• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.44 no.5
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• pp.984-1003
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• 2020

The global fashion industry produces significant carbon emission and micro-plastics in oceans. Studies on sustainable design methods as such environmental issues in fashion are becoming intensely problematic. This study conducted a case study on 100 upcycle fashion brands to propose strategical upcycle fashion designs to compete in a sustainable fashion market. A literature review indicated that 3 types of textile wastes are generated as upcycling materials: post-producer, pre-consumer and post-consumer. Wastes are categorized together with 3 types of techniques: redesigning, reconstruction and handcrafting. This research derived 7 types of upcycle fashion designs that have the following features: to make luxury upcycle fashion products, to make sustainable grunge looks, to re-evaluate deadstocks, to recover vintage clothes, to convert waste into craft-arts, to offer solutions for damaged products, and to make zero-waste small fabric waste. The study results show that key drivers in the upcycle fashion design are the redesignability of materials and technique-related costs. This study implies that adopting appropriate design features can be a useful strategy for designers. New technologies will solve current problems and encourage them to design products in a new circular value system.

• Journal of Fashion Business
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.1-20
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• 2015

Acceleration of the fashion cycle has caused problems of environmental pollution because consumers made a lot of waste of clothes. To solve them, upcycle design has been uprised. This study researched the present condition through recent cases of upcycle design. The standard of collected cases is focused on used products which was already run out once and then has been recreated by being recreated with new design. Through this study, there is a purpose to provide solution of environmental pollutions and a right direction of upcycle fashion design. Collected cases are classified into five production methods. First method is Melting and Compressing, which it melts or compresses materials. Second method is Gathering and Combining, which it gathers or combines each different materials. Third method is Cutting and Dividing, which it cuts or divides products materials. Fourth method is Mixing and Changing, which it mixes materials, adds design elements, and changes of purpose. Final things are classified with multiplicatively used factors which are already divided.

• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.720-737
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• 2023

This study aims to merge Picasso's expressive elements and deconstructive fashion's formative traits, proposing an upcycle fashion design that fuses artistic and philoso-phical aspects. The analysis of Picasso's Cubism identified qualities like liberating revolution, fluidity of vision, geometric reducibility, complex symbolism, and creative imitation. The analysis of Derrida's deconstructionism revealed expressive traits: uncertainty, intertextuality, différance, and dis-de phenomenon. An upscale fashion design was developed based on six Picasso works featuring women. The design was created using the fashion design software CLO 3D and integrated clothing waste and scrap fabrics as materials.The results are as follows. First, upcycle fashion was viewed from a new perspective based on Picasso and Derrida's values. This perspective suggested creating better ethical values by upholding environmental protection in novel ways that overcome limitations rather than destroy existing values indiscriminately. Second, upcycle fashion design methodologies were derived from various perspectives utilizing formative features of Picasso's works and specific expressive features of deconstructed fashion. Third, the direction of mitigating waste and pollution from clothing production and transportation was revealed by making clothes in a virtual space using the CLO 3D program. This study contributed to obtaining various methods for developing upcycle fashion designs using own methods of Picasso and Derrida to diversify the approaches of upcycling, which is relatively stagnant in disassembling.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.13-23
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• 2012

"Sustainability" and buzzword as in many areas of products produced and studies in progress, in situations of domestic "green fashion" of the Progress and identify problems and advanced in value sustained growth that can be done fashion design, the future of the gauge view there is need. For the purpose of environmental protection and resource conservation of the eco-fashion trend, "recycling" of the low-growth, emphasizing the ethical responsibility to pursue by the aesthetics may be limited in terms of avoided. Environment, most notably an "issue" fashion emerged as a growing, destroying a temporary fashion trend as a "recycling" of the limitations and pro-technology and design of the added value of recombinant and advanced recycling design trends, attracting attention "upcycle" Case of the aesthetic value and spiritual value of the designer by giving understanding and a new aesthetic values to the area you want to raise the possibility of extension.

• Journal of the Korea Fashion and Costume Design Association
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.13-33
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• 2024

This study aims to analyze the potential and limitations of using traditional men's suits as upcycled materials by examining case studies of deconstructed and reassembled designs. The research explores the potential of upcycled suit design and proposes data to guide future directions in upcycling. A literature review was conducted, revealing that upcycled designs are often created through deconstruction, within the framework of Jacques Derrida's deconstructionist philosophy. The study examined 10 brands that focused on suit-based upcycled designs across two or more seasons, resulting in 202 upcycled suit products for analysis to identify key design characteristics. Upcycle suits have been shown to be disordered decentralized properties through deformation, discontinuity through deformation, and damage through reconstruction of existing suits. First, deformation was expressed in the design of a typical dressing, asymmetry, overlap, distortion, and repetition. Second, deformation mainly appeared as a method of omission, heterogeneous insertion, material conversion, and separation. Third, damage appeared as a doodle, tear, and incomplete up-cycle design method. Using these methods, three decentralized upcycle suit designs were developed, and a new direction of upcycle design was suggested. The study concludes that upcycled suit design can contribute to sustainable fashion by achieving zero waste, developing refined sewing techniques, pursuing diverse design methods, and promoting transparency in production. This research offers insights into innovative and diverse product development through the reinterpretation of discarded suits.

• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.374-387
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• 2021

The purpose of this study is to develop up-cycling fashion design methods centered on discarded denim material for the study of original up-cycling design methods. Up-cycling fashion design work was developed using digital clothing technology. This is a recent hot topic among sustainable fashion design methods. Up-cycling fashion design expression methods (categorized as dismantlement, collages, dépaysement, grafting, weaving, and tearing) were centered on design methods. These methods create various three-dimensional modeling effects in planar forms, whereby five pieces can be applied to the fabric and digitally produced. The results are as follows: First, the use of discarded denim fabric for the development of up-cycling fashion design pieces enabled the recycling of existing resources, provided solutions to environmental pollution problems, and provided expansion opportunities for design processes for sustainable fashion products that expand the design value of denim products and their utility. Second, new eco-friendly fashion designs that attempt to achieve diversity in modern fashion trends could be presented through formative contemporary fashion produced by up-cycling work products. Third, up-cycling fashion design work is expected to provide opportunities for eco-friendly fashion design methods. This will expand the value of sustainable fashion design by recycling simple waste materials through the use of three-dimensional digital clothing technology and further through the presentation of expanded life cycles that extend product planning, production, and life cycles.

• Journal of Fashion Business
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.77-86
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• 2017

This study aims to explore the unethical issues in leather processing and to develop designs of leather products based on the concept of reincarnation by ecosystem circulation. The method used in this research include the review of previous literature and the design process for development fashion accessories using waste leather. The design process comprises collecting waste leather, classifying waste leather by type, color, and size, and developing leather products according to line carnation method. For this research, the material was limited to waste cowhide leather collected from leather workshops and leather product factories. The leather pieces were divided into typical and atypical types and developed leather accessories based on the leather piece's color and size. A twill brooch, four-string bracelet, a brooch using the four-stringed leather strap and mini handbag designs were developed using regular type waste leather. An armband of abstract patterns and a cellphone case with graffiti pattern using irregular type over-splitting waste leather. The environmental issues in design are observed as part of understanding the significance of this study. Development of waste leather accessory can expand the usability of the waste leather as well as increase the product value by creating limited-line editions. By understanding the role and benefits of sustainable upcycling, this research suggests an efficient way to use waste materials in fashion to coexist with the natural environment.

• Journal of Fashion Business
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.51-60
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• 2018

This research focuses on the development of upcycled denim fashion designs, whichis a more specific category within general upcycled fashion design. Characteristics of upcycled fashion design, which has been identified previously by researchers, include the following traits: environmentality, uniqueness, aesthetic appeal, availability, convertibility, and deconstructivity. The expression principles include recycling, substitution, recombination, and reduction. The result of the analysis of the denim fashion design characteristics, which is based on the theoretical analysis, has found. The external expression pattern consists of the deconstruction and reconstitution of materials, the avant-garde style and convertibility, the ability to mix and match materials and techniques, the production of zero waste, and the use of layering. The expression techniques used included decomposition, depaysement, weaving, cut-off, collage, assemblage, overlapping, connecting, attaching, and stitching. The inner meanings were identified as economicality through recycling, convertibility through rearranging, and the rarity and value of hand-made products. The result of the research applying the identified characteristics are as follows. First, developing and creating designs using modified denim and sub-materials with various expression patterns and techniques could provide completely new images unlike existing denim products. Second, modifying the details while maintaining the basic format of denim clothing could provide unique and new possibilities for upcycled denim fashion design. Third, environment-friendly models with creative designs were developed by recycling used denim materials. This reduced waste and energy while maximizing the use of resources. This study expects contribute to upcycled fashion design research by recognizing the unique characteristics and value of denim material.

• Journal of Fashion Business
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.13-25
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• 2023

The implementation of ESG practices in the fashion industry has been accelerating, and its significance has been growing across all industries. This paper aims to examine the strategies for ESG implementation in domestic fashion brands and analyze how ESG principles are applied in the context of domestic conscious fashion. To analyze conscious fashion as a means of ESG implementation, the evaluation criteria of ESG from the Textile Fashion Policy Research Institute were utilized as analytical tools. As a result, five categories of domestic conscious fashion emerged: animal-free vegan fashion, eco-friendly plant-based vegan materials, upcycled fashion, regenerated fiber fashion utilizing waste materials, and fair trade fashion. The characteristics of these ESG practices in conscious fashion were identified with four key features. Firstly, the adoption of environmentally friendly materials demonstrates a tendency towards resource conservation, minimizing environmental degradation, and protecting ecosystems. Secondly, technology-driven circular practices are predominant in vegan and upcycled types, evident in the development of fashion materials and secondhand content. Thirdly, design practices based on scarcity incorporate characteristics of upcycling and fair trade. Lastly, the practices of social and ethical values underlie the philosophies of three types of conscious fashion. With the acceleration of ESG practices in the fashion industry and the increasing importance thereof, it is expected that domestic conscious fashion in South Korea will diversify in the future.

• Journal of Fashion Business
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.1-15
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• 2024

Christopher Nemeth is a designer who combines characteristics of a pioneering upcycle design and deconstructionist design with fabrics, waste clothing, and pieces of fabric recycled in the 1980s. By hommaging his work from the Louis Vuitton 2015 F/W collection, Kim Jones is once again becoming a source of design inspiration in an era where upcycling fashion is attracting attention. Accordingly, an upcycling design approach might appeal to the MZ generation. Christopher Nemes' design presented in this study as a representative fashion designer of dismantling upcycling is basically based on dismantling. It can also be interpreted as dismantling upcycling design because it uses used clothing, waste clothing, and discarded fabrics as materials. This study examined main techniques of upcycling fashion design and derived characteristics of Nemes design as "deconstructive techniques using free lines of construction," "recycling upcycling vintage materials and clothing accessories," and "using handcrafted techniques of artistic sensibility." By applying Nemes' dismantling upcycling technique, four designs were developed for men's top and bottom sets for targets in their 20s and 30s to suggest the commercialization possibility. This study is meaningful in that it proposes a methodical alternative to the new deconstructionist upcycling design that can show Nemes' aesthetic characteristics, creative perspective, and personality by modernly reinterpreting the deconstructionist upcycling technique extracted through analysis of fashion designer Christopher Nemes' design. In particular, by actually producing the work and confirming whether the design technique can be implemented, the value as a fashion product that can be sold is realized.