Fold
A single die-cut bag with zero off-cut waste
Research
When evaluating how product design can impact our cost-effectiveness and reduce our waste, I researched the impact of soft goods.
The global soft goods industry contributes to nearly 92 million tons of textile waste a year — a major contributing factor is fabric off-cuts during manufacturing.
Exploring innovative single folding patterns that tessellate as a means of reducing off-cuts, we can achieve unique design while reducing our impact and saving money on our material at scale.
Ideation
I began the ideation process by defining colors, features, and aesthetic elements through a mood board.
I then dove into the sketching process to explore patterns that would not only fold into a bag but tile with itself on every side to reduce off-cut waste.
Once I defined a pattern that both folded into a functional bag and worked with tessellation, I began defining the proportions, exploring color-ways, and developing a sewing procedure.
Final Direction
Once the final pattern was developed, I began producing a tech pack for the prototyping process
Given the unique shape and sewing procedure involved, I made a process map with detailed call-outs to ensure the final product would meet quality standards.
Prototyping
I began the prototyping process with small-scale paper mock-ups as a reference for an early fabric model.
Once the sewing process was clear, I moved forward with an early proof of concept works-like prototype that would be a reference for a final looks-like prototype.
I then made a final full-sized paper pattern of the bag and began sewing the final prototype with two layers of 600 denier waterproof nylon.
The result was a fully functional bag with two integrated pockets made from a zero off-cut pattern.