Franki's Zero Waste Pattern ideas | A brief introduction to Zero Waste

'My name is Franki & I am a Creative Pattern Cutter. The pattern cutter is the person who translates a fashion illustration into the physical garment.

I love exploring the possibilities of pattern cutting. That’s where Zero Waste Fashion comes in; an average of 15% of fabric is wasted each time a garment is made. So the objective of “Zero Waste” is to reduce this surplus, either by designing garments that use the whole width of the fabric or finding ways to repurpose these leftovers.

With a degree in Fine Art, a Foundation in Art Therapy and a Post Graduate Certificate in Innovative Pattern Cutting, I work as a freelance pattern cutter from my wonderful little house in the beautiful Dorset countryside.'

A Brief Introduction to ‘Zero Waste’:

Zero Waste is a concept, and idea that can be applied to many things. The act of ‘Zero Waste’ is to reduce the amount of waste we produce to a potential 0.

Many people live by this idea and aim to reduce wastage in every area of their lives, but it can also be applied to the clothing we wear. In the garment industry the magic number is 15, 15% of materials are wasted ever time a garment is made - and at the end of a garments life quite often they end up in landfill.

What can we do about this? Well some people recycle, re-purpose, re-use the garments at the end of their life – have a look at Traid Remade. Another option is to design garments that are zero waste (where the sewing pattern fills the whole of the fabric) , there are a few designers working this way, especially Holly McQuillian, Timo Rissanen.

Here is a TED talk given by Leyla Acaroglu, although it’s not about the fashion industry specifically – it’s a really interesting talk to get you thinking:

https://www.ted.com/talks/leyla_acaroglu_paper_beats_plastic_how_to_rethink_environmental_folklore

Or contact her: 07956077588