material-choices

Material Choices

001 Selecting low-impact materials that use pre- & post-consumer recycled feedstock.

“Nobody has the golden answer. But our questions about our own processes and learning from others moves us all forward”

Golnaz Armin, Senior Director Materials Design, Nike Sportswear

We need to be more conscious about the materials that we use, how they're impacting the planet and how they're impacting us. They may not directly be affecting us right now but they will affect the generations to come.

Kamine Kolanen, BA Fashion Student, Central Saint Martins, UAL

We classify that there's forty-six different trim types. Forty-six different methods of make. Every day there's a new trim or a new request that comes to you and you're challenged to look at how is this thing made, can I make it better?

Julia Barrett, Trims Manager, Sport Performance and Sportswear, Nike

Thought Starters

Consider your brief or project aims. What are the required, benchmark and/or ideal materials? What about standard trims and notions?

Based on the environmental impact, how could material choices be reconsidered to lessen the product's impact?

How could you use recycled content instead of virgin materials?

If you are considering a bio-based or 'natural' material, what processing would be required to transform it into a usable material? Does the feedstock require new agriculture? How does it compare versus traditional materials across water, carbon, chemistry, and waste impacts?

If your design uses a non-renewable resource (polyesters, foams, metals), can that material be easily disassembled and recycled?

Could you use alternative trims and notions or redesign the standard options to lessen impact?

Could the use of mono-fiber materials lessen the impact of your design?

Which dye methods will your design require? How could you adjust your design to minimize the impact of the dye process?

How could you eliminate or minimize the use of materials and finishes that use toxic or hazardous chemicals?

Does the selected blend of materials limit or prevent recycling with available technology?

What analogs from other industries or nature could help you further refine your design?

In what ways does your supply chain (vendors, suppliers, infrastructure) adhere to circular and sustainable practices?

How could your material choice increase the life cycle or durability of the product?

How could your material choice allow a product to be refurbished?

Case Studies

Nike Flyleather ↗︎

Flyleather is Nike’s most sustainable engineered leather material ever, made from at least 50% leather fiber. It’s created using leather manufacturing scraps that would otherwise go to landfill.

Nike Flyleather ↗︎

Flyleather is Nike’s most sustainable engineered leather material ever, made from at least 50% leather fiber. It’s created using leather manufacturing scraps that would otherwise go to landfill.

Nike Flyleather ↗︎

Flyleather is Nike’s most sustainable engineered leather material ever, made from at least 50% leather fiber. It’s created using leather manufacturing scraps that would otherwise go to landfill.