Fashion made Sustainably: Designers rethink how fashion meets architecture

The fashion industry, thriving at the cost of the environment, is a well-known fact. Fast fashion has taken over the market with massive production and lower rates, luring customers away from sustainable alternatives which are comparatively expensive.

The waste produced includes chemical solvents and pollutants that harm the environment. The amount of resources the textile productions use is way more than how much it positively gives back to society. The laws being loose for big corporations have contributed to fashion-related pollution around the world.

Apart from the direct impact of industry, its elite and lavish stature has produced second and third-tier waste through acts like marketing. These allied industries earn huge profits by cutting on the quality of materials. 

How can fashion be pushed in the direction of sustainability? 

High-end fashion brands conduct shows to display their new collections and products, and their methods are getting more creative and theme-based. These shows are conducted on various locations sometimes, and due to time crunch, they are designed hastily and inefficiently.

According to reports, fashion weeks/fashion shows, contribute to a lot of plastic and other waste. These shows are up for a short while but require months of planning ahead for designer sets and destinations, but little thought is given to efficient use of resources or the waste produced. 

Venues end up with loads of avoidable trash such as water bottles, paper, flowers, and other decors. Several resources used to provide luxurious services to guests and attendees at the event also add to the waste pile. 

All of this waste can be avoided by designing a dedicated fashion center that can be standardized to the lavishness of fashion weeks, without compromising on sustainability.

Brief: The challenge of the architecture competition was to design a fashion convention center to hold events and gatherings related to the fashion industry. It should be universal enough to suit the needs of different fashion industries. 

The venue must be aesthetic enough to personify the current stature of the high-end fashion industry. The ramps are the highlights of any fashion week, hence the design of the fashion convention center must be at par with the expectations and standards of the previous iconic ramps that were designed, to attract attention enough to promote sustainability as well. 

Every tiny to a huge aspect of a building can be played with, given the time and resources. When sustainability comes into play, these aspects can get a little tricky, but given the area program and a little bit of research into the industry, can yield a noticeable reduction in waste. 

The jury for the competition consisted of esteemed designers, professionals, and academicians from around the world. The Lead Jurors for the competitions were as follows: 

Raulino Silva, Architect, Raulino Silva Architect, Portugal

Gustavo Guimaraes, Owner/architect, Gustavo Guimaraes arquitectura & urbanismo, Portugal

Some of the Best of competition projects are as follows:

Winning Project: The fashion gem

By: Vladislav Dudyrev, Artem Bashkirov & Gamid Isaev

^{Fig: 1 Image of fashion event}

Description: The fashion gem's concept is driven by the idea of integrity and connections which are the backbone of any type of development especially in the fashion industry. The volume includes diverse programs which are defined by the principle of collaboration and intersections.

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People’s Choice: WEAVE: Along the Shore

By: Ritu Deshmukh

^{Fig: 2 Site Plan}

Description: Fashion Industry is currently one of the emerging unsustainable industries which are guzzling loads of energy in the production of textiles and accessories related to the fashion industry. The pace of work is also quite rapid and needs urgent address.

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Editor’s Choice: Seguin Fashion Center

By: Hilaria Abigail Valdez Nolasco & Brisa Dennis Andrade Arteaga

^{Fig: 3 Cover image}

Description: Fashion convention center designed to reduce the waste created by fashion events and host shows in a space that opens up to the panoramic views of its surroundings.

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