Collaboration | Simple Pleasures | SDW 2022
Sustainable Denim Wardrobe has always had collaboration as its backbone. Nowadays, a project requires the input of both creative and technical companies in order to bring it to life in an effective and efficient manner. It requires a sustainable approach right from the fiber through to the finishing. Working side-by-side with people that have different personal experiences, expertise and perspectives brings diversity to a project. It minimizes any possibilities of errors and maximizes imagination and innovation.
The Simple Pleasures collection is a project in which TENCEL™ and Jeanologia share all their expertises in sustainability, technology and creativity. Lenzing Denim Team project manager Michael Kininmonth from the U.K. teamed up with Jeanologia creative director, Carme Santacruz from Spain to create and materialize the concept of this collection.
The design stage brought together Carme, Jeanologia’s atelier team and Betina Grosser, fashion designer and sustainable and collaborative design specialist from Brazil. This team was invited to help tell the collection’s story through the design of the print, thus setting the tone for the collection’s identity. This collaboration continued on the creation and design of marketing tools like the collection videos.
Denim Moda’s Italian expertise in garment construction contributed to the high quality and detailing of the garments that were fashioned from fabrics from companies that were based across the globe: TENCEL™ Lyocell blends from Bossa, Cone Denim, Kaihara, Orta Anadolu and Prosperity, printed textiles from House of U and sewing threads from Coats.
Garment finishing supplied by Jeanologia, employed their eco-technologies and software such as laser marking, e-Flow, G2 Ozone and eDesigner, enhancing the tone of the collection while at the same time fostering creativity through its tools and minimizing environmental impact.
Collaborative Design
Having people from different nationalities working together is a feature of the Sustainable Denim Wardrobe project. Despite enduring the recent international travel restrictions, the project managed to demonstrate the idea that working collaboratively from various geographies is becoming easier, thanks to modern technology.
For this edition of SDW, we decided to go one step further, making a collaborative design process that invited people to take part in the creation process of the print design. Collaborative design is a strategy in which the different stakeholders of a project, including people directly connected to its final result, take part in the process, bringing valuable inputs and insights to the final design.
As mentioned here, our goal was to create a print that works as a reminder of the joyful moments in life. So in order to make it relatable to as many people as possible, we made an online survey allowing those people to convey what possessions, places and pursuits make them feel good.
The survey consisted of the following five questions and was distributed to groups of coworkers, family and friends.
- What is the thing you look forward to most at the end of the day?
- And during the day, what are the things/places/activities/situations that bring you joy?
- Tell me one simple thing you consider very pleasant to do.
- When you are having a bad day, what do you want to do to indulge yourself?
- What makes you feel good?
This process served to remind people of their simple pleasures, allowing them a moment to think about themselves. Together we were 50 people, from different parts of the world, bringing personal insights that then generated the many elements we see on the print. Multiple relatable stories that foster a sense of ownership and emotional connection.
Many, many thanks to all of our collaborators and survey participants for making this project so special!
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