Samenvatting

To decrease the environmental impact that the textile industry is responsible for, new materials are constantly being innovated. However, there is a forgotten fiber that was eliminated by the American government and big companies who wanted to push the cotton and synthetic fiber industry forward almost 100 years ago. To this day, there is still a misconception surrounding hemp and many people do not know about the material. Due to the positive effect the fiber can have on the environmental impact, it is important to increase the awareness and knowledge of hemp. This project was performed with help from Francesco Mirizzi, who is part of the EIHA which is an organization who have come together to stimulate the European hemp industry.
Incorporating materials into garments is a good way to introduce consumers to an unfamiliar material. The final product of this project is a womenswear collection of at least 15 to 20 items that can be worn in all seasons. At least five items will be made into physical prototypes. The goal is to use European fabrics that are preferably 100% hemp. The collection will include some upcoming trends but will also include timeless and basic designs. The season is the whole year of 2021. The target consumers are women between the ages of 23 and 38 who live in Europe and are already interested in sustainable fashion. To measure the wishes and requirements of the target group, a survey was conducted in which 113 women participated. The Lamb & Kallal model is used to analyse whether all the decisions made throughout the project, still meet the wishes and requirements that resulted from the survey.
The second chapter starts with researching the history of hemp, its’ environmental impact and the characteristics by means of literature research. Moreover, research was done to consumer behavior towards sustainability and the current European hemp industry. Secondly, the target consumer was finalized by creating a persona. Trend analysis was performed to research what the upcoming trends will be for 2021. This includes style trends but also the colour trends. For the material side of the project, material research was performed. This research includes the importance of stimulating the European hemp industry and the barriers that need to be overcome. The conclusion of the material research was that completely sustainable European hemp fabrics cannot be guaranteed in the current industry. Therefore, the decision was made to put the focus on using European hemp fabrics regardless of its composition and sustainability. This way, the collection can show clearly what is currently possible with European hemp. The material research resulted in an initial fabric selection for which five suppliers are chosen and 21 fabrics are selected.
After conducting trend analysis and material research, the Lamb & Kallal model is used to analyze which trends and materials meet the requirements and how the requirements will be met during the design process. The inspiration for the collection is the diversity of the hemp plant. This inspiration is shown in a moodboard from which nine colours are chosen for the colour card. Ideas are gathered from the moodboard to create the first sketches. After this, twelve fabrics were chosen from the initial fabric card. The decision was made to choose diverse fabrics to fit the general idea of the collection. This means, there are thin and thick fabrics with different structures.
Once all the sketches were turned into technical drawings, six items were chosen to make as physical prototypes. The prototyping phase consisted of two rounds. The final collection overview consists of 29 garments that are all offered in one or two colours. The prototypes were assessed by conducting semi-structured interviews with six women who fit the target group, and by using the Lamb & Kallal model. After analyzing the results from the interviews, new changes are made to