Bachelor Thesis

My bachelor’s dissertation, “Strategic Pathways to Zero Waste Fashion Design”, explores how zero waste fashion design (ZWFD) could move from a niche practice into the mainstream fashion industry. The research centres on a core tension: traditional garment cutting wastes roughly 15% of fabric before a product even reaches the consumer, and this dissertation investigates what it would take to change that.

The research identifies two main categories of barriers. External ones include globalisation, lack of transparency, and the economic pressure of fast fashion. Internal ones include the complexity of grading patterns across sizes and the time-intensive nature of zero waste construction. It also examines how 3D software like CLO 3D is emerging as a practical tool to make zero waste pattern making faster and more accessible.

Three brands serve as case studies: Patagonia (transparent, circular, mass-market), Stella McCartney (luxury, material innovation), and zerowastedaniel (fully zero waste, small-scale). Each shows a different but instructive pathway.

The practical component is my collection ONE IN 10: eleven garments designed using zero waste pattern making and deadstock fabrics, inspired by the experience of living with endometriosis. The collection demonstrates that waste can be reduced dramatically (in some cases to near 0%) through thoughtful pattern nesting and material choices, without sacrificing creative vision.

The dissertation concludes that broader industry adoption is possible but requires a combination of stronger EU regulation, design education reform, industry funding, and a shift in consumer culture.