Research Guides: School of Fashion EISJ Resources: Regenerative Design: Textile Systems

Library Resources

Fashion Industry 2030 by Francesca Romana Rinaldi Some key data about the future of the fashion industry highlight the need for immediate action. The increase of clothing consumption will generate an increase in the use of resources and generation of waste. On the other hand, the demand of consumers interested in sustainability is increasing, also in luxury. The book will be investigating the key drivers that are reshaping the fashion industry towards the 4th Industrial Revolution, including traceability and transparency, circularity, collaborative consumption, new technologies, B-corporations. The Author supports the thesis that the most innovative business models in the fashion sector will be based on a value proposition that integrates ethics, aesthetics and innovation, offering product customization, planning the activities for consumer's participation in the company's operations, digitalization, and use of technology in order to optimize the processes along the value chain.
Call Number: eBook
ISBN: 9788885486959
Publication Date: 2019
Rethinking sustainability towards a regenerative economy by Maria Beatrice Andreucci editor. Antonino Marvuglia editor. Milen Baltov editor. Preben Hansen editor.
Call Number: eBook
ISBN: 9783030718190
Publication Date: 2021
Sustainable Innovations in Recycled Textiles by Subramanian Senthilkannan Muthu (Editor) This book highlights the environmental and economic benefits of recycling in textiles and fashion; vis-a-vis virgin textiles. Recycling plays an inevitable part when it comes to sustainable innovations in textiles and fashion sector. As basic information pertaining to the benefits, challenges of recycling in textiles are discussed to the sufficient extent in the literature, this book deals with the innovative at the same time, sustainable products made from the recycled textiles.
Call Number: eBook
ISBN: 9789811085147
Publication Date: 2018
Textiles, Identity and Innovation: Design the Future by Gianni Montagna (Editor); Cristina Carvalho (Editor) D_TEX presents itself as a starting point at a crossroads of ideas and debates around the complex universe of Textile Design in all its forms, manifestations and dimensions. The textile universe, allied to mankind since its beginnings, is increasingly far from being an area of exhausted possibilities, each moment proposing important innovations that need a presentation, discussion and maturation space that is comprehensive and above all inter- and transdisciplinary. Presently, the disciplinary areas where the textile area is present are increasing and important, such as fashion, home textiles, technical clothing and accessories, but also construction and health, among others, and can provide new possibilities and different disciplinary areas and allowing the production of new knowledge. D_TEX proposes to join the thinking of design, with technologies, tradition, techniques, and related areas, in a single space where ideas are combined with the technique and with the projectual and research capacity, thus providing for the creation of concepts, opinions, associations of ideas, links and connections that allow the conception of ideas, products and services. The interdisciplinary nature of design is a reality that fully reaches the textile material in its essence and its practical application, through the synergy and contamination by the different interventions that make up the multidisciplinary teams of research. The generic theme of D_TEX Textile Design Conference 2017, held at Lisbon School of Architecture of the University of Lisbon, Portugal on November 2-4, 2017, is Design the Future, starting from the crossroads of ideas and debates, a new starting point for the exploration of textile materials, their identities and innovations in all their dimensions.
Call Number: eBook
ISBN: 9781138296114
Publication Date: 2018

A Delphi-Régnier Study Addressing the Challenges of Textile Recycling in Europe for the Fashion and Apparel Industry The increasing resource pressure and the expanding amount of textile waste have been rising recycling as a clear priority for the fashion and apparel industry. However, textile recycling remains limited and is therefore a targeted issue in the forthcoming EU policies. As the fashion industry is embedded in complex value chains, enhancing textile recycling entails a comprehensive understanding of the existing challenges. Yet, the literature review suggests only limited empirical studies in the sector, and a dedicated state-of-the-art is still lacking. Filling this gap, a Delphi study was conducted supplemented by the Regnier’s Abacus technique. Through an iterative, anonymous, and controlled feedback process, the obstacles collected from the extant literature were collectively discussed with a representative panel of 28 experts, compared to the situation in Europe. After two rounds, the lack of eco-design practices, the absence of incentive policies, and the lack of available and accurate information on the product components emerged as the most consensual statements. Linking theory to practice, this paper aims to improve consistency in the understanding of the current state of textile recycling in Europe, while providing an encompassing outline of the current experts’ opinion on the priority challenges for the sector.
Regenerative Textiles: A Framework for Future Materials Circularity in the Textile Value Chain Materials science breakthroughs have regenerated high value fibres from end-of-life cellulose-based textiles that can be introduced into existing textile fabrication processes from raw material to textile product in established textile value chains. Scientific developments with regenerated cellulose fibres obtained from waste textiles suggest their potential to replace virgin resources. The current scale-up of regeneration technologies for end-of-life cellulose-based textiles towards pilot and commercial scales can potentially achieve a future materials circularity, but there is a lack of a long-term view of the properties of materials after consecutive recycling stages take place. Cellulose-based materials cannot be infinitely recycled and maintain the same quality, a factor which may provide new challenges for future textile processes in the context of the circular bioeconomy. This paper maps collaborative design and materials science projects that use regenerated cellulose obtained from waste feedstock according to materials in the value chain they seek to substitute. It also presents four new processes that use regenerated cellulose materials in relation to their intervention in the value chain (as determined in a PhD investigation). A framework is presented to demonstrate how these circular material design processes take place at earlier stages of the textile value chain after subsequent regeneration stages.
Sustainability: Regenerative Agriculture 'Fundamental' for Fashion, Report Says: Revealed Monday, Textile Exchange establishes its latest baseline: the "Regenerative Agriculture Landscape Analysis." Sustainability: Regenerative Agriculture 'Fundamental' for Fashion, Report Says: Revealed Monday, Textile Exchange establishes its latest baseline: the "Regenerative Agriculture Landscape Analysis."
Using LCA and Circularity Indicators to Measure the Sustainability of Textiles—Examples of Renewable and Non-Renewable Fibres Reducing environmental impacts by increasing circularity is highly relevant to the textiles sector. Here, we examine results from life cycle assessment (LCA) and circularity indicators applied to renewable and non-renewable fibres to evaluate the synergies between the two approaches for improving sustainability assessment of textiles. Using LCA, impacts were quantified for sweaters made from fossil feedstock-derived and bio-based PET. These same sweaters were scored using four circularity indicators. Both sweaters showed similar fossil energy footprints, but the bio-PET raw material acquisition stage greenhouse gas, water and land occupation impacts were 1.9 to 60 times higher, leading to higher full life cycle impacts. These contrasts were principally determined by what raw material acquisition processes were considered outside the system boundary of the alternative feedstocks. Using circularity indicators, fossil-feedstock PET scored lowest (worst) because the feedstock was from a non-renewable source. These examples highlight the limitations of LCA: the renewability or non-renewability of raw materials is not fully considered, and contrasts in processes included within system boundaries can preclude equitable comparisons. For LCA to be suitable for quantifying sustainability, it should be complemented by circularity indicators capable of demonstrating the contrast between renewable and non-renewable raw materials, particularly in the case of textiles.

Please find specific examples from the databases listed below provided by The New School Libraries.

Bürklin, Nina. "Turning Ocean Plastics into Sustainable Product Innovations: The Strategic Collaboration of Adidas and Parley for the Oceans." In Fashion Business Cases: A Student Guide to Learning with Case Studies, by Leslie Davis Burns , 63–70. New York: Fairchild Books, 2021. Accessed March 27, 2023. http://dx.doi.org/10.5040/9781501362989.ch-009.
Chua, Jasmin Malik. "Flora or Fungi? Stella McCartney Won't Play Favorites in Biomaterials Debate." Sourcing Journal Online; March 6, 2023. https://sourcingjournal-com.libproxy.newschool.edu/sustainability/sustainability-materials/stella-mccartney-paris-fashion-week-frayme-bag-falabella-mylo-mirum-nfw-bolt-threads-421651/
Karpova, Elena E. , Grace I. Kunz , and Myrna B. Garner. "Sustainability in the Textile and Apparel Industries." In Going Global: The Textile and Apparel Industry, 77–104. New York: Fairchild Books, 2021. Accessed March 27, 2023. http://dx.doi.org/10.5040/9781501338700.ch-004.
N.A. "Data Matters: Measuring Sustainability Outcomes to Improve Water Management and Dispel Misinformation." Sourcing Journal Online; March 13, 2023. https://sourcingjournal-com.libproxy.newschool.edu/sustainability/sustainability-materials/us-cotton-trust-protocol-data-water-sustainability-myths-421188/
Ward, Susan. "Textiles." In A Cultural History of Dress and Fashion in the Modern Age, edited by Alexandra Palmer , 21–42. The Cultural Histories Series. London: Bloomsbury Academic, 2017. Accessed March 27, 2023. https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.libproxy.newschool.edu/lib/newschool/reader.action?docID=5634076&ppg=37.

Bloomsbury Cultural History This link opens in a new window
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The Cultural Histories Series offers an authoritative survey of a wide range of subjects throughout history. Each subject is looked at in Antiquity, the Medieval Age, the Renaissance, the Enlightenment, the Age of Empire and the Modern Age and thematic coverage is consistent across all periods so that users can either gain a broad overview of a period or follow a theme through the ages.
Bloomsbury Fashion Central This link opens in a new window
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Scholarly resource on fashion encompassing Berg Fashion Library and Bloomsbury Fashion Photography Archive. Find fashion encyclopedias, dictionaries, ebooks, article citations, images, biographies, timelines, videos, and more.
Material Connexion This link opens in a new window
Material ConneXion is a materials consultancy that helps companies and scholars source advanced materials to enhance the performance, aesthetics and sustainability of their projects.
Sourcing Journal Online This link opens in a new window
Sourcing Journal is a hub of global news and information, relied upon by leaders in the textile, soft goods, and apparel industries. It connects readers with industry resources, expert commentary, and up-to-the-minute analysis of breaking news.

Ethel Dean papers 1925 – 1959 The collection includes class notes and a clipbook of decorative styles compiled by Ethel Epstein (who later used the surnames Dean and Evans) when she attended the New York School of Fine and Applied Art (later Parsons School of Design) in the Interior Architecture and Decoration Department, around 1925. Also includes textile samples, circa the 1950s, and costume designs for the Broadway play "The Laughing Woman" (1936).
Joset Walker fashion design scrapbooks 1932 – 1988 French-born Joset Walker (1902-1999) graduated from the New York School of Fine and Applied Art (later, Parsons School of Design) in 1928, and became a leading designer of ready-to-wear clothing for Saks Fifth Avenue's Theatrical Department. In 1932, Walker served briefly as head costume designer for RKO Pictures. After returning to New York and designing for manufacturer David M. Goodstein, Walker left to found Joset Walker Designs. Often incorporating Mexican and Guatemalan textiles, colors and styles into her designs for the American market, Walker reached the pinnacle of her career in the 1940s and '50s as a designer of casual, feminine clothing for women. The Joset Walker collection includes pages from Walker's scrapbooks, largely comprised of clippings of advertisements for her designs, but also including publicity, photographs of department store window displays, and ephemera documenting Walker's career.
Lea Hoyt papers and design work 1933 – 1998 Lea Hoyt (1912-1998) received a degree in graphic design from the New York School of Fine and Applied Art (later, Parsons The New School for Design) in 1933, and went on to a six decade career as a graphic and textile designer. The collection includes biographical material, correspondence, design drawings, photographs, and examples of Hoyt's work, represented by napkins and paper plates, among other items.
Sherl Nero papers 1900 – 2006 Sherl Nero (1939-2006) was a fashion and textile designer who graduated from Parsons School of Design in 1962 and worked in sportswear design before joining the Design Works of Bedford Stuyvesant (DWBS) in 1971. DWBS was the brainchild of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and designers Doris and Leslie Tillett. With financing from the Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, the Black-owned business produced African-inspired designs for fabrics and homewares. This collection contains design material made by Nero at DWBS and from her work as a designer for Burlington Domestics, Aberdeen Inc., and other home textile companies. Also included is biographical material documenting Nero's achievements throughout her career and her trajectory from a fashion student at Parsons to design director for a large home textiles company.

Outside Resources

National Council of Textile Organizations "The National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) is a unique association representing the entire spectrum of the textile industry. From fibers to finished products, machinery manufacturers to power suppliers, NCTO is the voice of the U.S. textile industry. There are four separate councils that comprise the NCTO leadership structure, and each council represents a segment of the textile industry and elects its own officers who make up NCTO’s Board of Directors."
Textile Society of America "The Textile Society of America, Inc. provides an international forum for the exchange and dissemination of information about textiles worldwide, from artistic, cultural, economic, historic, political, social, and technical perspectives."

2020 Was a Big Year for Old Clothes: How Vintage, Secondhand, and Upcycling Took Off This hasn’t been a great year for clothes—not new clothes, at least. Spending is on the rise again, but people simply aren’t shopping the way they used to; When people are excited to shop again, where will they go? Will they take a renewed interest in sustainable brands, having witnessed the pitfalls and excesses of the traditional system? Or will they prefer clothing that already exists, and turn to secondhand, thrift, and vintage?
The Look: Material World
Produced and Directed by Gina and Jeremy Newson
Regenerative Textiles: A Framework for Future Materials Circularity in the Textile Value Chain "Materials science breakthroughs have regenerated high value fibres from end-of-life cellulose-based textiles that can be introduced into existing textile fabrication processes from raw material to textile product in established textile value chains. Scientific developments with regenerated cellulose fibres obtained from waste textiles suggest their potential to replace virgin resources. The current scale-up of regeneration technologies for end-of-life cellulose-based textiles towards pilot and commercial scales can potentially achieve a future materials circularity, but there is a lack of a long-term view of the properties of materials after consecutive recycling stages take place. Cellulose-based materials cannot be infinitely recycled and maintain the same quality, a factor which may provide new challenges for future textile processes in the context of the circular bioeconomy. This paper maps collaborative design and materials science projects that use regenerated cellulose obtained from waste feedstock according to materials in the value chain they seek to substitute. It also presents four new processes that use regenerated cellulose materials in relation to their intervention in the value chain (as determined in a PhD investigation). A framework is presented to demonstrate how these circular material design processes take place at earlier stages of the textile value chain after subsequent regeneration stages."
Slow Factory: A Toolkit for Fibersheds and Brands
A Toolkit for Fibersheds and Brands produced by The Slow Factory.
Tour of a Second-Hand Clothing Warehouse - Grading, Sorting Rene Wolters of Midtex takes us on a tour of his second-hand clothing business that's located in The Netherlands. In this segment, we see the sorting process and the final bounty after a day of micro-grading.

A Vision of How to Move Towards a Regenerative Fashion System "Biomimicry offers regenerative solutions to our planet’s stressing issues and opens a creative pathway to sustainable designs. The concept of translating nature’s strategies into design is also proving to be integral to our self-expression through our choices in clothing. How would the fashion industry look if it functioned as a natural ecosystem? What would it mean to consumers if our self-expression not only displayed our unique style but also our values?"
What is Regenerative Fashion? "TL;DR This article breaks down what regenerative agriculture is and who pioneered this approach, how we can shift to a more regenerative fashion system, plus three brands and five nonprofits to support."
What is regenerative fashion? Here are our fave brands "Imagine you’re having dinner at your favorite restaurant –whether that’s 5 star or a neighborhood gem– and you order your favorite meal and the server said “This now comes in a sauce. Which sauce would you like: red, tan, green or brown?” Your next question would be: What’s in the sauce? Because that would matter. Things you’d consider would be: How does it taste? Am I allergic to it? Perhaps, Is it organic? Produced in a way that doesn’t harm the earth? (That last one would be ideal, of course.)"

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