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Benjamin Koh

 Benjamin Koh

Zero Waste System

The fashion industry’s conventional manufacturing methods inevitably generate enormous textile waste from pattern cutting and plotting. Production scraps can comprise 15% of discarded textiles, amounting to millions of tons yearly.

This exploration of alternative fabrication methods is inspired by foam’s structural integrity and gas-infused expansion. By adapting foaming techniques with bioplastics and bio-leathers, textiles can be grown in moulds shaped as garment patterns, minimizing waste-producing steps of plotting and cutting.

This methodology bridges materials science and textile design to rethink fabric production. Rather than cutting patterns that generate scraps, controlled expansion in a pre-shaped mould would allow direct formation of textile pieces. The materials would rise into form just as bread dough fills its baking tin. This could substantially reduce textile waste compared to current manufacturing methods and offer custom-tailored textile properties.

This is a call for a paradigm shift in production techniques.

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