Zero Waste Design Collective

Check out the link in our bio to , an action of The Or Foundation that calls for accountability on production volumes and accountability for waste generated by large fashion brands. The Or calls for new clothing reduction of at least 40% over five years, balanced by the increase of reuse and remanufacture of existing materials, as well as public records of a company’s annual production volumes. Sign the petition and read more about how waste colonialism is impacting Ghana!

We love the intersectional work that is doing around fashion and environmental justice. We are so honored to be seen for the value of our zero waste design work and entrusted with sharing it within Ghana’s local and rich cultural context. We’ve been a huge fan of The Or Foundation since we started following their work in 2020. It was a dream come true getting to visit in person and see the incredibly impactful work they are doing within the local community.

We’ll be sharing more about our collaborative workshops with them soon!

It has been an incredible week in Lagos with the launch of our workshop series. On Friday, our final day in Lagos was focused on making physical zero waste samples in full, half, or quarter scale, inspired by the work throughout the week. It was such a joy seeing and hearing how Zero Waste can be looked at in a local context and implemented straight away in a lot of practices.

By Friday, mindsets had shifted and there was a palpable feel of excitement around implementable solutions and creative thinking surrounding ZW patterns.

We want to say a special thanks to Daniel Adesanya for his unending enthusiasm and support of the project. Our participants, for the time and trusting the process. And to our interns, Mathilde and the rest of the team and .lagos for making sure everything ran smoothly.

was brought to life with the kind support of and



Photo credit:

We are delighted to say that after a tough tech time, our ZWDC website and emails are back online! 🎉

👉 Our new URL is www.zwdcollective.org. Here you'll find everything as it was, including our Community Directory, Zero Waste Pattern Library, Online Courses. So make sure to update your Bookmarks, or if you haven't checked it out before, now is the perfect time!

👉 Our new Team Email is [email protected]. You can also contact us via DM, or the Contact Form on our site.

We are so sorry for any inconveniences or frustrations this down-time has caused, and hope that our community are as happy as we are to have everything back up and running. 🚀

📚Let’s talk about books! 📚

We were delighted to come across A Kind Cloth’s blog post from late July, where they highlight books that have helped them on their Zero Waste Design journey!

📖 The first is Zero Waste Fashion Design, by Timo Rissanen, Holly McQuillan. Holly is a co-founder of ZWDC, and along with Timo, brought this book to life back in 2016.

Marine, of A Kind Cloth, says “This book talks about the whole design process, looking back in history across the globe how zero waste design techniques were already in place, and how these are now iconic pieces of our clothing history."

Did you know the second edition is out this coming week?!

It includes new content on integrating 3D design into a zero waste process, additional coverage of the historical context of zero waste around the world, and expands on the related technique of subtraction cutting. Plus, a fantastic new cover that features the Zero Waste Scrub Set by another ZWDC co-founder, Danielle Elsener of . What a team!



📖 The second is Zero Waste Sewing, by Elizabeth M. Haywood. We expect many of you will be big fans of Liz’s work, as we certainly are!

Marine says “This book is a great place to start if you want to get into zero waste sewing. Everything is laid out so it is as straightforward as can be. There's also sewing techniques, and tips on how to draft your own zero waste sewing patterns.”

Liz has also been releasing her book project, “A Year of Zero Waste Sewing – A year of exploration, making and musings on zero waste patterns and clothes”, as monthly zines. Check them out on Liz’s blog, linked in her bio!



📖 And the final book is Zero Waste Patterns, by Birgitta Helmersson. Marine says “when I heard Birgitta was going to publish a book, I knew I had to have it. And now I do, I certainly do not regret the purchase! The book comes with 20 wearable projects all displayed in a beautiful simple aesthetic."



You can read Marine’s full review (as well as an incredible, curated collection of sustainable fabrics, and lots more…) over at akindcloth.co.uk, or check them out on Instagram . ✨

💰How do you keep costs down when creating Zero Waste Design garments? 💰

We would love to know how you keep your spending low when on your Zero Waste Design journey!

For many people, we know that a change to a more sustainable wardrobe comes with one big, really important barrier - the cost.

Have you found ways to spend less while also creating less waste? Do you have tips on a more affordable way to grow and learn in the zero waste space? Why not share with the community in the comments below? 👇