The young designer Sara talks about creativity and the challenges of sustainable fashion
'I won't give up', I promised Sara when I visited her in April ( blog from 04/28/23 ). And so I stood on her door again last Friday. Just one day after she had handed in her HF thesis (HF: Higher Technical School) at the Swiss Textile Technical School .
"You told me in April that your work also includes the development of a bag. I can imagine how difficult it would be to desing at the push of a button. How did you do it?"
Sara: “First I created a so-called mood board. In this I have collected images from all possible sources as inspiration. Photos of sustainable fashion , beautiful home styling products, etc. And of course I looked at various runway shows from well-known brands.”
From inspiration to the creation of sustainable fashion
"Were they just brands that produce sustainable fashion ?" I ask Sara.
“No, not all produce sustainable fashion . But for inspiration, it wasn't important to me whether they produce sustainable fashion or not. This step was all about seeing what's hot right now. From researching my HF work, I already knew which colors would be seen on the catwalk next year. So I was able to draw my first sketches and try out different shapes.”
From inspiration to the creation of sustainable fashion
"Wow, being creative is quite a lot of work," I said appreciatively to Sara.
She laughs: "Oh yes, absolutely. I used to think that a designer just sits down, draws something beautiful and then sells it. However, it is not that simple. You have to know for which target audience you are designing something, what kind of design language the brand has, which materials can be used and much more.”
“ROSSIS is a sustainable label that only offers vegan handbags. Did this play a role in your work and the creative process?” I ask the young designer.
Sara smiles: “ Yes, if you design sustainable fashion , you have to think ahead. Sustainability doesn't just mean using a different material for my bag. I tried to design a bag that can be used in as many areas of life as possible. Like all ROSSIS bags, it should go with current fashion and at the same time still fit with a fashionable outfit in five or six years.”
She continues: “ For me, sustainable fashion means choosing not only sustainable materials but also a style that survives the rapid fluctuations in the fashion world. The ROSSIS bags have exemplified this over the past 30 years. I hope my bag will still be carried in ten years."
Sustainable fashion is developed sustainably
"Now we've talked a lot about your bag, can we see it too?" Sarah smiles. " Sure, I just finished the prototype in 3D animation".
I watch in fascination as Sara shows me her 3D animation of the new bag on the PC. "Aren't you making physical patterns anymore?" I ask Sara. “Yes, I will also sew the difficult parts. This way I can see what is feasible and what is not and what instructions I have to give to production. Since we produce sustainable fashion , we try to waste as few resources as possible right from the development stage.”
Once again the ROSSIS team amazes me. As Sara put it so aptly: 'if you design sustainable fashion , you have to think ahead'. They really do that at ROSSIS in all areas.
“When will your bag be available for sale at ROSSIS? ' I ask Sarah. "Later this year". "Will you tell me when?" I ask. Sara smiles mischievously and I know I won't get a concrete answer. The ROSSIS team is and remains secretive! But as always, I promise you: I won't give up.
Your Laura
