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A1 The Problem Sustainable Design Sewciety Chen He
A1 The Problem Sustainable Design Sewciety Chen He
Image: FashionRevolution.org
Key Concept: Systems
Related Concepts: Sustainability, Resources
Global Context: Globalization and Sustainability
Statement of Inquiry
“Designers have a responsibility to seek sustainable solutions.”
Inquiry Questions
Factual: What is fast fashion? What is planned obsolescence?
Conceptual: What does sustainability really mean? What is the circular economy?
Debatable: How close are we to a sustainable society?
Debatable: Who is responsible for sustainability?
Design situation
Millions of tons of textiles end up in landfills and incinerators around the world every year. This is a problem as the textiles industry
uses huge amounts of raw materials, water, energy and chemicals for the production of their products. It is often claimed that this
industry is a prime example of an industry that is not sustainable. As designers (and world-citizens), we have a responsibility to
design and create with sustainability in mind. Governments, industry and consumers ask us to come up with better solutions to the
life-cycle of textiles.
Your challenge is to recycle a fabric or textile garment into another product that
will be useful for your intended client. This upcycled product will effectively help
to extend the life of your garment.
Task A1 | The Problem
🔎 What?
❗Why?
Explain and justify the need for a solution to a problem. You need to fully understand the ‘problem’ and identify where
you can make a meaningful contribution towards solving this.
⚙ How?
Design situation
● Explain what you are challenged with to create in this unit and why it is important i n your own words.
The challenge is to make the old cotton clothes into something for people that need it. This can help
garments have longer life. It’s important because some people just wear the clothes one or two times. If
it’s broken or becomes very dirty they will throw it. The clothes can still be worn for one more year or
can do something else. So if people can recycle or donate it, even maybe can’t wear anymore. People
still can use it in different ways. It’s a way to save our environment away from the pollution.
● Identify the fabric your project will focus on and which garment(s) you will retrieve this from. You should have a
collage (and possible gif of you wearing the garment) with an explanation of the material properties. Example H ERE.
Insert the annotated collage below.
Project justification
● Explain what fast fashion is and why it is problematic.
● Present photographic evidence of different aspects of the problem. Caption the photos explaining what the image is
showing.
● You must use in-text citation OR footnotes to indicate what source you have used!
Fast fashion is fashion that comes really fast and goes very fast. They do not last long. It is problematic
because there are not many times to make good quality clothes. That means they use very cheap, toxic
textile dyes----with the fashion industry the second largest polluter of clean water after agriculture.
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After the fast fashion time, the cheap and toxic textiles don’t have any more uses. People throw them into
the river or lake. It may cause the water to be blocked or be polluted. It will be hard for people to drink
clean water.
Assessment
Level Descriptor Typical features of student work
0 The student does not reach a standard described by any of the descriptors below.
1-2 The student states ❏ You have copied and pasted the challenge from above. You should show your
the need for a understanding of the challenge by explaining it and its importance in your own
solution to a words.
problem. ❏ You did not provide multiple photos nor explain the properties of your fabric. An
annotated collage with this information was required. Reviewing the provided
example would help you with this.
❏ You provided a limited justification of the problems with fast fashion with no
photographic evidence. More explanation with evidence is needed.
❏ You did not list your sources nor provide citations.
3-4 The student ❏ You have identified the challenge of the project. You should show your deeper
outlines the need understanding of the challenge by also explaining its importance in your own words.
for a solution to a ❏ You provide multiple photos but do not explain the properties of your fabric. An
problem. analysis of the material was needed. Reviewing the example would help you with
this.
❏ You provided an adequate justification of the problems with fast fashion with no
photographic evidence. More explanation with evidence is needed.
❏ You list your sources but did not provide citations and did not use proper MLA format.
Please use Noodletools to ensure proper formatting.
5-6 The student ❏ You have paraphrased the challenge of the project. You should show your
explains the need understanding of the challenge by also explaining its importance in your own words.
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It comes from a text that talks about fast fashion.
for a solution to a ❏ You provide multiple photos but do not explain the properties of your fabric. An
problem. analysis of the material was needed. Reviewing the example would help you with
this.
❏ You provided an adequate justification of the problems with fast fashion with
photographic evidence. You needed to provide a caption that explained the photo.
❏ You list your sources in MLA format but did not provide citations in your writing.
Please use Noodletools to ensure proper formatting.
7-8 The student ❏ You effectively showed your understanding of the challenge by also explaining its
explains and importance in your own words.
justifies the need ❏ You provide an annotated collage with multiple photos of your garment and explained
for a solution to a the properties of your fabric.
problem. ❏ You provided a detailed justification of the problems with fast fashion with captioned
photographic evidence.
❏ You list your sources in MLA format and provided appropriate citations in your
writing.