Handmade x Parade Collection
Handmade x Parade Collection, 2023
Collection Vision: A limited loungewear collection made for the Fashion Scholarship Fund competition implementing the environmental social governance standards. This collection combines hand knit garments with Parade's ultra soft textiles.
Collection Brainstorming
Sustainable Fashion Examples
Material Research
Using eco-friendly fabrics like recycled polyester, organic cotton, and plant-based alternatives like pineapple or mushroom leather has become popular. These materials often leave a lower impact on the environment and decrease the amount of resources needed to make textiles (Loboda, 2023). Other companies are prioritizing sustainability by ensuring their products are fair trade.
Social Research
During the COVID-19 lockdown, knitting became popular, serving as a therapeutic creative outlet for people of varying ages and backgrounds (George, 2022). The Handmade x Parade collection is designed to give small creators a larger market by using Parade Gold, the company’s program where content creators get paid for posting in Parade’s clothing and promoting their 20% off codes on Instagram and TikTok.
Social Media Research
Photo by Public Eye
Posters at the demonstration outside the Victoria Beckham show
(Photo by Alexander Coggin for The New York Times)
(Photo by Alexander Coggin for The New York Times)
Consumer Drivers
Due to the COVID-19 lockdown, loungewear has exploded in popularity because it is both comfy and fashionable (Hemmen, 2021). The term loungewear refers to loose pants, joggers, yoga pants, fuzzy sweaters, leggings, and so much more. The Handmade x Parade collection will use stretchy knitting techniques to provide the comfortability consumers are looking for.
Awareness about fast fashion’s impacts is growing steadily increasing the demand for sustainable, organic, and eco-friendly fabrics (Lee, 2023). Customers today also care about the conditions the people making their clothes endure.The Handmade x Parade collection will give visibility to the individuals making our clothing as well as the materials used to create them. By choosing to support eco-friendly clothing brands and investing in hand-knit items, consumers can make a positive impact on the environment and the future of the planet (“The Rise of Luxury Knitwear,” 2022).
Customer Discovery
Because some of the handknit garments will have a higher price point than most of Parade’s other merchandise, the Handmade x Parade collection will allow the company to tap into a new market. A 2023 study found that 39% of Generation Z (ages 11-26) and 42% of Millennials (ages 27-42) are more likely to pay more for sustainable products than Generation X or Baby Boomers (Manley et al., 2023). The Handmade x Parade collection was targeted towards people ages 18-35 who are passionate about making sustainable fashion choices and living in comfort.
Customer Profiles
Collection Moodboard
Design Direction
Inspired by adorable baby alpacas, the Handmade x Parade collection will use a mix of warm oranges to reflect the toastynature of the yarn and cool blues and purples to reflect the serenity the customer will feel while wearing our designs. This collection will include 3 prints highlighting the intricate shapes of alpacas’ mountainous environments. Our knits will be crafted using rib, plain, and pearl stitches which will allow the clothing to stretch to the shape of the customer’s body. The delicate weight of the alpaca yarn will ensure that the knitwear is light and airy. The underwear in this collection includes super soft hip huggers, breathable boxers, and silky bodysuits that are adaptable to any body type.
Form Exploration
Color Story and Fabrics
The eco-friendly nature of the alpaca yarn and the recycled fabrics reinforce the Handmade x Parade collection’s goal of providing sustainable fashion while the colors used make sure that our items are vibrant and one of a kind.
Prints
These prints are inspired by alpacas and their mountainside environment. Each print is hand drawn, further emphasizing the handmade element of this collection.
Look One & Look Two Descriptions
Look Three & Look Four Descriptions
Look Five Description