#15826 - Distributed Design Platform

Detailed Description

As reaction to the huge amounts of waste created and discarded by the fast fashion industry, MoMaMo addresses the creation and processing of waste through ‘design for disassembly’ to achieve modular and adaptable silhouettes for new and existing garments.
It also rebels against the use of fibre blends -that make it hard to guarantee consistent quality of recycled materials- by exploring post-consumer, renewable and local resources such as knitted and felted wool, or woven and spun cotton.

Project Details

In your project's current stage of development, how does it align with the OPENNESS value of the Distributed Design Platform?: This project’s modular clothing system consists of a number of pattern pieces that can be combined and interchanged to alter the look and function of the garment; the interface with which all modules connects is designed to be simple, and the outlines of these pieces were iterated through digital programs; resulting in digital patterns that can either be printed out or loaded onto a lasercutter.
These files can be downloaded by anyone, and the materials like pure wool are attainable by many. This is all to ensure a high level of replicability by companies or individual; as the garments can be succesfully made through both cutting edge manufacturing techniques like a lasercutter and felting loom, or through handicraft like a scissor and singular felting needle, not even requiring the users to be able to sew.

In your project's current stage of development, how does it align with the COLLABORATIVE value of the Distributed Design Platform?: Modifying and repairing post-consumer fashion to revitalize it is becoming more popular at the moment, and this project supports that by allowing people to do it themselves and tapping into the community; MoMaMo was a collaboration with New Order of Fashion – an educative and socializing space- and workshops on the general modular concept can present a mutual knowledge exchange between a design team and the general public.
All clothing modules are attached by removable cords, a simple concept anyone can grasp. As such, users can take inspiration from their favourite garments and implement the modular seams to create their own pattern pieces; and as the garment can be taken apart so easily, users can indefinitely rearrange or trade individual modules to keep coming up with new uses for them.

In your project's current stage of development, how does it align with the REGENERATIVE value of the Distributed Design Platform?: The modular garment is made with all natural materials that is either not bleached, or dyed with natural dyes that can be safely decomposed in soil; in turn sustaining the ecosystem these materials were originally gathered from. Utilizing local wool -which is often a waste material that gets burned – protects plant roots against frost, and restores valuable nutrients in the ground.
Furthermore, a large part of the project consisted of research that explored recycling post-industry wool into a strong felt that can once again be utilized to manufacture the modular garments. This -and implementing the other 12 R’s of circularity- ensures that before the material is returned to nature, it can be used in several cycles of production. Responsible use of materials and technology guide the outcome instead of vice-versa.

In your project's current stage of development, how does it align with the ECOSYSTEMIC value of the Distributed Design Platform?: Currently, buying clothing doesn’t only happen when all the previous garments are worn out but also when people just want a new sense of luxury; this overconsumption continuously becomes easier as the cheap prices of outsourced labour are not balanced to the economy in which the products are sold. As such, this project’s modularity does not only serve to create versatile and repairable garments, but also to instil a feeling of ‘newness’ whenever the garment gets modified without the use of additional resources. Renting the modules can also stimulate creativity and a community.
Lessening the clothing production would mean a reduction in job opportunities; however, these people can instead start processing the waste generated in past decades, by recycling or other sustainable initiatives. Furthermore, they could be service workers that educate, influence and assists users that do not (yet) possess the skillset or time to create their own commodities.