Before the 19^th century, dressmaking was far more complicated than it is today: in order to have a blouse, a middle class person would have to raise sheep, collect the wool, spin the yarn, weave their own cloth, then sew their piece by hand. People of higher status would go to a couturier which made their clothes to order. The Industrial Revolution introduced the sewing machine and changed the fashion industry into something closer to what we have today: clothes made in bulk, in universal sizes, in big factories. But it wasn’t before the World War II, which imposed restrictions in fabrics and more functional clothing, that people changed their mentality towards fashion and started to fully accept standardisation.

A 2017 study discovered microfibers coming from polyester in 83% of all tap water samples around the world. In Germany, microfibers were found in 24 mass-market beer brands, in honey and sugar. Fish and shellfish in markets around the world were found to contain microfibers.

It has become common practice to shop for clothes on a near daily basis.

With fast fashion websites and high street stores introducing more and more collections per year at lower costs, and social media is non-stop beaming images at us of what we should buying and wearing now. The average lifespan of a high street garment is just 7 wears and as a result the average wardrobe size has quadrupled since end of last century, before fast fashion became the normality. High quality clothes are made of natural fibers, like cottons, silk, wool, linen and leather, but not the yarn medleys we see today such as polyesters, stretch, nylon and other filler fabrics.

Max Weber is a sociologist who extended Marx’s idea by implying that social class refers to a group of people who occupy similar positions of privileges, power and prestige and privileges and share a lifestyle that is a result of their economic rank in society 

Sustainability within my bag is important to me. I have researched into Stella McCartney’s brand to look at how they are making the brand more sustainable and how they aim to develop upon this

Materials & innovations

‘The materials we use are key to our efforts in operating as a sustainable business and supporting the transition to a circular economy. For each of our materials we are working on building modern and transparent supply chains, embracing innovation. From using non-leather alternatives to integrating recycled nylon into our designs and innovating new ways of creating silk’.

Today, we no longer have sumptuary laws meaning there is no legal restrictions on the clothing/ materials each class can wear.

Virgil Abloh’s first collection for Louis Vuitton gave me inspiration to look at plastic as the fabric for my bag. The over all image of the bag fascinates me, although i’ve seen plastic garments and accessories on the catwalk before, these bags inspired me. The collection of bags featuring vibrant colours,  and use of components captivate me and make the bag like no other bag i’ve seen before.

A version of this  bag will be very easy to imitate by a fast fashion or high street store due to the use of its easy assessable fabric and shape.

Plastic is not only a versatile material allowing it to be used for a range of uses but it is also has benefits in terms of sustainability.

I want to research into plastic as fabric research for my bag. Am i going to create a bag which will harm the environment?

It’s lightweight – Over the lifetime of the average car, lightweight plastic parts save around 3,000 litres of fuel

It’s durable – Plastic pipes are designed to last for more than 100 years and also reduces the overall failure rate

It saves water – The production of a plastic bags consumes less than 4% of the water needed to make a paper bag

It helps protect products – products sold loose have been found to suffer from great in-store waste in some cases leading to losses of 20%.

It prevents food waste – wrapping Bananas in a modified atmosphere bag extends shelf-life by 2 to 3 days

It’s recyclable – all plastic can be recycled but it is not always technically or economically possible. If plastic can not be recycled the calorific value of plastic can be recovered through energy from waste plants. Recycling one tonne of plastic bottles saves 1.5 tonnes of Carbon

It only uses 4% of the world’s oil production – the rest is used for transport, energy, heat or is burnt.

More research can be found at: http://www.bpf.co.uk/Sustainability/sustainability-of-plastics.aspx

Every epoch in time is defined by its icons, very much like how every storied fashion house has an emblematic signature. More than a logo, it is a particular item, an aesthetic, or in the case of Louis Vuitton, the monogram.

It was in 1896 that yellow quatrefoils, flowers and interlocking L’s and V’s began appearing on the brand’s leather trunks. They were popular then, but only reached international fervour during the advent of the fashion magazine. The monogrammed bags were splashed across pages of influential fashion bibles like Vogue, and grew into the luggage of choice for the chic, jet-setting celebrity crowd. Louis Vuitton’s monogram were no longer just symbols of luxury and practicality, but morphed into a coveted, fashionable beast.

The logo shows power, status and wealth upon someone wearing LV, or one who carries a LV bag.

I  watched a BBC documentary by Fashion lover Assefeh Barrat who follows every stage of the  fashion production process – from cotton growers in the USA, to factory owners in Turkey and designers in the West to see who is leading the way in reducing fashion’s environmental impact. And she asks consumers if they are really willing to change their fast fashion habits.

Within the first few minutes of the video a very alarming fact was brought to my attention. Companies which attract many of their consumers online and on the high street often create unto 52 collections a year, where as a couture, bespoke brand on average creates four a year at the most.

Sustainable fashion also known as eco fashion is part of the growing design trend. The goal is to create a new system to support and control the impact of fashion on the planet.

Many high streets create a cut cost copy of a catwalk garment. This allows people to wear a trend showcased by a top brand/ designer at a more affordable price.

During London Fashion Week Assefe interviewed Sadie Williams, a designer with a focus on up cycling and sustainability. She asked Sadie if she thought you had to be wealthy to be sustainable. Sadie responded saying not at all, explaining how there are choices that can be made in order to be sustainable.

I want to see if sustainable fashion is available to everyone or just a certain class or is it a privilege restricted to the wealthy and upper class.