Criterion A: Sustainable Design ​| Sewciety 

Name: Alya Firdausi  Class: 7DET8  

 

 
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?​ W
​ hat 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 textile 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 ​in your own words. 

Our challenge is to make a useful item out of an old t-shirt or something that you no longer want or need. It is 
important because you could recycle it to make a useful item like a tote bag. 

● 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 ​HERE​. Insert the annotated collage below. 

https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1ugJyF2CPM6N97sfYzyPlvjjcUTk89yFhHp8-4OAenLA/edit 

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 trendy clothing that is cheap. The ideas of the garments are from the catwalk ( or fashion shows ) or 
even celebrities. Fast fashion is problematic because it can cause groundwater contamination. Landfills that have 
organic materials can create methane then dissolve into leachate which can cause groundwater contamination.
 
This image shows that fast fashion is ruining the environment. 
According to Textile Wastage in Singapore only 7% of textile waste 
was recycled in 2016 and the remaining is disposed in the Semakau 
landfill. 
 
 
 

Works cited (in MLA format using NoodleTools) 

● List​ any sources of information used in this section. That includes ​sources of photos​ used in the project justification. 

"What Is Fast Fashion?" ​Good on You​, Made Together, 7 Aug. 2018, goodonyou.eco/ 
what-is-fast-fashion/. Accessed 13 Feb. 2020.
 
"Textile Wastage in Singapore." ​Textile Waste in Singapore​, blogs.ntu.edu.sg/ 
hp3203-2018-27/. Accessed 13 Feb. 2020.  
 
 
 

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​ the  ❏ You have copied and pasted the challenge from above. You should show your understanding of the 
need for a solution to a  challenge by explaining it and its importance in your own 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. Reviewing expectations for citations are needed. 

3-4  The student ​outlines​ the  ❏ You have simply identified the challenge of the project. You should show your deeper understanding of the 
need for a solution to a  challenge by also explaining its importance in your own words. 
problem.  ❏ A number of required elements of the collage were not included. An 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 ​explains​ the  ❏ You have paraphrased the challenge of the project. You should show your deeper understanding of the 
need for a solution to a  challenge by also explaining its importance in your own words. 
problem.  ❏ A few of the required elements of your collage were not included. An 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 ​explains​ and  ❏ You effectively showed your understanding of the challenge by also explaining its importance in your own 
justifies​ the need for a  words. 
solution to a problem.  ❏ You provide an annotated collage with all of the required elements including multiple labelled photos of 
your garment and explanation of the properties of your fabric.  
❏ 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.