ModThreads: A Modular Clothing Business.

In response to my explorations of sustainable business models, I present my own proposal: ModThreads modular clothing.

In taking inspiration from brands like Niaga, who design their pieces to modular, and the #WearNext clothing sharing initiative, I ask: Can we combine these two ideas together?

When thinking of modularity, we mostly see this concept applied to bulky items, such as the aforementioned furniture, mattresses, etc. We occasionally see them in smaller items, where the modularity more so serves the purpose of easy recycling so that the item may be separated by material. Clothing, however, we often do not see this concept applied.

One issue we encounter with applying modularity to clothing is because of the complex patterning involved. Pieces need to be able to fit just right, and that can change tremendously between designs. 

When we focus on a clothing object such as the T-Shirt, we can cut down on those variabilities. The pattern is quite straight forward, and the style of T-shirt is one that in our popular culture, quite mainstream. 

With modularity, we can even elevate the normal t-shirt experience. With the design feature of modularity, users are able to swap out pieces to achieve different aesthetics. And we even have precedent for this color-blocked style being well accepted, as seen in the style reference. 

In addition, the sort of temporary style of connecting modular pieces, in this case being snaps, also serves an accessibility purpose. An underrepresented group of people includes those that struggle physically to put on shirts by pulling them over their head, and might be better served by the ability to button the shirt around themselves, without sacrificing aesthetics. 

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However, there are some things about this endeavor that still warrant consideration. Focusing on a t-shirt relieves much of the complexity with patterning, but this still means that we have to consider sizing and proportions of the pieces. Even if we have a limited size range, that will cause additional inclusivity issues. 

There is also the matter of a temporary means of closure. While we have some precedent in the type of track pants that have buttons all down the side, there is also this issue where this temporary closure might make individuals feel less confident about wearing and being covered while wearing these garments. I know even myself, I never wore those snap-close pants without shorts underneath them.

References

Ellen MacArthur Foundation. (2021, June 16). The #WearNext campaign: New York City. https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/circular-examples/the-wearnext-campaign-new-york-city

Ellen MacArthur Foundation. (2021, June 17). Redesigning medium-life bulky products from scratch. https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/circular-examples/redesigning-medium-life-bulky-products-from-scratch