MoMaMo- Mono Material Modularity

Stimulating Recycleability

Currently, the fashion industry produces tons of waste: either pre-consumer discarded textiles, overproduced deadstock, and post-consumer waste. Only a very minor percentage of this gets recycled; this is because fibre blends and metal or plastic hardware such as zippers make it hard to guarantee consistent quality of the recovered materials. As such, the individual parts of the MoMaMo garment all consist of one single natural and biologically dyed material, either pure wool or cotton; and a large part of the project consisted of researching the processing of post-industry wool into a strong felt that can once again be utilized to manufacture new clothes. This was achieved by supplementing the used textiles with local virgin wool – that is often seen as waste – and ensures the material can be used in several cycles of production. Yet recycling is a finite process before the fibers become too short to be useful; When this limit is reached the materials can be safely composted, in turn sustaining the ecosystems these materials were originally gathered from.

Designing Relevancy

Modifying and repairing old fashion to revitalize it is becoming popular, and this project supports that by allowing people to do it themselves through a modular garment consisting of a number of pattern pieces that can be taken apart, combined and interchanged to adapt along with the seasons, fashion trends and losing or gaining weight of the user; without the need for the manufacturing of a completely new clothing item each time. All modules are attached in a way that balances the creative freedom of the end-user and assembling ease of the garments. This interface also ensures that any company or individual can add onto this system, as the textile edges and their removable cords connect in such a universal way that users can take inspiration from their favourite garments and implement the modular seams to create their own pattern pieces. Additionally the physical making process can be achieved both through high-end techniques like a lasercutter and felting loom, or through handicraft like a scissor and singular felting needle, not even requiring the users to be able to sew.

Changing Attitudes

In capitalism, buying clothing doesn’t only happen when the previous garments are worn out, but also when people just want a new sense of luxury. As such, modularity does not only serve to create versatile and repairable garments, but also to instill a feeling of ‘newness’ whenever the garment gets modified; even without the use of additional resources. But a more sustainable way of consumption isn't enough. A core value of society needs to be altered, and educating consumers on the true process of clothing manufacturing might cause them to reevaluate what their purchases truly mean for the future. MoMaMo's utilization of appealing aesthetics to initially attract consumers while also clearly communicating this desired goal will cause emotional investment, and the partial or full adoption of this project’s techniques into a larger scale can stimulate an industry that stops adjusting concepts to solely achieve high profits, and instead is based around sustainable procedures and rebuilding ecosystems.