2021 Proceedings Virtual Conference

Upcycling with artisans: Proposed strategies for production

Farhana Momotaz, Rachel Eike, & Sunhyung Cho, Iowa State University
Keywords: Sustainable fashion, upcycling, artisans, production, textile waste
Background Literature: It is known that the fashion industry is a highly environmentally
damaging industry (Zaffalon, 2010). In the United States, 66.4% of textile materials are
landfilled, whereas only 14.7% are recycled (EPA, 2018). Solid textile waste that are discarded
to landfill is just one component of the complex fashion system that causes environmental
degradation. However, textile materials can be recycled through sustainable clothing efforts
(Hawley, 2006), therefore, opportunities exist to transform discarded textiles into valuable
textile-based products through sustainable clothing practices. Sustainable clothing is defined as
the term that employs pro-environmental actions along every stage of the garment's life cycle
(i.e., pre-purchase, consumer usage/care, and discard) (Rausch & Kopplin, 2021). One
sustainable clothing effort that helps to convert textile waste into usable product and reduce the
solid textile waste from the landfill is ‘upcycling’ (Day, 2012; Lin & Chang, 2012). Additionally,
supporting artisan makers in the apparel design and production process is a social sustainability
action (Bhaduri, 2016). Co-design is a process that creates opportunity to work with textile
artisans by allowing them to express and share their experiences to create textile products
(Steen, 2013). Employing a co-design process may also positively impact the textile waste issue
as being involved in the design process from the start may lead to greater product attachment,
thus retaining product (through repeated use and repurposing) and discarding into the waste
stream. Therefore, upcycling pre- and/or post- consumer textile waste, through artisan
engagement by co-design, can reduce solid waste and environment pollution while promoting
social responsibility.
Purpose and Significance: This study aimed to outline a small-scale production process that
upcycled factory denim waste and secondhand garments to produce sustainable fashions in
conjunction with artisan makers. Artisans of rural Bangladesh worked alongside the researchers
to design and produce upcycled products, employing the unique Nakshi Kantha technique. The
Nakshi Kantha technique produces an embroidered quilted patchwork cloth using varying hand
stitches (Chen, 1984). This study contributes to the understanding of how artisan skills may be
effectively used for sustainable apparel production. Additionally, findings identified strategies to
communicate with rural artisans in order to execute business productivity, particularly between
foreign countries.
Guiding Frameworks: In this study, sustainable fashion items were produced by employing the
‘participatory action’ approach (Howard, 2014). Participatory action creates new knowledge by
collaboration, action, and reflection of the participants. All participants act as co-designer or co-
researcher in this method to develop the final design (Howard, 2014). In a co-design process,
participants get the opportunity to be involved in joint inquiry and imagination to explore
problems and develop solutions in collaboration with each other. (Steen, 2013). Therefore,
participatory action helps participants jointly bring positive change in their work.
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Methods: Qualitative interviews were conducted with the participants to deeply understand their
motivations, expectations, and applied design methods during the collaborative design and
development process. A specific group of 20 artisans from rural Bangladesh was recruited for
study inclusion. These artisans were recruited because they routinely engage in the ‘making’
practice called Nakshi Kantha, in which creative textile (fabric) and applied (embroidery)
designs are achieved through the piecing of multiple cloths for use in an apparel product (Chen,
1984). Traditionally, the Nakski Kantha technique is employed to create new interior/home
textiles upcycled from worn sarees, however, in this study, technique execution was explored for
apparel application using denim factory waste. Data collection involved interviewing artisans via
open-ended questions about their co-design and production processes as well as observations
made by the researchers. Responses and observations were recorded and analyzed through
content analysis to identify reoccurring themes and suggest production practices for rural artisan
upcycling collaborations.
Results: Artisans were directly involved with the design process, explored their embroidery
skills through different types of stitches, and were encouraged to be creative throughout the
production of the apparel pieces. Experimentation and application of Nakshi Kantha techniques
were effective in producing unique upcycled apparel garments. Employing participatory action
research methods were deemed effective to understand artisan’s working process, working
conditions, financial status, and lifestyle, which guided the conceptualized production approach.
Based on the findings, the researchers suggest strategies for effectively partnering with rural
artisans for apparel production, specifically upcycling production. One example of the outlined
strategies include: provide intentional opportunities to engage artisans in creative expression
within their design process. The proposed conceptualized small-scale production process for
collaborating with rural artisan makers includes a series of exchanges between the
designer/brand and the artisans using both technology (computer aided design) and traditional
approaches for design communication. Additionally, a prolonged timeline needed for production
to account for experimentation by the artisans to apply Nakshi Kantha techniques and time
allocations to function in a more traditional approach due to rural technology challenges. Other
considerations are outlined in this proposed production model.
Conclusions and Future Studies: This project suggests a collaboration example conducted with
rural Bangladeshi artisans and describe effective strategies for how apparel companies can utilize
the skills of artisans to produce upcycled sustainable fashions. This outline for small-scale
artisan-focused sustainable production includes: collaboration with artisans to add value to the
waste denim fabric from the factory in a co-design process using participatory action research.
Upcycling the factory waste can derive new business opportunities for both fashion brands and
artisans while bringing financial and ecological benefits for society. However, to investigate
business opportunities, further research is recommended to explore the consumer involvement
and sensitivity with these artisans, Nakshi Kantha techniques employed, and upcycled fashion
products.

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in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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© 2021 The author(s). Published under a Creative Commons Attribution License

(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction
in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
ITAA Proceedings, #78 – https://itaaonline.org