006........................................................63
4.2.3 Bená Burda - November 3, 2006.............................................................64
4.2.4 Kate Fletcher- November 15, 2006.........................................................65
4.2.5 Janet Hethorn- January 2, 2007...............................................................67
4.2.6 Finalized List of Eco-Friendly Apparel Design Goals............................68
4.3 The ERRor-Friendly Framework...................................................................69
4.3.1 Effective..................................................................................................70
4.3.2 Resilient...................................................................................................71
4.3.3 Relational.................................................................................................72
CHAPTER 5.................................................................................................................73
PHASE 2 – DESIGN EXECUTION........................................................................73
5.1 Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) Label and T-Shirts.............................................73
5.1.1 Concept....................................................................................................73
5.1.2 Purpose....................................................................................................74
5.1.3 Inspiration................................................................................................75
5.1.4 Design Process.........................................................................................75
5.1.5 Final Design Description.........................................................................79
5.2 Green Clothing Care (GCC) Label and T-Shirts............................................82
5.2.1 Concept....................................................................................................82
5.2.2 Purpose....................................................................................................83
5.2.3 Inspiration................................................................................................84
5.2.4 Design Process.........................................................................................85
5.2.5 Final Design Description.........................................................................86
5.3 “Suit Yourself”...............................................................................................89
5.3.1 Concept....................................................................................................89
5.3.2 Purpose....................................................................................................90
5.3.3 Inspiration................................................................................................91
5.3.4 Design Process.........................................................................................92
5.3.5 Final Design Description.........................................................................95
5.4 “No Sew” Projects..........................................................................................99
5.4.1 Concept....................................................................................................99
5.4.2 Purpose....................................................................................................99
5.4.3 Inspiration..............................................................................................100
5.4.4 Design Process.......................................................................................101
5.4.5 Final Design Description.......................................................................103
5.5 “The Dowry Dress”......................................................................................105

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5.5.1 Concept..................................................................................................105
5.5.2 Purpose..................................................................................................106
5.5.3 Inspiration..............................................................................................107
5.5.4 Design Process.......................................................................................108
5.5.5 Final Design Description.......................................................................110
CHAPTER 6...............................................................................................................115
PHASE 3 – DESIGN EVALUTION......................................................................115
6.1 Final Design Exhibit.....................................................................................115
6.1.1 Exhibit Location and Time....................................................................115
6.1.2 Publicity.................................................................................................116
6.1.3 Exhibit Layout and Displays.................................................................116
6.1.4 Exhibit Events: Opening Night and Gallery Talk.................................119
6.1.5 General Exhibit Attendance..................................................................120
6.2 Questionnaire................................................................................................121
6.3 Questionnaire Results...................................................................................123
6.3.1 Demographic Description of Final Valid Participants..........................123
6.3.2 Design Assessment Results...................................................................124
6.3.3 Green Consumer Assessment................................................................133
CHAPTER 7...............................................................................................................137
DISCUSSION & CONCLUSIONS.......................................................................137
7.1 Research Participation..................................................................................137
7.1.1 Exhibit Location and Time....................................................................137
7.1.2 Publicity.................................................................................................137
7.1.3 Questionnaire.........................................................................................138
7.1.4 Socio-Demographics of Sample............................................................139
7.2 Design Assessment.......................................................................................140
7.2.1 “The Dowry Dress”...............................................................................141
7.2.2 “Suit Yourself”......................................................................................142
7.2.3 GCC Label and T-Shirts........................................................................143
7.2.4 LCA Label and T-Shirts........................................................................145
7.2.5 “No Sew” Projects.................................................................................146
7.3 Green and Conventional Consumer Impact.................................................147
7.4 Limitations....................................................................................................148
CHAPTER 8...............................................................................................................150
RECOMMENDATIONS & SUMMARY..............................................................150
8.1 Recommendations for Methodology............................................................150
8.1.1 Design Goals.........................................................................................150
8.1.2 Design Execution...................................................................................150
8.1.3 Design Evaluation.................................................................................152
8.2 Recommendations for Designing.................................................................153
8.2.1 Applying the ERRor-Friendly Framework to Other Design Projects...153
8.2.2 Other Eco-Friendly Apparel Design Goals...........................................154
8.3 Recommendations for Commercial Applications.........................................155
8.3.1 Product Labeling that Informs Consumer Decisions and Promotes
Behavior Change............................................................................................155

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