No Piece Left Behind

            Cradle to Cradle discusses two different techniques for sustainable design. I want to focus on their biological metabolism concept. This concept is all about upcycling. It incorporates every part of the cycle to give each step a positive outcome of its own. No piece gets left out or wasted. Every part of the cycle has a purpose, which creates a sustainable concept. I liked this concept and wanted to try it in the apparel industry.

            I thought of an apparel product that uses a little bit of upcycling itself. I wanted my product to be sustainable and use each piece as best I could. I wanted to not waste anything. T-shirts are everywhere, school campuses, local boutiques, sporting events, and more. Why not find a sustainable way to use this t-shirt? Do you ever wonder what happens to the left over materials after the cut-out for the t-shirt is made? I do! Instead of wasting this leftover fabric and materials I want to use it in a beneficial way. And what better way to do that than making accessories and shopping bags out of it? After making a t-shirt there is bound to be goods that weren’t used. I want to use these goods to make a scarf, or make a tie, or even a belt. Accessories are a big part of our fashion style today, and you really can’t ever have enough. Cotton would make a great scarf! All it would take is a new cut and a few stitches here and there, and WA-LA….you have yourself a new accessory. The plus to this is that no materials were wasted! The leftover fabric from the t-shirt cut-outs are being used for another great cause. But I don’t plan at just stopping at accessories. You can also make a re-usable shopping bag out of the leftovers too. This bag wouldn’t be hard to make. It’s a simple shape. Just add a lining for support and you have yourself a pretty sweet bag. In a previous blog, I stated how I wanted to have a store of my own one day. Well something that is important to me for my store is sustainability. I would encourage my customers to buy these re-usable, sustainable shopping bags by offering a discount for my shoppers who do. They can bring the bags in every time they come and re-use and re-use. It’s a great deal for both of us! I help keep my planet clean, and my loyal customers get a discount!