SKIMBIOTIC
SKIMS is a shapewear brand created by Kim Kardashian that focuses on simple, yet striking next-generation underwear, loungewear, and shapewear. SKIMS was created to empower women of all ages with clothing that smooths, lifts, and tones your natural figure. SKIMS not only idealizes size inclusivity with sizes ranging from XXS-5X but also factors in color inclusivity with 9 different colorways making the products a true “second skin”, unlike most shaper companies that only offer black and nude.
My idea for SKIMS newest collection “Skimbiotic”, will embrace the brand’s current identity still focusing on body positivity, inclusivity, and comfort with an added aspect of completely biodegradable fabrics and dyes. The natural dyes used will allow for a broader color palette than usually offered by biodegradable clothing companies. “Among mass-market apparel brands and retailers, only 1% of new products introduced in the first half of this year were tagged sustainable, even after a five-fold increase in the number of such items unveiled in the past two years, according to a McKinsey study". “63% of respondents said they were willing to pay more for products that are eco-friendly.” SKIMBIOTIC will combine sexy and sustainable bringing a whole new look to biodegradable clothing leaving you feeling good in your own skin while making a positive impact on the environment.
My collection will include three biodegradable fabrics: Woocoa, Orange Husk Silk, and Organic Certified Hemp, and will be dyed only with natural dyes.
ADDITIONAL RESEARCH
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WOOL IS A NIGHTMARE FOR OUR LIVING PLANET
IMPACTS
Land is cleared and trees are cut down to make room for grazing leading to erosion and decrease in bio-diversity
Sheep release copious amounts of menthane gas and the manure generated by these animals has signifigantly contributed to the increase in greenhouse gasses in the last 250 years
THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ISN’T EVEN THE WORST PART WHEN COMPARED TO THE SUFFERING THESE ANIMALS GO THROUGH…
PETA has released videos from nearly 100 facilities of sheep being mutilated, abused, and skinned alive, including the “responsibly sourced” wool from ”sustainable farms”
This violence has been documented in Argentina, Australia, Chile, the US, and the UK where workers have been recorded slamming sheep heads into the ground
Whats the solution?
WOOCOA!
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ALTHOUGH SILK IS NATURALLY BIODEGRADABLE, IT HAS WORSE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS THAN SYNTHETIC FABRICS
IMPACTS:
Silkworms are boiled alive to prevent them from climbing out and damaging cocoons
Silk farms have to be kept at controlled temperatures which requires copious amounts of energy
Silk is dependent on mulberry trees because the leaves are the only ones that silkworms feed on. These trees require a lot of water and have caused a lot of stress to freshwater supplies
The use of chemicals to clean and dye silk pollutes local water and hinders the natural biodegradability of silk
Most regions rely on child and forced labor
In a 2016 study conducted by the Journal of International Academic Research for Multidisciplinary, they published that: “Silk processing from mulberry cultivation to silk finishing includes pesticide and herbicide toxicity from mulberry field, carbon monoxide poisoning, unhygienic rearing, and use of bed disinfectants causing breathing problems and acts as carcinogens.”
Whats the solution?
ORANGE HUSKS!
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IMPACTS:
GLOBAL WARMING: Cotton uses synthetic fertilizers which release nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas that is 310 times more potent than carbon dioxide
WATER CONSUMPTION: 2,700 liters of water are needed to produce a single cotton T-shirt, which is enough water for an individual for 2 & ½ years
The process of dyeing fabrics consumes about 5 trillion liters of water each year
Water scarcity is one of the top 10 problems the world may face in the next 10 years, with an estimated 2/3 of the worlds population enduring water shortages by 2025
SOIL DEGRADATION: The exhaustion of the global area devoted to cotton farming has led to expansion in new area which has caused extreme deforestation and wildlife habitat loss
POLLUTION: Cotton farming uses lots of pesticides and synthetic fertilizers that are detrimental to not just our planet but also human health, wildlife, water and soil.
Whats the solution?
Certified Organic Hemp!
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REQUIRE A LOT OF WATER
THE CHEMICAL WASTE IS DUMPED INTO RIVERS
THE WATER IN THESE RIVERS CHANGES COLOR ACCORDING TO THE COLOR OF THE DYE THAT THE FACTORY PRODUCED THAT DAY MAKING THE WATER TOXIC
THE SOIL IN WHICH PEOPLE GROW FOOD BECOMES TOXIC BECAUSE THEY USE RIVER WATER FOR FARMING
FISH AND PLANTS ARE KILLED BECAUSE THEY CANT SURVIVE THE CHEMICALS
AMERICAN FACTORIES ARE BUILT IN CHINA AND INDIA BECAUSE THEY HAVE WEAK LAWS TO PROTECT NATURE, THEREFORE THESE COMPANIES CAN PRODUCE CLOTHES FOR AS CHEAP AS POSSIBLE
CHEAPER CLOTHING COMES AT THE COST OF THE PLANET!
WHATS THE SOLUTION?
NATURAL DYES!
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AFTER LOTS OF RESEARCH ON ALL THE FABRICS USED IN SKIMS CURRENT COLLECTIONS AND ALTERNATIVES TO MAKE THESE FABRICS ECO-FRIENDLY, I FOUND THAT THERE IS A MORE SUSTAINABLE OPTION FOR EVERY FABRIC!
POLYAMIDE:
-Synthetic textile made of petroleum-based plastic polymers
-Biggest advantage is its cheap to produce
-Can be both synthetic and natural
SUSTAINABLE ALTERNATIVE
-Econyl is a recycled polyamide that’s made from regenerated fibers from past consumer plastics, carpet flooring, fishing nets, etc.
-It reduces the global warming impact up to 80% compared to the raw material from oil
ELASTANE:
-Made from fossil fuels
-Chemical heavy process that has caused health problems
-Synthetic dyes have to be used because of nature of fabric
SUSTAINABLE ALTERNATIVE:
-Sorona created by Dupoint
-Rivals stretchiness, but made of 37% corn and the rest is polyester which is good for wicking and drying
SPANDEX:
-Short life span, slow dry time and can’t be recycled
-Breaks down when exposed to heat, UV rays, or chlorine because spandex molecule is chemical
SUSTAINABLE ALTERNATIVE:
-Sorona created by DuPoint
-Plant based equally stretchy fabric
-Provides signifigantly less greenhouse gasses
-Mechanical stretch and consistant recovery
-Holds color and dries twice as fast
-Cost equals out to Spandex, Spandex is more expensive but more sorona is needed for production
NYLON:
-High environmental impact
-Produced cheaply so not durable
-Takes 30-40 years to decompose
-Counts for 10% of debris in oceans
-Non-renewable
SUSTAINABLE ALTERNATIVES:
-BIO-NYLON
-Made form plant-based renewable ingredients
-Sugarcane and cornstarch
-No shedding of microplastics
-Biodegradable under right environmental conditions
EX: EVO by the company Fulgar
-Derived from castor oil
-Not water intensive
-Lighter than synthetic materials, high elasticity, dries twice as quickly and is thermo-insulated
MODAL
-Huge factor of forest destruction
grown in areas that have been clear-felled for monocrop timber plantations
-Utilizes a lot of harmful chemicals
-Xanthanation
-Harmful for animals and the people making the clothes
SUSTAINABLE ALTERNATIVE:
-TENCEL Modal
-Protected by global certification system
-High recovery rates of process ingredients that minimalize emissions and conserve resources
-Harvested from sustainable managed beech tree plantations in Europe
-Carbon neutral
-Water consumption level 10-20x less than cotton
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SKIMS ALTERNATIVE FABRICS:
https://www.panaprium.com/blogs/i/polyamide-fabric
https://www.treehugger.com/what-is-elastane-and-is-it-sustainable-5116805
https://www.fibre2fashion.com/industry-article/8392/4-sustainable-cotton-alternatives
https://www.sustainably-chic.com/blog/is-nylon-sustainable
https://goodonyou.eco/how-sustainable-is-linen/
WOOL AND WOOCOA RESEARCH:
https://appareltalksbyapurva.wordpress.com/2020/12/05/woocoa-vegan-wool-from-coconut-and-hemp/
https://www.woolfacts.com/future-of-wool/wool-alternatives/
https://www.peta.org/blog/peta-cosponsors-global-biodesign-challenge-help-discover-vegan-wool/
https://theecologist.org/2019/mar/12/environmental-impact-wool
https://www.carolinaobregon.com/woocoa
COTTON AND HEMP RESEARCH:
https://cfda.com/resources/materials/detail/hemp
https://www.bagmaya.com/sustainable-fabrics-is-hemp-more-sustainable-than-cotton/
https://www.trvst.world/sustainable-living/fashion/environmental-impact-of-cotton/
SILK AND ORANGE HUSK SILK RESEARCH
https://www.countryandtownhouse.com/style/a-guide-to-sustainable-silk/
https://www.asustainablecloset.com/home/material-guide-orange-silk
https://www.bbntimes.com/environment/what-is-silk-s-environmental-impact
https://www.treehugger.com/silk-sustainable-impact-5094158
ECO-FRIENDLY DYE RESEARCH
https://fashinza.com/textile/fabric/organic-fabric-dyes-safe-eco-friendly-alternatives-for-synthetic-dyes/
https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/make-organic-natural-black-dyes-2145737
https://csdt.org/culture/sustainabledyes/environmentimpact.html
MORE RESEARCH
https://www.forbes.com/sites/andriacheng/2019/10/17/more-consumers-want-sustainable-fashion-but-are-brands-delivering-it/#:~:text=Among%20mass-market%20apparel%20brands%20and%20retailers%2C%20only%201%25,years%2C%20according%20to%20a%20McKinsey%20study%20released%20Thursday.
https://www.ictsd.org/how-has-consumer-demand-for-sustainable-clothing-impacted-companies/
PHOTOS
https://www.instagram.com/p/Ciuyq7UOyTN/
https://www.dreamstime.com/orange-peel-fabric-fabric-production-production-waste-orange-fiber-silk-orange-peel-alternative-method-fabric-image232753647
https://www.carolinaobregon.com/woocoa
https://www.fabricgateway.com/topic/hemp+knit#&gid=1&pid=6