Frances Brunner
“OUR DRIVE SHOULD NOT BE TO CREATE FASHION THAT HAPPENS TO BE SUSTAINABLE, BUT RATHER CREATE SUSTAINABLE SYSTEMS THAT HAPPEN TO BE FASHIONABLE.”
– FRANCES BRUNNER
Observing the fashion industry’s “dopamine-depleting consumeristic habits, glamorisation of cold leadership, and exclusive attitude of high status and beauty standards”, designer Frances Brunner was compelled to steer the industry away from its self-serving character towards more holistic wellness.
“Sustainable design has the power to rewrite the superficial values of consumerism, profit, and status. It is not an act for oneself but an act of service for a global society,” shares the designer, who is studying for her bachelor’s degree in Fashion Design from Kent State University, USA.
Her collection, ‘It’s All Fluff’, explores how the ego is expressed in fashion with upcycled secondhand clothing. As part of Frances’ zero-waste design technique, recycled denim scraps are pulverised, cut, distressed, then stitched or felted to create a new fabric that offers acoustic insulation.
Denim was chosen for its wide accessibility and universal presence, representing the global scale of the fashion waste crisis. The choice of denim, a material known for its huge consumption of water and impact of dyes throughout the manufacturing process, also reflects the concept of ego: built to last and almost unbreakable.
In keeping with her sustainable aims for the collection, Frances also screen-prints on the fabric using a biodegradable water-based ink. And when her garments reach their end-of-life, she invites consumers to return them to her studio to be upcycled, or to send them to other denim recycling programmes to be manufactured into industry-grade insulation.
For her budding career in circular design, Frances looks forward to creating solutions that can be used by national manufacturers to supply the global community with sustainable fashion.
“This collection has taught me to listen more than I speak,” she shares. “I have been learning to observe how the world interacts with itself and others, exploring how fashion intertwines amongst that conversation.”
