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Hi I'm Gabe Donohoe. Let's start with my perspective on this. Since I can remember I've been very particular about the texture of my clothes. My parents can vouch for how tough it was and still is to buy clothes for me. Too soft, too starchy, too sweaty. As I've gotten older and looked at labels I've dived deeper and deeper into why I had that wild resistance to certain fabrics. Turns out most of the reasons are synthetic fabrics. Fast forward to now, I've donated a lot of my time into research and development of clothes with purpose and no synthetic fibers. If you combine my disdain for synthetic fiber textures and the current news about micro plastics seeping into EVERYTHING (oceans, soil, air) changing pH balance, contributing to oil politics, poisoning marine life, possibly altering DNA you create someone who is passionately against synthetic fibers in textiles.
Fiber Lifetime
Biodegradable Fibers
These include animal and plant fibers. Not all created equally. Some use pesticides to grow and some plant fibers require harsh chemicals to process (Rayon, Modal, Lyocell). The initial process of creating these products is troubling, but I believe the second-hand/recycling potential has potential because the waste fibers released from friction and washing is biodegradable unlike a synthetic product’s fiber waste.
Synthetic Fibers
Polyester, Acrylic, Elastic, Spandex, and Nylon are examples of synthetic fibers. Some people find these fibers desirable because they are strong and last forever. They are also undesirable because they are strong and last forever. These items are more likly to make it to a second user because of their durability however more harmful to keep using. Every wash or point of friction can produce micro plastics that make their way into our environment and fuck shit up (not in a good way).
Juneau Scale Ideas
Kamikatsu, the zero waste town in Japan, has implemented a reuse store called the Kuru-kuru Shop. Here is an excerpt from their Zero Waste Decloration:
"Clothing, tableware, and sundries that are no longer wanted but still usable are brought and displayed at this free reuse shop. Only Kamikatsu residents are allowed to bring in items while anyone can take home what they find useful. The rule is to weigh everything that is brought in and taken out in order to monitor how much is being reused each year. In FY 2016, approximately 15 tons of items were brought in and approximately 15 tons of items were taken home as well. Approximately 80 to 90% is being re-used every year." - Kamikatsu Zero Waste Declaration
Kamikatsu also has the Kuru-kuru Craft Center where they re-work old stuff into new stuff:
The Kuru-kuru Craft Center is in the Kamikatsu Care Prevention Center, next to the Hibigatani Waste and Resource Station. It is a place where clothing, fabrics, and carp streamers that are no longer used are reworked for sale by craftsperson from within and outside of the town. About 20 craftsperson mainly local grannies create petit items and clothing that are displayed for sale.
blaqqloud
Similar to the Kuru-kuru Craft Center a project of mine called blaqqloud modifies second hand natural fiber clothing to make something (hopefully) desirable again. Currently working on southeast embroidered motifs and recycled hats. Although only working with natural fiber materials I have verified that even as a single person operation, up-cycling old garments is a possibility. Profitable? That's up for discussion.
It seems the thing to do is keep garments out of the landfill and educate people about what they put on their bodies.
Global Scale Ideas
This 37 minute npr show on "stuff" has a great section on clothes and how GoodWill sorts donated items. Adam Minter talks about how rag makers use old garments, hospital gowns, and bed sheets to make their products. But increasingly labels showing 100% cotton don't actually mean 100% cotton (a product can have 5% of its weight be synthetic and still call itself 100% of another material). "So if you make a rag that, say, has some polyester in it with that cotton and you sell it to, say, an oil and gas company to wipe down leaks, as we all know, polyester picks up static electricity, and so that becomes an explosion risk."
The clothing brand Marine Layer has a voluntary recycling program called Re-spun. Donating a T-shirt rewards you with a five dollar gift certificate to use at their store. Your shirt makes its way to Spain to be shredded and processed with polyester to create new garments. -Marine Layer Re-spun Program
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