Sustainability

EDITOR’S LETTER

WEAR showcases future fashion trends for the S upcoming months. SWEAR is the first of its kind in Malta and is a solemn statement towards trends that are significant currently.

I am a third-year student reading for my final year in B.A. in Fashion (Hons) at MCAST Institute of Creative Arts in Malta. In the first issue of SWEAR, I wanted to indicate my interest in the fashion field and the future that comes with it. Along with my team of writers, I have collated several articles about fashion trends that will be seen on the streets, in retail stores, or on the runway. Visuals will be included that will feature designer clothing or a piece of artwork that represent the trends mentioned. Textures, colours, and prints will also be included in the swatches section and throughout the magazine giving an inspirational background of the mentioned trends.

Alongside this, the reader of this magazine will uncover what the fashion students from the final year of the B.A. in Fashion course are pursuing within their fulfillments at the MCAST Institute of Creative Arts. Every student mentioned will have a brief introduction of their work and a detail from their collection or work in progress. The aim of including the MCAST students is to showcase what they have accomplished and what the course can project, especially with the first generation of fashion students graduating at a B.A. level in Malta.

These students also followed and researched future trends to initialise their concept ideas. Students from another sector, journalism, have also contributed to taking part in

the magazine by writing articles and conducting interviews.

These interviews are conducted with people from the fashion industry and will impact the trends being mentioned. All questions asked will observe their work and an insinuation of the future with their brand/ craft. The magazine will conclude with a word puzzle that features words used throughout the magazine that the reader can guess. With further instructions given, the reader can win a prize when participating.

The magazine will also be supported by an outfit completed by myself using trends mentioned in the magazine, such as techniques, fabrics, and colours. This outfit is shown through an editorial shoot showcased at the centre of the magazine.

This magazine is produced to give insight into how vital trends can be for the fashion industry and provides insight into the innovations that are currently being shown. In addition, it represents an initiative to other students studying in a similar sector, lecturers, people in the fashion industry, and people interested in fashion.

Even though trends come back in fashion, this forecasting magazine will focus only on trends for the upcoming seasons of 2023 & 2024. SWEAR is available both on print and digital media.

Photo by Jahel Azzopardi

Contents

2-27 Insights

4-9 Sustainability 10-15 Metaverse 16-21 Artisinal Techniques 22-27 Gender Fluidity

28-53 Future Trends

30-33 UN-wanted 34-37 Archival 38-41 Voyeurism 42-45 Virtual Escape 46-49 Fluidified 50-53 Tenderness

54-61 Editorial

62-81 Colours & Fabrics

64-69 Swatch Group 1 70-75 Swatch Group 2 76-81 Swatch Group 3

82-95 A Step Forward

84-87 Louise Xin 88-91 MUD Jeans 92-95 Marvit Saliba 96-97 Prize

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Insights

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Environmental sustainability is always a talking point. Environmental sustainability means that countries’ economies, urban development and the environment are balanced out equally. Industries such as the fashion industry pride themselves on being very creative. In the last few years, row your clothingg by Kieran Farrugia the industry significantly improved its ways of helping the environment by using environmentally friendly materials. In previous years, the clothing industry contributed approximately four

to ten per cent of greenhouse gases, which made it an industry that not only pollutes and harms but an industry that could never reclaim its prestige in society.

The clothing industry came up with new ideas for fabric using plants such as mycelium cells - a material made from mushrooms. Initially, the use of mushrooms, or as it is known by their biological name, Fungi, was a plant that created a form of scepticism in industries such as the hygiene industry and the clothing industry. However, over time new ideas started coming out. The new ideas spearheaded a wave of change and not a counterrevolution when the use of biodegradable products through scientific tests not only worked but gave instant results.

In brief, Mycelium can be defined as the form of threadlike fibres that grow into the mushroom plant (fungi), which is similar to a root of a plant multiplying. Then through several biological processes, Mycelium can be developed by putting it on a growing matt which in turn forms the Mycelium. Mycelium is considered a substitute for leather, which Stella McCartney did. Her idea turned out to be brilliant, with the outcome of this two-piece outfit being chic, attractive, but above all, environmentally friendly. At first glance, it may seem that Stella McCartney might have actually used fabric. However, looks may be deceiving, especially if you’re not a person who is fashion savvy, or maybe at least a person who might not question the norms of fashion and just go with the flow about the thought of another outfit made with standard fabric. Mycoworks are also pioneering the subsequent designs with a Mycelium texture. Nonetheless, the two co-founders of this brand, Sophia Wang and Phillip Ross, have been experimenting with fungi (the biological term for mushrooms) for more than a decade, with the two innovators seeing eye-to-eye about the positive aspects they can bring. Moreover, both Wang and Ross were part of Stella McCartney’s creative thinking and ideas, creating a silent revolution in fashion.

Clothing brands such as Mogu, have also been working on biodegradable products such as Mycelium. The same company came up with the thesis that the use of Mycelium in the clothing industry is sustainable, wearable, and attractive. In addition, Mycelium can be both waterproof and resistant to fire.

Prestigious brands such as Hermes, Dior, and others all recognised the use of Mycelium and its benefits to the fashion industry. These brands have spearheaded a wave of change in the fashion industry. As a result, more is being invested in research to develop new ways that could contribute to less pollution and harm, especially when the materials are biodegraded and made in a good environment.

Nowadays, multi-national companies like Adidas, are investing some of their profits towards the cause of producing or helping in research towards the use of sustainable materials for a full-scale improvement. This also contributes to the education on the use of sustainable materials, and it also helps spread awareness on how people can help the environment.

Rejuvenation means giving a process a new form of energy that is much desired and making something look youthful and gorgeous. Similarly, Kombucha, also known as tea extract in China, is hardly glamorous when you look at it, and it hardly symbolises the word rejuvenation. Actually, quite the contrary when you think that Kombucha is slimy.

While the perception that cotton in the fashion industry safeguards the environment, not only exists but is well-believed in fact, people mostly purchase clothing that is made from cotton. Even though the use of cotton is popular, materials like Kombucha will give cotton a run for its money, as the impact it has on the environment is not only refreshing but nonetheless aesthetically pleasing too.

While the colour can initially be dark brown when heated at 75°C, Kombucha will become

Right: Edible Alchemy lighter and even the scoby texture not only melts but will look more beautiful according to three Lithuanian academics, Jurgita Domskiene, Florentina Sederaviciute and Judita Simonaityte who in conjunction together, conducted a study titled Kombucha bacterial cellulose for sustainable fashion that was published in 2019.

It is also scoby, meaning that it is made from yeast and bacteria. If you start by brewing tea together with sugar, you can turn the design into a biodegradable form of leather. In fact, kombucha can be made by individuals without the help of companies as it can be used as a homegrown product.

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“We have been helped immensely by shifts in perspective on mushrooms and fungi due to their culinary, medicinal, and cultural appeal.”

- Sophia Wang

6 Another biodegradable material that has been introduced into fashion is soy fabric, which is made from the protein of the soybean. The texture of soybean on clothing does not shrink or wrinkle but it is highly elastic. Soybean remains the only biodegradable product in fashion, that is made from the protein of a plant. China, Brazil and the United States are by far the world’s producers when it comes to soybean.

Through different concepts with different outcomes, the differences can be noticed but they are not easily seen, especially if clothes need light to be seen - One would sense that clothes already have bright shining colours that not only attract the eye notwithstanding some colours are too loud. Yet in a world of innovation, you don’t really need loud colours anymore to make clothing that can be visible or maybe if you are more into the design, you would search for something that is enticing, eloquent, and distinctive from the rest.

Distinctive? Yes, Algae is distinctive. Algae is another material that can be biodegradable, and this can be done by converting carbon dioxide to oxygen. In fact, this is what Scarlett Yang, a Central Saint Martins graduate, accomplished by creating a glass-like dress with algae extract and silk cocoon that grows over time and can decompose in water within 24 hours. This process is called Biogarmentry, which by definition means that photosynthetic cells live and exist on the clothes. Nevertheless not only is algae attractive to see on clothes, but it also leaves a positive impact on the environment, which in addition could contribute to an ever out-reaching message that the fashion industry is willing to change itself for good.

Hence one could really sense where the fashion industry is going in the modern era with new innovations made by designers who are experienced, in addition to designers who are still novices along with the issues and ongoing problems the fashion industry faces.

Left: Artis Micropia Right: Scarlett Yang

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Both of these MCAST Fashion degree students, found ways how to incorporate sustainable methods into their garments. Their exploration and experimentation to generate a cultivating touch shows their willingness to help the fashion system towards greater ecological integrity and social justice.

Alicia Busuttil progressed to develop her own print through pressed leaves and flowers. This process transfers its pigment to the silk and creates interesting shapes, textures, and colour applications. This natural dyeing technique progressed Alicia to develop eco-printed silk fabric in multiple textures, and colours, yet all generalize a cohesive outcome to her initial idea (see pages 60 and 61). Knitwear complemented her outfits and created a contrast with the two textures.

8 Kayleigh Camilleri explored the aspects of kombucha and perceived to showcase this in her work. She focused on implementing sustainable methods into her garments and fermented the kombucha to grow the scoby which was then used as a vegan leather to her collection. Kayleigh also upcyled garments and used different fabric contrasts to create such looks and give it a new life.

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