Thesis students help recycled felt change the fashion industry

Working with the company i-did and renowned couture designer Ronald van der Kemp (RVDK), three pairs of students shared their final thesis work centered around Project Trashure.

Felt Fashion

Recycled felt that i-did produces ensures masses of textile do not reach landfills. A key pillar of the circular economy, this form of recycling needs to become more broadly accepted and utilized. In collaboration with RVDK, Sympany and i-did six graduation students aim to make recycled felt an integral material in fashion.

The Magic of X

TMO students Jasmin Holthuijsen and Niek Oving, introduced their key question ‘What is the added value of design for commercialization of recycled textiles?’ Although recycled felt provides a great solution to wicked challenges in the fashion industry, the material has an image problem and it is precisely this that the Magic of X aims to address. Through “value propositions, branding, design and co creation” the business students have found the extreme value that design can carry. For example: “The SMEG Toaster that is ordinarily priced at 200 euros, changed the price point to 500 euros through a collaboration with Dolce & Gabbana. This highlights how strategic collaborations such as these, can have a drastic impact on increasing the value of products”.  The students found that “uniqueness, price point and the choice of designer” are critical in value creation of recycled textile products.

Accessorizing Trashure

Two other pairs of students, TMO students Maxime Leanes and Fleur van Oosterhout as well as THUAS students Ivan de Boer and Usman Malik, presented which business model for a Trashure premium accessories collection could be commercially successful. After having interviewed experts in various fields, they have come to realize that people desire 360 experiences in which they can really immerse themselves. With this critical take-away in mind, the students display the accessories they are trying to market as innovative Trashure designs - all made from recycled felt. Focusing on a framework in which these products can best be commercialized to reach a mainstream audience - the 3 teams hope to be able to create a tangible model for the companies to utilize in making recycled felt accessories the new craze.