OMDANNE
Challenge:
How can a 100% biodegradable fashion collection be created, while also discouraging consumption?
Global Context:
The fashion industry’s linear system of take-make-use dispose creates large negative socio-environmental impacts and economic value losses. Every year, the fashion industry produces 53 million tons of fibers, of which 87% end in landfill (Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2017), becoming waste that eliminates methane, a dangerous greenhouse gas. Moreover, at its current linear configuration, the fashion system disposes of resources, creating waste streams, one of them being post-consumer textile waste (clothing discarded by the consumer).
Year: 2016
Recognition: Silver A’ Design Award 2019
Client: Studio's social innovation project
Solved: The world’s first circular & multifunctional fashion collection.
The capsule consists of three pieces of clothing (T, R and E) that can each transform into over 10 different styles. Its multifunctional design discourages consumption as one piece can become: jumpsuits, dresses, blouses, cape, jacket, trousers or boleros. Through this process of co-creation, by involving the user in creating different styles, we have also heightened her emotional involvement and attachment to the product. Hence we see the user not just a consumer but a COsumer (contributor & consumer). All three pieces are 100% biodegradable and compostable; thus, they become nutrients to the soil instead of polluting textile waste.
With a timeless, clean, white design, our biodegradable pieces can adapt to almost any person’s taste, making them extremely versatile and easily incorporated into any existing wardrobe.
T garment
First in the collection is the T garment, which provides a mix of active, casual, and elegant, and is able to adapt to the wearer’s daily needs, such as a busy work day scenario. You start off your day by wearing it as a blouse to work, then change it in the afternoon into a dress for a relaxed coffee session with friends; finally you wear it as an elegant top or bolero in the evening at the theatre.
R garment
The R garment is a mix of casual chic and elegant, ideal for when traveling.
E garment
Lastly, the E garment offers plenty of skirt styles, dresses and boleros that allow the wearer to rush around the city, meet with friends and even go for a late run around the park.
FABRIC
Softer than silk, more absorbent than cotton, and cooler than linen.
All three pieces from the OMDANNE collection are made out of 100% woven lyocell TENCEL® fibers. They are botanical fibers made from wood such as eucalyptus trees and they are the strongest within all cellulose fibers.
The fibers have unique properties that make the wearing experience very soothing. They absorb moisture and then release it to the outside, leaving a fresh feel after every wear. Because the moisture, which normally sustains bacteria growth, is transported into the outside of the fiber, the formation of bacteria is reduced.
But that's not all, TENCEL® is also one of the most sustainable fiber ever made, as it has an innovative closed-loop process for which it received the "European Award for the Environment" from the European Union.
Wearing TENCEL® makes you happier, smarter, walk cooler and more interesting. OK, maybe we are overdoing it now, but it is certainly wonderful!
BIODEGRADABILITY TESTS
We tested the fabric by placing four swatches of fabric into soil. After four weeks the fabric started to show signs of biodegradability. In 10 weeks the fabric had disappeared.
fabric after 4 weeks of sitting in the soil
fabric after 6 weeks of sitting in the soil
CLOSED-LOOP-SYSTEM
A truly closed-loop system is not just about designing the garments and selecting the right fabric but also designing the processes behind the value-chain.
For this project, we wanted the clothes to circulate responsibly and effectively through their entire life, at their highest utility and value, and in the end, after many years, return safely into nature.
In order to achieve circularity, we believe it is vital to care for clothes from the day they are born, until their last day of use. Therefore, we created a life cycle that traces the garment's life from fiber to disposal. Follow the journey of your SOLVE clothes and be part of the amazing result*
*in order to extend the life of your garments and dispose of them in the right way, please visit the care section.
