Research On The Exploration Of Sindhi Patchwork In The Context Of Sustainable Fashion

The basic human needs are clothing,food,shelter and transportation.The clothing industry is huge because it fulfills the basic human need.According to 2019 Mckinsey’s report,the clothing industry generates almost 2.5 trillion dollars,whereas Fashion United and few studies claim it is a three trillion dollars industry.Researchers explain that fast fashion is the biggest reason why the clothing industry is progressing rapidly.Fast fashion has drastically changed human behavior towards clothing.People take a fancy to wear up-to-the-minute attires as it satisfies their desires of looking trendy.However,the environment of planet earth is paying a massive price to fulfill human greed,and the clothing industry is among the top planet polluters.Therefore,extraordinary measures are required by the industry to make it an eco-friendly sector.Researchers need to introduce innovative new ideas about sustainability to help the industry.Designers need to take steps as well because there are trendsetters.In the recent past,many designers have presented eco-friendly fashion collections by taking inspiration from different sources,specifically traditional textile handicrafts.Implementation of patchwork techniques is among those measures that may contribute to sustainable fashion.Patchwork has different meanings across cultures,and there are several patchwork types that are yet to be explored and documented.There are a few studies on Chinese,Korean,Japanese,and American traditional patchwork art,but no comprehensive study on the Indian subcontinent’s patchwork methods and techniques is available.In order to highlight another exquisite type of patchwork art,this research aims to explore Sindhi patchwork,locally known as ‘Rilli or Ralli’,from the Sindhi region of Pakistan so that designers can take inspiration from this art for their collections and contribute to sustainability.The research data was collected in five phases.The first phase is about sustainable fashion measures and sustainability awareness.The qualitative research approaches were implemented,and focus group discussions were organized to learn about sustainability awareness among young fresh graduate fashion designers.In the second phase,literature analysis and field research methods were applied to explore Sindhi patchwork.In the third phase,comparative research methods are used to identify the similarities and differences between the Sindhi patchwork and the patchwork from China,Korea,and America.In the fourth phase,in-depth focus group discussions were organized with Sindhi patchwork women artisans to collect detailed data about patchwork’s craftsmanship and patchwork artisans’ socio-economic life.In the fifth phase,we designed street style menswear and womenswear cost-effective and ecofriendly fashion collections by applying Sindhi patchwork types into discarded contemporary clothing items.Findings in the first phase revealed that some well-known designers and brands are taking measures towards sustainable fashion;however,young fresh graduate fashion designers aren’t well aware of sustainable fashion,their knowledge is limited.So,young fashion designers need to be educated because designers are trendsetters.During this phase,we also discovered that new eco-friendly clothing ideas need to be introduced.In the second phase,we learnt that the unexplored Sindhi patchwork is divided into three categories,each with its own set of techniques and procedures.The three types of Sindhi patchwork are applique patchwork,simple patchwork and embroidered patchwork.In applique patchwork type,small pieces of fabrics are stitched together,and then stitched on to a base fabric.In Simple patchwork type,small pieces of fabrics are stitched together to make a larger piece of fabric.This type of patchwork is made without any base fabric.Embroidered patchwork can be made with or without base fabric.Artisans perform different kinds of embroideries on different pieces of fabric,and then stitch all the pieces together.On special events as a wedding,special styles of patchwork quilts are made as well.In the third phase,we discovered that,despite some similarities,Sindhi patchwork differs significantly from patchworks created in China,Korea,and America.There are many differences,such as differences in materials,embroidery techniques,and pattern styles.The cultural difference was also noticed.The results of the fourth phase disclosed that the Sindhi patchwork quilts are so inexpensive.The price of a simple basic patchwork quilt of standard size made with used fabric is 3 to 5 dollars per piece,but the costs can be high up to 100 dollars if the work is intricate and well embellished.Artisan families who create this artwork don’t have any other income source,and since the trend of handicrafts is declining,the artisans struggle to sell their works to the local customers directly.They sell their works to retailers,wholesalers,and exporters at a very low price.Retailers and wholesalers sell these products at normal profitable margins,whereas exporters export them to other countries at very high rates.Fifth phase revealed that designers can produce unique,low-priced,and eco-friendly street style fashion collections by integrating patchwork techniques into discarded clothing,and support the fashion industry to reduce waste,carbon emission,and the use of resources.Since designers always need a new source of inspiration to create designs,this research provides them with a fresh green design concept.The research is divided into six chapters.In the first chapter,we discuss the research introduction,research objective,research significance,and the methodologies we used during our research.The second chapter discusses sustainable measures in the fashion industry and sustainable awareness among young designers.In the third chapter,we discussed all the details about Sindhi patchwork,such as its characteristics,types,materials,procedure,embroidery techniques,stitches,socio-economic life of patchwork artisans.The analysis of similarities and differences between Sindhi patchwork and patchwork from other countries are also discussed in this chapter.The fourth chapter reviews the practice of patchwork in clothing by different brands and designers in the past.We examine how the patchwork can help to lead the fashion industry towards sustainability.The fifth chapter is about the design practice,and the method we used to create menswear and womenswear fashion collection by applying Sindhi patchwork in clothing is discussed in this chapter.The sixth chapter discusses the findings,conclusions of the study.Recommendations are also provided in this chapter.