The development and construction of sustainable adjustable clothing for growing children

Abstract

Children grow at fast rates. Due to this fact, parents constantly need to purchase new clothes as children out grow their clothes before it becomes fully worn. Parents spend thousands each year on children's clothing only to have them disposed of before it has reached its maximum wear ability. The purpose of this research is to analyse children's growth pattems and investigate means of increasing the lifespan! wear ability of children's clothing. The practise of increasing the lifespan! wear ability of clothing lends itself to the Sustainable Design paradigm that encourages designers to create products (garments) with longer lifecycles and discourages waste at every stage of the products lifespan. The process of "tossing out" clothes or not wearing it to its maximum utilization creates waste and fuels mass consumption.As a result masses of clothing end up in landfills and due to its mainly synthetic nature, it causes harm to the environment. By incorporating innovative design and construction techniques I aim to explore methods of adjusting garments according to the growth experienced by children annually. This will allow children to wear the garments for a longer period eliminating the need for parents to purchase new clothing when the clothes no longer fit.