Wenjing Hong
Oriqlo
How might we extend the life-cycle of childrens' clothes, while raising childrens' awareness of sustainability?
As the second largest polluter in the world, fashion waste impacts every single human on our planet. Extending clothing use-life is one of the most significant opportunities to reduce the negative effects of fashion waste. Oriqlo is a collection of T-shirts designed for Uniqlo, meant to extend the life of children's clothing and reduce the fabric waste due to the growth of children. I combined the concept of origami with garments, providing a fun way for children to reuse their old clothes. My hope is to instill the value of slow fashion in growing children by encouraging them to explore the possibilities of use for old fabrics.
Insight
Children under the age of 15 grow up fast, they are in constant need of new clothes. For families with children, staying committed to ethical fashion values can be difficult. Big chains offer super cheap clothing for children that could lessen the family burden, but also reduce the guilt of throwing clothes away. I think that people’s perception of old clothes should be change, fashion should never be thought of as a disposable product.
Idea
Oriqlo is a T-shirt collection designed for Uniqlo and inspired by Origami. There are some lines printed on the reverse side of T-shirt. These lines divide the garment into three parts: fabric to reuse, instruction and rest of fabric. No sewing machine is needed, After a few simple steps children can turn their old T-shirt into useful things and give them new life. The rest of fabric will be collected by Uniqlo and made into the materials needed for the diy.
Impact
Oriqlo encourages children to make their old clothes into the daily necessities they need to extend the life of their clothes and reduce fabric waste. The fun and simple DIY process makes children realize the value of their old clothes and changes their future outlook on consumption.
Biography
Wenjing is a multidisciplinary product/service designer, she has been devoted to finding pain points from the details of life. The changes in society and the environment have inspired her to think about how to develop sustainable design while fulfilling human needs.