Saying goodbye to single use plastic in fashion
Author | Redress Design Award Alumnus Rachel Clowes shares the vision behind her brand, The Sustainable Sequin Company.
Single use plastic is rightly recognised as a huge global issue, causing environmental problems around the world. Whilst, thankfully, disposable coffee stirrers and plastic straws have been earmarked for extinction, the fashion industry is hiding a big, shiny plastic problem in plain sight. Cheap, sequinned, fast-fashion garments are often only worn for a few uses, making sequins as the ‘single use’ plastic of the fashion world.
I love sequins! They can be frivolous and fun, and also glamorous and luxurious, and I would hate to lose those wonderful qualities in fashion. But, something needs to change; frivolous can’t come at the expense of the environment.
I set up The Sustainable Sequin Company to provide fashion businesses, designers and makers with an alternative to the current unsustainable embellishments available. Currently, I use recycled PET to make my sequins, which although not perfect, does offer clear advantages over virgin plastic, especially when compared to conventional sequins which commonly contain PVC.
My ultimate aim is to develop biodegradable sequins and I am thrilled to be working with The Bio Composites Centre at Bangor University to make this a reality. Producing sequins from renewable, naturally grown crops will reduce the consumption of non-renewable,petroleum-based materials and the associated, greenhouse gas emissions.
Most importantly, these sequins will biodegrade at their end of life rather than persisting in the environment for thousands of years, like their polluting cousins so prolific in fashion today. I hope to have these sequins commercially available by the end of 2019 and I’m really excited to see what impact they will have.
So far, industry reaction has been overwhelmingly positive, with brands from around the world showing interest in my sequins and asking meaningful questions about their benefits. Students in particular have been incredibly receptive to more sustainable ways of working and are keen to incorporate sustainable materials into their design practice, making me feel bright, shiny and positive about the future of the fashion industry.
This article originally appeared in the Redress Design Award 2019 Magazine.