Regenerative materials in fashion according to Cassie Quinn
At a time where innovation is crucial in establishing a more sustainable landscape, research and development studios can play a big part. In the fashion industry, creating new materials is a path which many artists go down. A common denominator in all of this is merging the design world with science. Cassie Quinn is the founder of CQ Studio. The goal is to improve issues whilst providing aesthetic and good quality designs. «We are not just making materials, we are also designers», she says.
Why regenerative materials haven’t made a big appearance in the fashion landscape
The studio focuses on fashion research, more specifically on regenerative materials and systems of production. They use a variety of resources ranging from flax to food waste and algae. «We are realizing that it’s not just going to be for the fashion industry,» Quinn says. She specifies that this research could be useful in other sectors, such as that of the automobile or set design. For now, however, the discussion needs to get more widely diffused within fashion.
«In the last fashion week, these materials weren’t really used even though there is a larger variety of them,» Quinn points out. There are many alternatives out there; mushroom leather, algae yarn, stinging nettle fibers and many more.
The scalability of it all
Yet fashion brands like to stick to what they know, or at least it looks like that is the case. Why else wouldn’t they adopt all these new and more sustainable materials in their designs? The answer isn’t as simple as one would think. There are many factors that come into play, a big one being the scalability of it all.
Scaling up requires large manufacturing equipment, such as expensive, and oftentimes polluting, machines. It also requires heavy funding, which many small start ups don’t have access to. Whilst a single individual can come up with innovative solutions through intense research and development, many more players are needed to feed this into the wider fashion industry.
Sacrificing traditional textiles is crucial
Another obstacle in this diffusion process is the current mindset. «We are trying to replace a system that has been so ingrained and in place for so long». says Quinn. «Within the design industry, there comes this need for certain quality, certain properties and longevity». An easy comparison is the durability of an item; the quicker it takes for the seams to get undone, the lower the quality a garment is. What if the item of clothing was made to biodegrade after a certain amount of time?
Would that be considered bad quality? If so, it would be inconvenient for people to commit to this type of production. Whilst society is trying to become more sustainable (both supply and demand), implementing these solutions on a wider scale needs to take into consideration societal habits.
In other words, people may be open to the idea of innovative materials but they are not ready to give up textiles which they are accustomed to. «We have to make these sacrifices now». Quinn says. «It’s about having that honest conversation».
Reintroducing flax: the Inflaxuation collection
However, there could be one way to ease into this switch: using materials which have already been established in the market. «When we talk about next generation materials, we tend to overlook existing heritage fibers», explain Quinn. Flax is one of the first ever textiles to have existed, over thirty thousand years ago. The fiber is long and is about four times stronger than cotton. It is also biodegradable. In Ireland, flax was once a popular material and its industry thrived. However, flax farms died out due to environmental factors.
The extraction process commonly used in Ireland (known as water redding) polluted the water stream even though it was an organic compound. Nowadays, flax accounts for less than one percent of the global fibre market share.
«This is a growing material. It has existed and we have the infrastructure. We just have to adapt it and look at it in a different way,» Quinn explains. «Sometimes innovation is about how you can look at something in a more innovative way, not necessarily about developing new lab equipment». CQ Studio started the flax research collaborating with a farm in Ireland dedicated to reintroducing the material into the market using regenerative practices.
The value of regenerative agricultural practices
The farm, Mallon Linen, uses crop rotation to ensure soil health and long term biodiversity on their land. Regenerative agricultural practices are crucial to ensure longevity in a more sustainable textile industry. It aids to avoid harmful phenomena such as monoculture and overproduction. The studio’s project, called Inflaxuation, aims to add value to the fiber in collaboration with the farm. «Flax needs a rebrand», says Quinn. Due to its unattractive properties, such as how easy it is for it to crinkle, it is not seen as a high fashion textile.
Quinn has worked the material to transform flax into completely different materials than it would traditionally be used for. The Inflaxuation collection includes flax leather, flax fur, flax lace, starch buttons and fertilizer sequins. «I use the flax fibers and all the waste streams», she says. Quinn goes on to say that there are numerous waste streams when extracting the flax fiber. The key to divert it from its unsustainable nature is to come up with new ways to use up anything which would traditionally be considered waste.
Syncing up systems to avoid contradiction
This merge showcases one example between science and design within the studio. «This is the chemical makeup of society,» says Quinn. «When we use biomimicry and bio-design, we accept and understand that we are part of system. We are designing in collaboration». These large industries coming together is complex to visualize. However, it is the only way for systems to become sustainable at a much larger scale: interconnection. «When we look at science as a collaborator within these industries, it helps us to rephrase how we think of the resources that we use», says Quinn. «We are no longer just extracting, but working in synergy».
It is all about syncing up systems. «Look at cotton», Quinn says. «It’s all natural but it drains waterways because it’s such a thirsty plant. So even though that is a natural biological system, when we actually use biological thinking, we can see the true impact we have as a system and as a whole. That is what regeneration is and what regenerative design is. You think about how everything impacts everything else and how everything works together towards the same goal». When looking at regenerative practice for example, it is not just about how to lessen the impact, but how to provide benefit. Therefore, the Inflaxuation collection not only looks as positively benefiting the fashion industry with a more sustainable textile, but is also looking at encouraging regenerative agricultural practices.
The value (and misconception) of having variety and alternatives
This concept also reveals why our current mindset is keeping us at a stand still regarding our sustainable journey. The misconception is that one industry can completely replace its current products and processes with more eco-friendly ones. However, it fails to acknowledge the importance of syncing up systems from different industries as a whole. On a smaller scale, Quinn says: «There is no one material that is going to solve all the issues. It’s about having variety».
Therefore, providing alternatives means just that: giving people an option to choose between a variety of different products, not to completely replace it. Then, it is up to the individual to make that change. «People outside the industry tend to overlook this», says Quinn. «It’s not about the material, it’s about our attitude towards it. If we don’t change everything in line with these new materials, it won’t actually have a positive impact».
More specifically, without taking into consideration all production lines from all the industries, R&D into newer and more sustainable materials will become obsolete in the long term. However, the issue is so large that it is easy to be disconnected from it. «If you’re a normal person, working in an office, and get lectured on sustainable materials, it’s difficult as humans to connect that to our daily lives,» Quinn explains. «It’s about having these conversations that relate to the individual person. How does this impact your life?»
Considering innovation as an investment rather than as a final product
Just with many studios out there, the next step is scaling up. However, in moderate increments. «Scale is relative», Quinn admits. «I don’t want to have it so that it is just replacing traditional processes that exist at the moment. However, it needs to scale so that it can be used and adopted by some parts of the industry. It’s about working with the right manufacturers».
Currently, many manufactures aren’t willing to test out new materials in their machines for fear of damage. Therefore, these processes do take time to ensure standardization protocols are correctly put into place. In fact, Quinn explains that this type of R&D can be considered more of an investment than a physical product. This type of data can be diffused to more than just one type of industry. «It’s not just an investment on the material, it’s also an investment on our existence».
Cassie Quinn
Founder of CQ Studio. It is a fashion research studio that focuses on using regenerative materials and systems of production. They make textiles from a range of biological sources including flax, food waste and algae, whilst utilizing a range of technologies to create unique textures and properties.
