Ropas que importan. Utilizando el Upcycling como intervención en el sistema de la Moda e Indumentaria para transicionar hacia futuros sostenibles

Abstract

At present there is a growing search to incorporate sustainable practices into fashion and clothing design, generally placing the focus on materiality and production processes, from the use of fibers whose production has less environmental impact, to the optimization of processes washing, dyeing and finishing, as well as the implementation of recycling systems. This is because “materials are usually the starting point from which fashion can contribute to sustainability. They are items of value for farmers, designers, producers, consumers and recyclers” (Fletcher, 2014: 21). However, designing interventions focused solely on creating improvements in the garment production processes -even with the intention of using fewer resources and / or reducing their impact- is not enough to distance itself from the reductionist approach, making it impossible to establish a change in paradigm in the functioning of fashion as an industry and as a cultural agent. If the fashion industry is understood as a complex system, where multiple actors with different cultures, behaviors, interests and aspirations intervene, a wide range of perspectives can be incorporated in solving problems, in order to promote significant changes and enduring to guarantee the transition of the industry towards one with a sustainable perspective in the ethical and environmental aspects. This article will analyze the methodologies of Upcycling as a circular economy strategy capable of intervening in the operation of traditional production and consumption circuits, in order to generate a change in the business model in the Fashion and Clothing Design industry for transition to a sustainable future. These techniques are considered to have the potential to generate bridges with sustainability practices, by encouraging an approach to the local and a sense of community, supported by the generation of identity and inclusion through the personalization and customization of clothing. In this approach, clothing linked to the list of needs and satisfiers by Max-Neef (1991) will be considered. We will work on these points by mapping the Wicked Problem (Rittel and Webber, 1973) on programmed obsolescence in traditional production cycles, considering in the analysis and in a general way, applicable to any standard fast fashion brand and consumer behaviors associated with this type of products and market brands, based on the data query of a leading online sales brand of streetwear type clothing. There is no need to mention the name of the brand in the survey, but the idea is that the data will serve to contextualize the problems that develop within the fashion industry and clothing in the present time, with a focus on the possible intervention within the industry, system through Upcycling repair and reuse methodologies. From this approach, a possible intervention linked to the points of leverage established by Donella Meadows (1997) and their impacts on lifestyles will be identified, situating them under the lens of the Design for the Transition (Irwin, Kossoff y Tonkinwise, 2015).