Pleats and Weaves Collection

Fall 2023 - Senior Capstone Studio

The fashion industry generates a staggering amount of waste due to impulse buying and poorly made garments. This project seeks to combat this issue by repurposing pre-worn, manufactured garments into upcycled going-out tops that align with the aesthetic preferences of Gen Z. Our sustainability initiative focuses on salvaging materials destined for disposal, infusing them with new life and excitement.

1. To design a cohesive collection consisting of five going-out tops

Project Goals

2. To exclusively use post consumer textile waste

3. To create a standardized process of upcycling

Prototyping

The prototype process started out with experimenting with different shapes and cut-outs to see how they interact with each other. Then I moved onto tiling theory, then weaving with different patterns.

Wavy Weaving

Shape Exploration

Tiling Theory

Premanufactured Garments

The Pleats and Weaves Collection is exclusively made from post-consumer textile waste, specifically sourced from Goodwill. The button down tops and jeans were chosen because I found them to be the most successful in my prototyping process. The colors of the garments are based on a survey where participants said they most commonly wear blue or black when going out.