Step by Step Tutorial
Reconstruction Technique
Created by
Wan & Wong Fashion
Reconstruction technique
Of the total fibre input used for clothing, 87% is landfilled or incinerated, representing a lost opportunity of more than USD 100 billion annually.1 When textiles are wasted, so too are the human labour and natural resources that went into making them.
By reconstructing garments into products of higher quality, you can prolong their life, slow down unnecessary textile production, and reduce the demand on natural resources. This also prevents the ‘waste’ from being downcycled or discarded.
In this tutorial, we feature a reconstructed design by Wan & Wong Fashion’s Kelvin Wan and Joyce Wong. They explore the reproducibility of reconstruction using a regular dress shirt and show different ways to use fabric cut-offs.
Materials
- Dress shirt sample
- Bodice pattern
- Scissors
- Pins
- Pencil
- Sewing thread
- Brand label
Tutorial
Step 1
Image credit: Redress
For our starting point, we are using a simple dress shirt, a common and easily found garment. We are using a standard bodice pattern, which can be adapted to various other styles, such as a sleeveless dress or other styles of tops, according to the size or features of the original shirt. Our first step is to deconstruct the shirt at the seams.
Step 2
Image credit: Redress
Next, we trace our new pattern onto the shirt. If you are building a collection, you will need to rescale the pattern to get a full range of sizes from multiple shirts. Make sure to take time to develop your patterns. You can also try mixing two or more garments together to create a more unique design. For example, you could combine fabrics from two dress shirts with different patterns.
Step 3
Image credit: Redress
Cut out the pieces you need for your new design. Don’t throw away the scraps — they can be used later or in your other designs! At Wan & Wong Fashion, we minimise the waste produced by using our fabric scraps to create accessories. We also renew shirts, for example if they have holes or stains, by using scrap fabric as piping or by adding a transfer print.
Step 4
Image credit: Redress
Then, we pin the pieces onto a mannequin. We always look for ways to be creative with the leftover pieces of fabric. For this design, we consciously decided to show a connection to the original garment by using the sleeves as a belt, and we used the scraps as a bow to add a feminine touch. With a little creativity and reconstruction, even the most uninspiring original garment can, once stripped down to its fabric, be transformed into something completely unrecognisable!
Step 5
Image credit: Redress
Finally, we sew up the pieces into the finished ‘new’ design.
Step 6
Image credit: Redress
Complete! Before we started our reconstruction line, we only created clothes for ourselves to wear. But as we received more and more clothing samples, we began to experiment and developed different designs, which could be reproduced.
Extra tip
We have now established good relationships with various wholesalers and manufacturers in Hong Kong and Mainland China, which makes it easy for us to source clothing waste, and we are given end-of-rolls and sample garments periodically. So, try to find and connect with local companies to get hold of their valuable waste!
About the contributor
Hong Kong designer Kelvin Wan won the Most Promising Student Award for the Redress Design Award Hong Kong 2012. He then went on to develop his own brand, Wan & Wong Fashion, with partner Joyce Wong in 2013. Their womenswear and menswear designs are based on zero waste and they upcycle and reconstruct textile waste sourced from factories in Mainland China.
With their growing popularity, they were selected as a ‘Black Sheep’ by the influential designer platform, Not Just A Label, based on their innovative and striking brand. Adding to their star appeal, the brand has been worn by celebrities, including Sandy Lam, Bonnie Chen, Kary Ng, Cathy Leung, and has been widely featured in the media, including The Huffington Post, SCMP Post Magazine, Metropop, Weekend Weekly and ELLE Hong Kong, to name just a few.
Continuing their successes, Wan & Wong Fashion won the Redress Design Award 2015/16 Alumni Prize, and with this a retail collaboration with Hong Kong retailer, kapok.
Learn more
Learn more about zero-waste design from experts, including Timo Rissanen, Johanna Ho, Daniel Silverstein, Ada Zanditon and Alex Law, in our ‘Zero-waste Design Technique’ guide
Footnote
1 Ellen MacArthur Foundation (2017), A New Textiles Economy: Redesigning Fashion’s Future