Revolutionizing Fashion: [1/1]™'s Sustainable Slow Fashion Movement Tackles Water Waste in Style

[1/1]™ is a haute couture brand from Vienna, Austria. Their collection is 99.9 percent repurposed, with only some metal buttons being new. Their concept uses traditional craftsmanship to work with modern, edge-cutting found materials, including everything from second-hand zippers and even yarn.

When sharing their collection, [1/1]™ emphasizes how their repurposed clothes do not waste even a single litre of extra water. This allows them to campaign for the public’s awareness of the water waste problem in the fashion industry. This makes [1/1]™ aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals of Responsible Consumption and Production and Clean Water and Sanitation.

Coat by [1/1]™. Image courtesy of @oneofone_concept/Instagram.

One thing that makes [1/1]™ particularly stand out is that they don’t just create new clothes out of thrifted or old clothes but also from fabrics that traditionally are not thought of as clothes. These include but are not limited to towels, tablecloths, cat mats, and even carpets. This means that they are doing more than just recycling old clothes; they are also open to upcycling a wide range of fabrics.

Upcycling pattern shared by [1/1]™ where two old garments are used to create a new one. Image courtesy of @oneofone_concept/Instagram.

As previously mentioned, [1/1]™ pays particular attention to the amount of water waste that is created by their collection. The European Parliament has shared that in 2020, the textile industry was the third largest source of water degradation in Europe. Around the globe, textile production is estimated to be responsible for around 20 percent of clean water pollution worldwide, mainly due to the heavy chemical contents used in dyeing, bleaching and finishing products in the industry.

Upcycling pattern shared by [1/1]™ of a coat tailored from a cat mat. Image courtesy of @oneofone_concept/Instagram.

This is why it is important for [1/1]™ to ensure that they keep their water waste at a minimum. It is a move that becomes even more important when people also consider that the fashion industry’s water pollution crisis is still, as the World Bank puts it, an invisible crisis. This phenomenon refers to how current major sustainable fashion movements have been heavily focused on tackling the physical fabric waste that the industry generates, while its water wastes takes the back seat. Again, this becomes more reason as to why [1/1]™ is doing a great job by advocating for a lesser known cause.

Upcycling pattern shared by [1/1]™ of an origami-style kimono blazer. Image courtesy of @oneofone_concept/Instagram.

Aside from creating custom one of a kind pieces, [1/1]™ also creates and shares zero waste tailoring guides. These guides are digital step-by-step toolkits to create essential pieces such as shirts and pants from found fabrics that are readily available at home. By sharing these digital resources, [1/1]™ is further showcasing their commitment to a future where sustainable fashion is the norm.

Find out more about [1/1]™’s sustainable designs and their other initiatives by checking their Instagram on @oneofone_concept.