A Zero-Waste Project

by Alice Beyer Schuch – Sep/2016

In December 2014 I had the opportunity of participating in a ZW project for the German brand Hessnatur, with the support of the experts David Telfer and Simone Austen. It was the first time I’ve experienced the technique and must tell you: it was NOT that easy!!! There are different approaches to it – you may want to start organic as moulage, or geometrical such as a kimono construction. But no matter how, the aim is to reach zero waste, creating a wearable piece. Timo Rissanen and Holly McQuillan may have a kind of special visuospatial skills to reach such complexity.

So I’ve tried and here are the results I would like to share!

(by Thomas Lohnes/Getty Images for Green Showroom)
© messe frankfurt

The outfit was presented at Green Showroom Show – Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Berlin in July 2015, was projected as an alternative for the problematic of the industry, during the Exhibition “Fast Fashion – the dark side of fashion” in Dresden 2016, and showcased during the Brasil Eco Fashion Week at the Sustainable Fashion and Design Exhibition in 2018.

Alice Beyer Schuch at Dresde Exhibition “Fast Fashion – the dark side of fashion”

And even though the jacket still has a certain amount of discard (see patterns below), it was interesting to see that, if I wouldn’t have challenged the established ways of production (and the ways my brain works), I would produce the same jacket using 12% more textile!