Kirsi Niinimäki

From pleasure in use to preservation of meaningful memories: a closer look at the sustainability of clothing via longevity and attachment

The short life span of clothing is problematic from the viewpoint of sustainable development, making the study of ways to extend garment use time worthwhile. This current study focuses on person–product attachments to clothing items and the context of attachment. The hypothesis in this study is that deep attachment to clothing offers opportunities to extend the owning and using time of garments. Hence, fostering person–product attachment would be one way to postpone disposal of garments. This study investigates the clothing lifecycle stages where pleasurable use experiences and meaningful memories encourage attachment. In this way, the study contributes to the sustainable design field by providing new research information about person–product attachments to clothing items.

Towards Design Recipes to Curb the Clothing Carbohydrate Binge

Abstract The clothing industry is currently characterized by a fast metabolism, utilizing many resource inputs yet creating few productive environmental or social outputs. The concept of fashion is utilized by the clothing industry like an excess dose of carbohydrates, yielding a short-term high followed by an energy deficit that can only be satisfied by consuming again. The use of emotional attachment as design strategy may enhance the sustainable consumption of clothing, but contextual understanding is needed. This qualitative study explored the contextual nature of clothing attachment, specifically examining the potential of this strategy to meet sustainability aims. The researchers use this investigation to propose two sustainable design recipes: designing for continual engagement, and designing for end-of-life value.

Outside the “Comfort Zone”. Designing the Unknown in a Multidisciplinary Setting

Abstract: This paper presents a case study where the early stage of multidisciplinary collaboration is investigated. In the studied case designers work together with material scientists, market experts and the manufacturing industry to develop new textile fibres from waste using novel innovations in chemical recycling. The studied project is defined to be design-driven, and it aims at material innovation through multidisciplinary collaboration. This paper focuses on the first round, the initiative stage where different disciplines learn to collaborate and where the “unknown” is designed: the attributes for the future material. The data covers the first 12-month period in the project and meetings, workshops and communications in the project during this time. The participant observation approach is used. The results show that multidisciplinary collaboration needs participants’ readiness to step outside the practices of their discipline and learn collaboration. Further knowledge intermediators are needed for bridging knowledge gaps between different disciplines.

Fashion in a circular economy

This chapter lays grounding for principles in a circular economy from the fashion viewpoint. Chapter presents following approaches; design for longevity, design for services, design for reuse in manufacture, design for material recovery and new business models for circular economy. Building a circular economy system and transformative business for fashion requires a new system level and radical innovations. Therefore, also the key stakeholders and their roles for this transformation are discussed. At the end of the text design principles for circular economy are highlighted.