Mortal Fabric
Mortal Fabric is an initiative that provides communities with a platform and network to give or exchange textiles. The Mortal Fabric website and physical Community Closet spaces work in symbiosis to recirculate textiles within communities.
My Role
Project Manager, Designer, Researcher
Collaboration
Adam Code, Sam Foss, Rue Yi Wang
Timeline
12 weeks, 6 bi-weekly Design Sprints
Project Type
Royal Society of Arts Design Competition
Problem — RSA Design Brief
How might we apply biomimicry to create textiles, processes and systems that enhance nature?
Biomimicry
Biomimicry means to resemble structures or processes in nature. Our non-literal interpretation of this was to become circular like a healthy ecosystem.
Textiles, processes and systems
Consider at what level can we implement a solution; materials, behaviours or processes. How can we use or modify existing systems to make the processes and products themselves sustainable?
Understand the System — Expert Interviews
We can drive greater impact by narrowing our focus to end-of-life by diverting textiles from landfills, recirculating them into use.
After interviewing professionals in the sustainable textile space the general consensus was that the chronic production of textile waste is the most glaring issue to address. We also shaped our local-lead approach based on their feedback.
Interviewees
Nicholas Jelich, Alexander Racher & Liahm Rues — Team Procario, University of Waterloo
Isaac LaRose — CEO of EDEN Power Corp. Sustainable Clothing Company
Dr. Anika Kozlowski — Assistant Professor of Fashion Design, Ethics & Sustainability, PhD Environmental Sciences, TMU
Claire & Kris — Yorklane Art Collective
Understand use of Clothing — User Survey
Users experience conflict between expressing personal style and living sustainably.
We surveyed 72 respondents ages 18 to 30 about how they acquire, use and eventually get rid of their clothes.
Insights
Folks are interested and successful in returning clothes to circulation by way of second-hand and trading.
Self expression and style are very important.
There is an interest in being sustainable, but difficulty achieving it. Respondents cite price, accessibility, lack of education and being discouraged by the state of the world as barriers to living sustainably.
Ideate — Consolidate Ideas into Wireframes
Our product goal is to divert textiles away from landfills working on a local scale.
Using our research to form a central product goal, the team split up to come with ideas to meet it. We reconvened to present our work and I consolidated our ideas into wireframes.
Idea 1
Create a textile trading platform that allows users to build communities and organize events in person to exchange textiles. — Me
Idea 2
Create a mutual aid network via “Community Closets” to help with clothing security, tailored to each community’s needs. Build in opportunities for mending and up-cycling clothing that is damaged. — Adam Code
Sketches of Home page, Posts, Messages and Offers
Usability Testing —
We tested the low-fidelity wireframes with users and prioritized issues using Defect Prioritization so that we could allocate our efforts in a limited timeframe. Top ranked issues were addressed in the final designs, while lower ranking issues were listed as future enhancements.
Defect Prioritization Chart
Solution — Key Workflows
01 Post Items
Trade Flow
Post clothing items to trade locally with members of your community.
I’m Looking For
Add items to your post that you’re are interested in trading for.
Offered On
Select the geographic neighbourhood you’re is willing to trade within.
02 Messaging
Trade Flow
Organize trades with members of your community.
Make Offers
Select an item you have posted to create a formal offer.
Accept or Decline
When sent an offer, choose to Accept or Decline.
03 Threads
Community Closet Flow
Neighbourhoods can run physical spaces to exchange clothing through Mortal Fabric Community Threads.
Community Closets
Community Closets can serve as sites for mutual aid; leave what you can or take what you need.
What’s Next? — Future Improvements
Accessing Community Closets
Run further usability testing on Community Closets pages & reiterate Community Closet Threads so they’re more intuitive.
Physical Community Closet Spaces
Test how Community Closets can be implemented in neighbourhoods with physical prototype spaces.
Ensuring Safe Real World Interactions between Users
Implement safety measures to ensure user interactions are safe when trades are made.