Katherine Sephton
My design practice represents a fusion of elements from my previous studies and interests. I drew upon both my undergraduate studies in physics, as well as my interests in fashion and textiles. My training in both scientific reasoning and design thinking through my studies and independent travels has inspired much of my work so far, with observations and understanding intertwined in every design decision.
My major project is rooted in my love of making clothes and explores the damaging disposal nature of today’s fashion industry, focusing on textile waste specifically. Textile waste is an issue we all add to, so through this project I have designed a product to assist the everyday consumer of fashion in mending their clothing. Fixing our clothing and extending a garment’s lifetime not only decreases the amount of clothing thrown away, but also the amount of clothing bought.
Visible mending is a choice to make something new and call attention to the imperfections, whereas invisible mending is the decision to keep your clothing the same and continue to enjoy the garment as you always have. Newer technology including AI and digital fabric printing are used alongside traditional reweaving processes in this project to create and attach a seemingly camouflaged patch over damaged clothing.
Match Patch: Decreasing Textile Waste Through Mending
Textile waste is a major issue in the fashion industry today, but what can we as consumers of fashion do about it? Match Patch is a device that weaves a camouflaged patch into damaged clothing to repair it invisibly, allowing owners of damaged clothing to take their clothing to their local tailor and have it repaired quickly and invisibly in a durable way. Extending the lifetime of our clothing decreases not only textile waste but also the overproduction of clothing.
Artificial intelligence and sublimation printing are used to produce a patch that blends into the clothing and covers the damaged area. The product uses Kaketsugi/French weaving techniques to individually weave each thread of the patch into the fabric, creating a strong and seamless join in a far shorter time than the traditional method.
