Chosen for Redesign
There is far too much clothing being produced and consumed and the world already has enough clothes, and the amount of clothing waste is growing all the time. Could the focus of fashion be an appreciation of the existing world of products and materials? The Chosen for Redesign project, a collaboration between Emmy (second-hand fashion platform business) and Aalto University, aimed to explore how redesign can extend the life cycle of a garment and how designing can increase the value and appreciation of second-hand clothing.
In the first phase of the project, Aalto Fashion and Textiles students learned about Emmy’s product handling process and the clothes discarded in it, from which they designed new products using craft methods. The aim was to use the garments’ structures and completed finishes as much as possible, but in a way that clearly changes their character from the original and adds value to the garment. This resulted in an experimental redesign clothing collection which was available to buy through Emmy’s platform at the end of 2024. Read more about the designers’ own experience below.
In the second phase, we created DIY tutorials for redesigned products, so that everyone can make their own version of a redesigned garment.
These tutorials offer ways to turn used materials into new clothes while saving natural resources and reducing environmental impact. In addition, redesigning clothes can be an important community-builder – it can bring people together to share skills and ideas in this often individual-centric and digitally interactive age.