The Brand Design Challenge
The topic of toxic masculinity and its adverse effect on the environment has seen prominence. "It's not that men don't care about the environment. They want to feel macho and worry that eco-friendly behaviors might brand them as feminine. Most eco-friendly brands in the marketplace are designed to attract the female audience, with very few that are "manly."
The real challenge is finding a balance in the design system that can be applied to products without alienating men from purchasing.
Results: Upcycled Graphic Shirt
Companies like helpsy.co recover unwanted clothing. Below is an example of a shirt designed using reclaimed garments. Upcycling reduces the need to use natural resources, as 2700 liters of water are needed to grow enough cotton to make one t-shirt!
Results: Zero Waste Bags
In most factories, textile waste accounts for 15-20% of the total waste, which happens before the production of garments. Almost all garments and accessories consist of curves and oddly shaped pieces to fit the human body properly. To reduce waste at the production stage, I designed bags using minimal curves, with minimal waste donated to Fabscraps, an NYC-based nonprofit that collects textile waste.
