The Future of Sustainable Garment Design with Mary Ruppert-Stroescu of RECLEM

Mary Ruppert-Stroescu is an Associate Professor in the Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Art at Washington University in St. Louis. She holds a Ph.D. in Human Environmental Sciences and a MS in Textile and Apparel Management. With nearly 10 years of prior experience working in fashion design and manufacturing in Europe and North Africa, Mary links industry practices and standards with academic analysis and exploration to foster innovation that is useful and meaningful. Her research focuses on the study and application of creativity, sustainable textile and fashion design, and wearable electronic textile-based systems to improve health and well-being. She holds a patent, titled: Textile repurposing and sustainable garment design. In this episode, you’ll learn: How Mary got started in her sustainability research What the research, proof of concept, and patent process looked like How the design process differs when designing for the RECLEM process versus traditional cut and sew manufacturing  How the RECLEM process reuses textiles and eliminates waste  How Mary defines sustainability in fashion How designers have the biggest impact on the recyclability of a product What Mary sees as the future of fashion design and manufacturing The difference between convergent and divergent creativity The skills Mary sees as essential for the fashion designers of the future People and resources mentioned in this episode: RECLEM website Mary’s LinkedIn Mary’s email Mary on Instagram RECLEM on Instagram Washington University in Saint Louis Fashion Department on Instagram Textile repurposing and sustainable garment design patent The Ellen Macarthur Foundation Fashion Group International Do you want fashion business tips and resources like this sent straight to your inbox? Sign up for the How Fitting newsletter to receive new podcast episodes plus daily content on creating fashion that fits your customer, lifestyle, and values.