I came across this wedding dress on one of my regularly-checked eco-blogs, Inhabitat. Birthed from a partnership between engineering and fashion students from Sheffield Hallam University in South Yorkshire, Engalnd, the dress disolves in water after the big day, creating five new looks.
According to this article about the project, textiles have become the fastest-growing waste product in the UK. Last week, I payed a visit to the new H&M Raleigh just received at Crabtree Valley Mall, a retailer the article sites as a frontrunner in the low-cost, high-consumption division of the retail industry. A wonderland of trendy garments coupled by low prices means that the store can rapidly run through styles and keep the line of mall-goers, arms laden with $10.00 skirts and $8.00 blouses waiting patiently behind the register.
While, admittedly, for a poor college student the idea of being able to keep abreast of the latest trends without breaking the bank is a huge incentive, but it's also evidence of a much larger problem of textiles that are made without longevity in mind. According to the aforementioned article, 74% of all textiles bought in the UK this year will end up in the landfill.
This is an interesting response to those statistics, as it has created a garment that is even more ephemeral than those jeggings you bought at Forever 21 last week. Obviously, the goal of consumers these days is being able to afford many different looks instead of just a few high-quality pieces, so why not keep that in mind as you make something that can be not one, but 5 different great-looking outfits.
helen | 
