California Apparel News
written by Dorothy Crouch, September 26, 2019
California Apparel News
From Farm to Factory, Fibershed Pushes the Industry Toward Responsible Fiber Sourcing
Through an initiative with the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in San Francisco, Fibershed has brought a sustainable mindset to the core of clothing design. While creating the winning design for a 2018 sustainable challenge held during her final year before graduating, designer Italia Hannaway became increasingly interested in sustainable clothing.
“They implemented the sustainability portion of the curriculum for fashion design, and Fibershed pushed the envelope toward thinking through a different approach to fashion,” she said. “They wanted a zero-waste design. I decided to take on the challenge and create a zero-waste design marker and garment for their fabric. The award was for climate-beneficial wool.”
Following her experience designing for the challenge, Hannaway became committed to creating eco-friendlier designs. While she feels that awareness toward sourcing more-responsibly cultivated fibers is important, Hannaway also saw a refinement in her design skills by designing for sustainable apparel through her Italia A Collection brand.
“It’s really wonderful because the design approach was so innovative. It made you stop and think. It elevated my design techniques and skills,” she explained. “It’s opened the door for me to think sustainably and implement that into my designs. I’ve created an entire collection based off of zero-waste markers and different sustainable textiles.”
Zero waste lounge suit by Italia Hannaway