A couple years ago I collaborated with our Interactive Arts & Technology Librarian on a series of posts about one of the "wicked problems" of our modern world: sustainability in the textile & fashion industries.
That series was published to support an interdisciplinary cohort of students in our Business of Design program, all of whom were working on projects to change the way fashion and its materials are designed, produced, purchased, and discarded... change of the sort that our world so desperately needs.
The word "change" is key here. The Business of Design program has changed to Make Change Studio, but the students involved are still trying to change the world, and they've returned to the topic of fixing fast fashion.
Sometimes a deep dive into a specific topic can be a great way to learn about the resources available via your library.
We did a post of that sort focusing on the renewable energy industry a couple months ago. Today we're going to take a look at the apparel, fashion, and textile industries & markets...
"Water, water everywhere, / Nor any drop to drink"
It's rare that we get a chance to quote poetry here in the BUEC Buzz, let alone a 185-year-old poem by a master like Samuel Coleridge... but this line from The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is oddly apropos of the frustration involved in trying to research a local market in our information age.
We are all awash in information, so it can seem like doing good market research requires just a Google search or two — a quick dip with a cup over the side of the boat...
When it comes to finding inspiration, designers (including product designers) and artists still turn to books and magazines. Whether it's a feature in a glossy magazine or an in-depth interview with a contemporary artist, such resources are easy to browse, sample, flip through, and explore in depth, and they can jumpstart your creativity.
On the surface, this post is about researching sustainable textile entrepreneurship. It's aimed at a specific group (the 2019/20 cohort of the Business of Design program), but it may be of use to anyone researching the design of a sustainable product or service.
