Akanksha Sobti

UGADFD - 03
5000013037

Design
Opportunity
Week 5
Reflection -
The reflection of two consecutive sessions is that
factors like over consumption leads to under
consumption which directly influence the fashion
industry and climate. The consumption patterns of a
consumer affect the economy and planet immensely.
The idea of consumption is disrupted due to the
distortion between need vs wants.
Certain practices like slow fashion, Gender fluidity,
post pandemic situations, athleisure and conscious
decisions of consumers have somewhere helped
curb the issue but it is still persisting.
 Create a visually appealing mind map
1 based on your idea of slow fashion.

Environmentally Responsible
; Eco friendly materials
Sustainable Fashion Thrifting
as future

Keeping traditional Slow

crafts & textiles Conscious
alive & relevant
Fashion Buying

Ethical Brands

Independent Need over want ;

Fashion ; Quality over quantity
No trends
Week 6
Reflection -
Session 1 :
The stage post consumption is where the over
consumed product ends up in landfills with the
product life still valid due to over purchase of
products which is becoming an environmental
hazard. The mindless disposal of garbage
without segregation is causing the degradable
materials to be mixed with non degradable ones
which in turn becomes a cause of concern for
the planet.
2 Create a collage of Landfills across the
globe with a reflection of 300 words.

Las Vegas, USA

Gloucester, UK Bhalswa, India

 Reflection

The collage captures landfills from three countries across the world. It shows the amount of garbage produced and disposed of by
burying it in buried pits. According to World Bank researchers, the world generates at least 3.5 million tons of solid waste a day, 10
times the amount a century ago. If nothing is done, that figure will grow to 11 million tons by the end of the century, the researchers
estimate. On average, Americans throw away their body weight in the trash every month. In Japan, meanwhile, the typical person
produces only two-thirds as much.
Due to overpopulation, overconsumption is becoming a rapidly increasing issue for the environment, thus, filling the landfills with
mountain-like dumps. These landfills are a mix of kitchen waste, plastics, metals, glass, food, clothes etc. The rotting food and
biohazardous waste pose a health risk factor and a major concern for direct diseases and infections. On the other hand, the plastic
and metal in the landfills cause disturbances in the environmental cycle. Because of the mixed waste, the reusable clothes and
fabrics get thrown away before their complete shelf life.
These factors combined together play a major role in the depletion of health, environment and climate changes. The changing climate
is directly adversely affecting agriculture, wildlife, water sources and human health as well. It is essential now more than ever to
practice conscious decision making and segregate the biodegradable and food waste from the non-degradable. Along with this,
sustainable and conscious fashion and lifestyle changes will also help curb the further degradation of the planet and would ensure
that future loss is avoided.
Reflection -
Session 2 :
A few traditional cultural practices help the
environment to revive. Pieces that are hand me
downs, heirlooms and vintage not only carry
emotional and sentimental value but also help aid the
damage caused in environment due to over
consumption.
Wedding wear & jewellery handed down from
generations to generations carry a lot of traditional
baggage. These pieces also talk about culture and
history of a particular era through semiotics and
symbols.
3 Trace the timeline of a product and analyse its eirloom
life cycle at its each probable stage.
The H
Gold & Diamond
Ring

Reflection

This ring is a special vintage jewellery piece that was custom bought by my great grand
mother for my grandmother from Tribhuvan Das Jewellers in 1970s and costed approx.
20,000 in that era. The ring is made of gold and diamonds & carries grave emotional value
with it. My paternal great grandmother gave it to my paternal grandmother for her
daughter but with my father being the only son, my grandmother kept the ring with her
until I was born. My grandmother wore this ring everyday then gave me this ring and told
me the story behind it.With me being close to my grandmother and her not being here
anymore, this ring is a reminder of her and has utmost value for me since its like having a
part of me constantly.This ring was worn everyday by my great grandmother, then by my
grandmother and now me. It has a very timeless and geometric design and carries more
of a sentimental and emotional value and symbolism rather than a cultural one.
 Design
Proposal
Specialization
Area -
Akanksha Sobti Evening Wear
Module - Design Opportunity
1. Introduce your chosen area of
specialization with an appropriate
literature review. It should explain
the vision & motivation that led to
the choice.
The area of specialization that I chose is evening
wear which refers to varying quality, in fashion
clothes that may be individually designed or
manufactured mechanically. It is a rather formal
approach and detail-oriented area of fashion.
Evening wear as a category gives a lot of room for
creativity and exploration in the sense of details,
material, silhouette and finishes.The clothes can be
either ready to wear or custom made based on the
market segment and target audiences. This
category as a whole has a lot of variations in sense
of trends. It has classics, experimental looks and
trendy silhouettes under its vast umbrella. This huge
blank canvas leaves a lot for the creator to
experiment and explore within terms of silhouettes,
styles, surfaces and materials and helps give
creativity a boost while also being commercial.
2. How do you see yourself as a fashion
designer taking forward the lead in
chosen area?
Fashion is important in society as it is an
extension of our personality and visually
portrays our thoughts, moods and feelings.
The type of clothes worn by someone can
tell a lot about a person's psyche.
Psychologists have dubbed “enclothed
cognition " which is simply the scientific term
for the idea that clothing impacts how we
think. The theory says the clothing we wear
or that others are wearing actually changes
our thought patterns. A person who wears
evening wear is very detail-oriented.
Getting a chance to put my detailed thinking
with the consumer's eye for detail will help
me amalgamate fashion, psychology and
aesthetics all in one single medium.
3. What is the market positioning you 4. What, from your point of view, are
have chosen for the specialization and the top three urgent priorities in the
why? specialization at present? Please use
reference from chosen area.
The market segment that I have chosen is
Stereotypes - the stereotype attached with the word
accessible luxury as it best represents the
evening wear makes it very restrictive in mind-frame of
demographic I am aiming at with this design
the clients. When they hear the word they think formal
proposal. This market segment enables me to
gowns, grand silhouettes and a-lot of volume and long
provide luxury and personal creativity while also
lengths. There is a need to break this stereotype and
being reachable and relatable with evening wear.
redefine evening wear in accordance to 21st century.
ˇThe people of this segment have an eye for detail
Wearability - Evening wear is seen as one time or
and experimental things. They have an appreciation
occasional wear but I would like to work on pieces that
for classic pieces and an amalgamation that unifies
can be worn in different ways and can be transformed
a classics with a fresh idea.
and changed with an ease.
This market segment helps me provide timeless
Repurpose - Due to the norm of evening wear being
and creative luxury pieces with a sense of quality
occasional wear, it is not repurposed, restyled or reused
with being approachable and affordable. It would
in different ways with different garments due to which
help me give a taste of fine finishing and luxe design
people buy more and more leading to over
ideas to the target clients.
consumption. I would like to change it vis-a-vi evening
Keeping the quality, finish and feel of the design
wear, using this opportunity and help bring these
along with the price point in mind, accessible luxury
practices in life of my targeted clients.
market segment would be best suitable.
5. Tick all that applies to be an area
of opportunity other than design
aesthetics, that could or need to be
addressed in chosen area.

Circular Economy Production & making process

Product Supply Chain Consumption

Design Activism Resource Efficient

Self-Expression
Supports ethical or Artisanal Practices

Design Process
Consumer Experience
 6. Of the chosen area of opportunities
mention and explain the three in order
of, preference you would prefer to
address. First being most preferred.

Circular Economy - The norm that evening wear is supposed to be worn one rare instances and needs to be bought
every time when there is an occasion makes consumers use and throw these garment. This creates large amounts of
waste and over consumption that leads to pollution and over production of such detailed garments. This goes away from
the main motive of evening wear as the finishes given are specifically done not only for aesthetic appeal but also for the
usability. The garments worn and then kept away before their shelf life's end leads to consumers purchase new garments.
There is a need for transformable evening wear which redefines the specialization in a fresh and unstereeotypical way so
that certain elements or the garment itself can be worn in more than one ways to feed the consumer's need to being
fashion forward while also being responsible thus, increasing the times of usage of the evening wear.
Consumer Satisfaction - For targeted audience, the sense of luxury while being approachable is utmost important. Along
with that if there is a way to provide a transformable garment which is versatile and can be styled in various ways with
different garments as well adds to the bonus for the consumers. This will not only satisfy their need for luxury at
accessible prices but also provide them with a fashion forward approach while also being economically conscious and
responsible. There is a need for such designs in the aimed market to give the best and fresh approach to client and
satisfy the needs or wants of the consumer while also being responsible.
Self Expression - As fashion is an extension of one's personality, self expression is a branch of it as well. The sense of
being creative and expressive through visual means is equally important as consumer satisfaction. There is a level of self
satisfaction achieved by addressing a personal motive and finding a market for it which also leads to self growth and
progress. Fashion is a language for eyes that one speaks from within and hence, self expression of consumer and the
designer is also essential for more relatable approach.
 8.Which problem(s) or unmet need(s)
would you be addressing? who is the
7.Why do you think the chosen design consumer? how important is this need for
opportunity within the chosen area needs your customer? why? can you somehom
to be most emergent and needs to be quantify the market such as profit,
addressed? overall size, prices, growth trends?
The norms and stereotypes surrounding evening wear has
Environmental responsibility and costumer satisfaction are
lead to consumers to believe a certain image about what
the two most important unmet needs i would like to address
evening wear is which in turn makes them discard or keep
with my design idea. If there is a way to come up with an
away their evening wear garments before they are used to
outcome in the said specialization area that subliminally
their fullest usability. This has caused over consumption and
promotes consumers to reuse, repurpose and restyle whole
mindless buying of garments in this specialized area of
garments or elements of garment while also satisfying their
fashion which has many negative influences on the
want to be fashion forward, get a sense of luxury while also
environment, economy, and society. But the consumer is
being affordable, then it might be the exact solution to
purchasing clothing according to their wants. Therefore,
address and solve these two active issues.
fabric waste related to clothing consumption is increasing
My garments would have elements that can be
day by day. In this case, transformable fashion comes here
transformed/removed to give a new look to the garment
to encourage sustainability.These design opportunities in
and/or to be used as a separate piece altogether which can
chosen area are to be addressed instantly in order to give a
be styled and used with various other garments that
new meaning to evening wear, to give consumers something
consumer already has.
fresh, innovative and transformable in order to promote
This idea of evening wear redefined with transformable
reuse, repurpose and restyling of garments and its elements
elements along with a sense of luxe in approachable prices
in the said segment of fashion and to make evening wear a
will lure consumers into buying the pieces.
luxurious, approachable and yet environmentally responsible
experience.
9.What is your approach
(concept,product, business model etc.)
for addressing the opportunity? What are
the unique and/or most important aspects
of your approach?
10. What are the benefits for the
consumer by using your approach
(money/time/convenience/improved quality
etc.)? How large are these benefits?

My approach for addressing the given opportunity

The benefits that the consumers achieve by using my
is come up with versatile, innovative and
approach to this area of specialisation is that they are
transformable evening wear pieces which satisfy
getting luxury garment in accessible prices that are
the consumers need and want for luxury fashion in
versatile, innovative, new and fresh and can be
accessible prices while also subliminally spreading
reused, re-styled and repurposed in various ways. In a
the message of being environmentally responsible
way it can be said that they are getting various
as well. The designs will be well thought out and
elements for the price of one single garment.
made to promote reuse and restyling of the
This will not only satisfy the customers need to be
elements which will help with the environmental
always fashion forward but also promote them to
factors and the new approach will add and redefine
adopt practises like re-purposing and re-using
evening wear as a whole.
various accessories and elements from one garment
The unique and most important aspects of my
with another. It will help consumers to be more aware
approach are to create design ideas and outcomes
and conscious while buying in future and make them
that are completely transformable or has elements
environmentally and economically more responsible.
that can be transformed, repurposed, reused and
These benefits pose as a huge positive as it caters to
re-styled with garments that they already have. This
customers, market, conscious fashion choices, Circle
will not only add to aesthetic appeal but also lure
economy and the designer all at once.
consumers to purchase the garments.
11.Identify competing approaches (and
competitors)? What are the alternatives
(other ways of addressing opportunity)?
Is your approach better than the
competition and alternatives? if yes,
demonstrate how.
Looking at the market, there are two possible competitors in
the similar specialization with a similar opportunity which are
Dressarte Paris and Amazon e-commerce.
While Dressarte Paris is a luxury boutique in Paris that
customises wedding gowns with transformable elements at
higher prices and higher quality, Amazon caters to mass and
quantity instead of the quality of garments. The E-commerce
website has various options to choose from in transformable
evening dresses at low prices but with cheap materials and
basic finishes. The market segment I am aiming for sits right
in the middle where I would be catering to wider audience
and providing them with luxury finishes and materials at a bit
more accessible prices. Since the prices would be higher
than Amazon, it would have better finishes and quality. On
the other hand, it will be priced lower than the Dressarte
since there would be no customisations hence, making it sit
right in the middle for a wider target audience who want luxe
clothing but at approachable prices.
12. What could be the roadblocks to the
opportunity's realisation or scale?
Living in a constantly evolving and innovative world can
be challenging as the only thing constant in this fast
paced world is change. There is always a new fashion
trend and a new brand coming up with fresh design ideas.
This can be a possible roadblock as it may refrain the
client from trying something new yet constant. The
though that they could buy more clothes from a fast
fashion brand for single use at same price can be more
tempting for the consumers than to think of purchasing a
garment which can be reused and restyled various ways.
Consumers are usually looking for easy way out and fast
fashion and fad trends seem easy gateway to look
fashionably advanced. This can wave off consumers from
following the pathways of sustainable practices and
reusing already existing clothing in their wardrobes. The
lack of awareness about these practices makes consumer
suspicious and question the decision to purchase that if
it would be worth it or not.
 13. What metrics would you use to
measure the success of your design
opportunity in future?

The metrics that I would be using to measure the success of my design opportunity in future are as follows:
Sales - Sales refer to the exchange of goods and services between two or more parties for money or other
assets. It plays a key role in the building of loyalty and trust between customer and business. Therefore, higher
the sales , higher the success.
Revenue Growth - The revenue growth metric is important because it provides an indication of the health of a
business's sales, and as such, revenue growth remains a popular method of assessing how successfully a
business is at selling its own products and/or services. Revenue and success are directly proportional which
means high revenue can lead to success.

Profits - Profit equals a company’s revenue minus expenses. You invest your time, energy, and money to make
profit. The primary driver of profitability is revenue. The more you grow revenue the more likely you are to grow
profits. If you achieve higher levels of revenue and manage costs so they rise at a lower rate, then you
maximize profits.
Customer feedback - Recommendations and reviews have always been valued by prospects and customers,
as they come from a third party and the perception is that the reviews and recommendations are independent
of the seller and therefore carry more credibility. In the digital age, they are extremely influential, due to the
reach and power of social media and online media. During sales interactions, encouraging the customer to
recommend a friend or give positive feedback can have an impact on the growth of the business through
increased brand awareness and sales.
 Week 5-6 : Surface
Week 1-2 : Inspiration &
Exploration, Technique
Research
exploration, Swatch
Development, Sourcing
Week 3-4 : Boards - visual,
mood, concept, colour,
Week 7 : Silhouette
material, client boards
explorations - Sketches & flats

14. Plan a week wise time and schedule

plan thinking the opportunity has to be
addressed with a proposed solution(S)
and prototypes over a period of 12 week Week 8 : Range planning &
project. Highlighting two touch points final range
in the plan which would be imperative
for you to reflect and feedback.
Week 9-11 : Prototype,
Garment construction

Week 12 : Cost & Marketing

 Referencing

1. what is slow fashion by the good trade - https://www.thegoodtrade.com/features/what-is-slow-fashion (accessed on 20 October,

2021)
2. Slow fashion season 2021 by slow fashion movement - https://slowfashion.global/ (accessed on 20 October 2021)
3. Over consumption of fashion by Digitalnoir - https://www.digital-noir.com/overconsumption-of-fashion/ (accessed on 20 October
2021)
4. Overconsumption in fashion industry by Didem Baltaci - https://medium.com/@didem.demirci/overconsumption-in-fashion-industry-
3cd58ec84020 ( accessed on 20 October 2021 )
5. Drowning in garbage by the washington post - https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2017/world/global-waste/ ( accessed on 21
October 2021)
6. World Waste Count by the world counts - https://www.theworldcounts.com/challenges/planet-earth/state-of-the-planet/world-
waste-facts/story (accessed on 21 October 2021)
7. Psychology of clothing by current boutique - https://currentboutique.com/blogs/cravingcurrent/psychology-of-clothing (accessed on
21 October 2021)
8. Transformable Fashion by Fashion Studies Journal - https://www.fashionstudiesjournal.org/longform/2018/9/15/transformable-fashion
(accessed on 26 October 2021)
9. 3 must know benchmark metrics for fashion by Digital Commerce - https://www.digitalcommerce360.com/2017/02/07/3-must-know-
benchmark-metrics-fashion-e-commerce-brands/ (accessed on 26 October 2021)
10. How to benchmark against your competitors by Launch Metrics - https://www.launchmetrics.com/resources/blog/benchmark-fashion-
industry (accessed on 26 October 2021)
 Referencing

10. Transformable Fashion by Textile Details - https://textiledetails.com/transformable-fashion/#Advantages_of_Transformable_Fashion

(accessed on 26 October 2021)
11. Transformable wedding dresses by Dressarte Paris - https://www.dressarteparis.com/transformable-wedding-dresses/ (accessed on 26
October 2021)