Diploma project
Spring 2024
Institute of Design
If we buy a garment at a democratic cost, we also have to know that other costs are paid elsewhere, in environmental and social terms. In other words, it costs less for our pockets but more for others. Democratic fashion is a form of illusion that makes us lose the perception of the value of the clothes we buy.
This project is framed to harmonise the connection between incoming EU Regulations, the Fashion Industry and its customers. Design is used as a tool to ask new questions;
I. What impact would it have on the industry and the market if the environmental and social costs of clothing were made comparable?
II. How could free market competition be leveraged to achieve more sustainable practices in fashion?
Ultimately, the project focuses on the strategic impact on the industry and the market of applying systematic transparency and comparison tools for the sustainability performance of garments and brands. Comparative tools regarding sustainability performances could trigger a chain reaction of sustainable innovation on the industrial scale, leveraging on companies’ competitive instincts.
The point is that customers—who are no longer considered consumers—need to be encouraged to spend more but buy less, essentially prioritising quality over quantity. This is the ultimate goal towards which the project aims, and it does so by comparing sustainability performances as a consequence of achieving full transparency.
Alessandro Valli / alessandrovallibg@gmail.com / https://alessandrovalli.myportfolio.com/
