A zero-waste design tool-kit for the fashion industry

The A020 system of tools is based on a series of pattern masters that aim to help designers to approach a piece of fabric like a puzzle

Spotted: Royal College of Art graduate Danielle Elsener has created a toolkit for more efficient pattern cutting.

The project, which was recently declared the winner of the Evian-Virgil Abloh’s sustainable design programme, aims to eliminate the 15 per cent of material wasted in the production of an average garment. For this, the A020 system of tools (also known as DECODE) is based on a series of pattern masters that aim to help designers to approach a piece of fabric like a puzzle, in which any empty space can serve a purpose within the finished garment.

Coded messages within the garments also aim to ignite a sense of discovery for the customer, as well as fostering more in-depth explorations around the idea of zero-waste design.

Around these tools, Elsener created a series of educational workshops for designers to learn about her methodology and collect feedback on how the system could be improved. This feedback loop, she explained, is fundamental to helping factories transition their existing workflows into zero-waste ones.

With the help of a €50,000 grant won as part of Abloh and Evian’s Activate Movement competition, Elsener hopes to launch an A020 learning platform for designers and a zero-waste factory. 

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