ABSTRACT
Since 2008, ‘zero-waste fashion design’ (ZWFD) has received considerable attention and interest from fashion media, industry and education. In the broad context of fashion and sustain-ability, at times the attention has been disproportionate relative to the issue it addresses. Often, that larger context is understood poorly, or is overlooked or avoided. Unless we examine the interrelatedness of the different stakeholders within this complex system, any proposed solution risks not having significant long-term impact. Nonetheless, ZWFD provides a useful lens through which we can examine the fashion system and the relationships between and within the fashion industry and fashion users. ZWFD was the topic of my PhD, which I completed in 2013. Since 2010, I have taught an undergraduate elective course on ZWFD at Parsons in New York, as well as supporting students who approach their final collections through ZWFD.
