Can fashion and sustainability truly coexist? What role can technology play in shaping a more sustainable fashion industry? In this episode of Curiosities, we speak with Associate Professor Timo Rissanen, a fashion and textiles researcher with a focus on sustainability and social justice. He is the research director at the Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Fashion and Textiles. Timo answers your curious questions about how we can transform the fashion industry by tackling waste, embracing sustainability and still having fun with style. Timo’s practice-based research is grounded in the UTS School of Design’s Material Ecologies theme. He has a growing interest in soil-to-soil fibre systems and Earth Logic, a framework that puts natural systems at the centre of fashion and textile practice. His work explores systems-level solutions to the challenges of fashion manufacturing waste and expands the boundaries of what sustainable fashion can be. He played a key role in establishing the Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Fashion and Textiles in July 2021. A collaboration between UTS and TAFE NSW, the Centre is leading efforts to reimagine industry education and research through the lens of sustainability and Industry 4.0. Beyond academia, Timo is also an artist. His textile and performance-based works, such as the acclaimed 15% created with artist Salla Salin, expose the hidden labour and waste of the global fashion industry. Exhibited internationally from New York to Tokyo, his work explores the intersections of labour, politics, the environment and queer materialities. Timo is the co-author of two influential books: Zero Waste Fashion Design, a call for designers to rethink waste produced by their practice; and Shaping Sustainable Fashion, which explores repair and longevity as foundations of design. He has co-curated major exhibitions including: Yield: Making Fashion Without Making Waste (Wellington, New Zealand and Brooklyn in New York, USA); and Fashioning Now (UTS Gallery, 2009). Timo completed his PhD in zero-waste fashion at UTS in 2013. He has held academic positions at Parsons School of Design, The New School, and is a founding member of the Union of Concerned Researchers in Fashion. Find out more about Associate Professor Timo Rissanen: https://profiles.uts.edu.au/Timo.Riss... Find out more about the Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Fashion and Textiles: https://www.uts.edu.au/about/facultie... Questions answered in this episode: 00:00 Introduction 00:38 What's the most important thing we should all think about in relation to clothing? 01:38 What sustainable fashion practices do you personally follow? 02:42 Can fashion and sustainability coexist while still being fun? 03:50 What are the benefits of fashion rental services and when should I consider renting instead of buying? 04:52 What is the role of technology in making the fashion industry more sustainable? 06:15 Why don't more brands adopt sustainable practices? 07:32 How can we teach design in a way that prepares students to create a more sustainable future? 08:51 Who is responsible for ensuring sustainability in fashion? To dive deeper into the references throughout this video: - https://australiainstitute.org.au/pos... - https://www.vogue.com/article/how-man... - https://www.imperial.ac.uk/stories/fa...
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Introducing our Curiosities series - where we are committed to bringing you trustworthy answers to the questions that matter most to you. Our UTS experts delve into topics, from AI to social justice, sustainability, and the future of education. Their mission is to take the complicated, make it bite-sized, and serve it up in a way that's easy to digest. Ready to supercharge your brain and satisfy your curiosity? Let’s tackle the challenging questions for a better future together.

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