SPLIT: Laetitia Forst + Grado Zero Innovation

SPLIT is a collection of modular garments using design

for disassembly to enable material recovery in a circular

economy.

Complex products such as jackets and coats are

currently a challenge when it comes to recycling. Indeed

recycling systems are adapted to simple and

mono-material inputs, however the functionality and

aesthetics expected from these products require

combinations of resources which create barriers to the

effective recovery and recycling of the materials at the

end of life. The SPLIT collection uses design for

disassembly in textile design to apply the same thinking

as general waste separation to garments and allow for

each resource to be recovered separately at the end of

life.

The collection will combine different sustainable

materials from the Grado Zero Lifematerials library to

create multi-functional garments with high aesthetic

qualities that can be fully disassembled and recycled at

the end of life. For instance the details made of the

luxurious Muskin mushroom leather can be removed for

washing and be composted when they are no longer

used. Similarly nettle denim can be used in combination

with a recycled polyester lining. This modular

construction allows for a variety of looks based on a

core garment shape which can be modified by adding or

removing elements.