Conference Presentations by Ulla Raebild
Product longevity is considered widely as a relevant strategic approach, amongst many, within the... more Product longevity is considered widely as a relevant strategic approach, amongst many, within the field of sustainability. Yet, how to design for increased product lifetime may not be so obvious for practitioners. The complexity of the surrounding issues can constitute a barrier for designers and companies, in terms of adopting and implementing the approach in the design process. This paper explores whether and possible how the 'design card' format (i.e. method card or alike), can be a way to support dissemination, application and communication of knowledge related to the notion of product longevity for designers and other stakeholders in the design process. The paper is based on a developmental project carried out in the Autumn 2017, within a larger research and collaboration project between raw fur manufacturer Kopenhagen Fur and Design School Kolding investigating sustainability perspectives. The paper describes the development of a deck of sustainability cards aiming for product longevity and presents the final deck. Furthermore, the paper contributes with insights on how designers may apply design cards in the design process and how this practice can further sustainable considerations and strategies in terms of product longevity. As the paper builds on a single case study and is situated within a single discipline (fashion and apparel), the outcome should be considered as tentative indications of future potential.
The fashion industry is currently undergoing a radical change towards an overall sustainable para... more The fashion industry is currently undergoing a radical change towards an overall sustainable paradigm shift. This paper investigates how the fashion collection, as a particular design framework, might be reconfigured as a strategic driver for garment longevity furthering sustainable fashion design. The study builds on a case study of a company offering a subscription service for baby clothing, exploring in detail whether and how the collection is used as a strategic design tool. In the analysis and discussion, feedback from users, manufacturers and the garments themselves plays a crucial role in the development of the collection. To some degree this differs from the development of a linear fashion collection. The paper concludes by suggesting a framework for using the collection as a strategic design tool designing garments for a product service system while adopting a circular economy thinking.
At present the fashion and textile industries are under political and environmental pressure to m... more At present the fashion and textile industries are under political and environmental pressure to make their business models more sustainable. In response, transformative thinking within the industry is pushing forward a sustainable paradigm shift. One consequence is that traditional design tools are challenged to incorporate and contribute to the solutions. In this paper, we focus on the fashion collection, which is traditionally understood as a range of garment designs, that are seasonally determined. As the notion of the fashion collection is under-researched, the aim of the paper is to investigate ways in which the fashion collection may be recalibrated as a design tool furthering sustainable strategies. Therefore, we studied collection building practices at three companies, representing different sustainable business and design strategies. The main contribution of the study is insights on how the collection as a design framework is applied by the companies. The collection transpires as a transformative design tool that aids designers and companies in different ways to fulfil their strategy and maintain their business.
This paper builds on two sub-projects conducted under the framework of a larger research programm... more This paper builds on two sub-projects conducted under the framework of a larger research programme called Fur and Sustainability – a Design Perspective. From 2014-16, we (Skjold et al 2016) took part in the programme which was part of a larger partnership agreement between Design School Kolding (DK) and raw fur supplier and auction house Kopenhagen Fur (DK). What the paper shows and discusses is the, oftentimes, missed opportunity of acknowledging the potential of design as mediation between production and consumption when seen in the light of the sustainable discourse. The paper exemplifies this with selected findings from the two sub-projects that engage, respectively, with design processes of designers and furriers, and practices of users of inherited fur garments.
Research Reports by Ulla Raebild
Book contributions by Ulla Raebild
Papers by Ulla Raebild
Routledge eBooks, Aug 2, 2023
International Journal of Sustainable Fashion & Textiles
This article introduces the term Aesthetic Surgery as a strategy for the designer to contribute t... more This article introduces the term Aesthetic Surgery as a strategy for the designer to contribute to circular economy. Our aim is to discuss this strategy as a way for designers to employ their core competencies to create and innovate the potential of irrelevant materials (waste) through aesthetic means and a material-driven design process. We argue that designers have the skills and experience to seek opportunities in unwanted materials and keep them in a loop of relevance and at a high value. In recent years, mechanical recycling has been gaining footing in the industry. Recycling has, therefore, primarily been concerned with material recovery at fibre level. This can appear to be an easy way to continue business as usual. Yet, this approach is not suitable for all types of materials and material blends and requires further innovation to develop solutions for these situations. Furthermore, these recycling methods use external resources in the process of bringing the material to a po...
Designskolen Kolding, Dec 1, 2019
DRS2018: Catalyst, 2018
At present the fashion and textile industries are under political and environmental pressure to m... more At present the fashion and textile industries are under political and environmental pressure to make their business models more sustainable. In response, transformative thinking within the industry is pushing forward a sustainable paradigm shift. One consequence is that traditional design tools are challenged to incorporate and contribute to the solutions. In this paper, we focus on the fashion collection, which is traditionally understood as a range of garment designs, that are seasonally determined. As the notion of the fashion collection is under-researched, the aim of the paper is to investigate ways in which the fashion collection may be recalibrated as a design tool furthering sustainable strategies. Therefore, we studied collection building practices at three companies, representing different sustainable business and design strategies. The main contribution of the study is insights on how the collection as a design framework is applied by the companies. The collection transpires as a transformative design tool that aids designers and companies in different ways to fulfil their strategy and maintain their business.
Product longevity is considered widely as a relevant strategic approach, amongst many, within the... more Product longevity is considered widely as a relevant strategic approach, amongst many, within the field of sustainability. Yet, how to design for increased product lifetime may not be so obvious for practitioners. The complexity of the surrounding issues can constitute a barrier for designers and companies, in terms of adopting and implementing the approach in the design process. This paper explores whether and possible how the 'design card' format (i.e. method card or alike), can be a way to support dissemination, application and communication of knowledge related to the notion of product longevity for designers and other stakeholders in the design process. The paper is based on a developmental project carried out in the Autumn 2017, within a larger research and collaboration project between raw fur manufacturer Kopenhagen Fur and Design School Kolding investigating sustainability perspectives. The paper describes the development of a deck of sustainability cards aiming for product longevity and presents the final deck. Furthermore, the paper contributes with insights on how designers may apply design cards in the design process and how this practice can further sustainable considerations and strategies in terms of product longevity. As the paper builds on a single case study and is situated within a single discipline (fashion and apparel), the outcome should be considered as tentative indications of future potential.
Purpose: To explore and evaluate the role of the educational design brief in relation to fashion ... more Purpose: To explore and evaluate the role of the educational design brief in relation to fashion and textile students’ intellectual, conceptual and practical competence building within the subject of design and sustainability. The paper seeks to inform other educators, academics and practitioners affiliated to fashion and textile design education, as well as contribute to the general knowledge development around sustainability competencies and education. Design methodology/approach: The study builds on a specific case: The Design for Change BA fashion and textiles course at Design School Kolding 2014-17. The study applies a cluster analysis inspired research approach to explore the empirical material, which consists of partly written documents (i.e. course framework, design brief, student project descriptions) partly physical outcomes (finished textiles and garments). The findings are evaluated in the light of recent literature on fashion futures. Findings: The study shows that the ...
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Conference Presentations by Ulla Raebild
Research Reports by Ulla Raebild
Book contributions by Ulla Raebild
Papers by Ulla Raebild