Meet Erin Donohoe, the Sustainable Fashion student reimagining fashion magazines
08 August 2024
Erin Donohoe (2024), Ai generated image of a Vogue magazine that can be planted in soil and grow and ‘Vogue Garden.’
Sustainable Fashion MA (Online) student Erin Donohoe has created a powerful reimagining of the fashion magazine’s role in the industry.
Erin, who studies part time and works as Design Lead at accessible arts charity ARTHOUSE Unlimited, received a distinction for the research project entitled ‘Elderberries’, which innovatively sought to shift the focus of future fashion magazines away from products, and towards showcasing ethical practices.
With over 15 years' experience working as a senior designer across multiple creative sectors, from sustainable product design and development to illustration, Erin has joined Falmouth’s sustainable fashion community with the aim of supporting her current company to produce their products more sustainably, and to become a sustainable fashion academic herself.
We caught up with Erin to talk about the research and inspiration behind ‘Elderberries’ and her commitment to sustainability within the creative industries.
As a practitioner with many strings to your bow, what inspires you to be creative?
The majority of my creativity is inspired by going for walks on the North Down Way and the Pilgrims Way. In my local area of Guildford there are a lot of nature reserves and woodlands with wildlife and a nice range of flora that changes with the seasons. It was during a walk on Pewley Down that I noticed an abundance of elderberry plants, which gave me the idea to research their properties and uses for the Sustainable Fashion ‘Reimagine’ module.
As an experienced designer, when did you first become aware of the need for sustainable transformation within the design industries?
I first noticed fashion was overdue a new system design when I was visiting a factory in East Asia that was producing wetsuits and sportswear as part of a previous design role. As I was walking through the factory, I noticed a lot of waste materials, and the aroma of toxic chemicals used during production; I had to cover my face because the toxicity in the air was making my eyes water. I don’t think people realise that toxic chemicals are used to make their clothing, and there is evidence today that clothes made with harsh chemicals can affect our health and the environment for a long time after they are made.
After several onsite factory trips, I worked with the factory on some compliance to eliminate the use of toxic chemicals from the supply chain. In terms of waste management, our UK pattern cutters designed sustainable pattern layouts to reduce the textile waste that occurs when cutting out patterns from fabric.
Since then, I have always chosen to work with companies that adhere to sustainable and circular business models and am committed to helping brands that need guidance on sustainability to evolve and move away from linear business models.
What made you choose to join Falmouth’s online community of changemakers on the Sustainable Fashion MA (Online) course?
With my experience working as a head designer and product developer, I have always wanted to use my hands-on experience to try and design system changes in the fashion industry. The Sustainable Fashion MA has provided me with the tools to use my knowledge as leverage points to work towards designing new systems that consider people and planet before profit.
Can you tell us more about the ideas behind your recent project ‘Elderberries’ which was awarded a distinction?
Our brief was to research our local area to discover opportunities for a new fashion industry based in 2040. In Guildford we have a rich history of the past textiles industry dating back to the Middle Ages. I didn’t want to recreate an industry that is reliant on natural resources like Guildford’s past industry was based on, and which the current fashion industry is leaning towards. I instead wanted to create an industry that adopts the ‘cradle to cradle’ design model and involves a variation of skills, from regenerative farming, science and technology to regenerative energy, product design and development, which Guildford and the neighbouring villages obtain within their community and bioregion.
Food waste was the driving force behind my idea, and I reimagined using elderberry waste – also known as ‘cake’ – that is derived from the actual pressing of elderberries for consumable products, to be used for textile dyeing.
Moreover, I developed an idea to use elderberry waste to produce a biomaterial called ‘Elderbio’ that was already coloured due to the colour dyeing properties present in the yarn. During my research, I sourced an elderberry orchard within my bioregion and met the farmers, where I was able to learn more about the process of elderberry farming and ask questions relating to how waste is generated by food and beverage companies using their products.
The chosen platform to present the project was designed as a reimagined Vogue article on a digital platform. I reimagined Vogue in 2040 to be advertising the stories behind the clothes, rather than the clothes themselves being the main driving force behind fashion brands. I played with the idea of fashion brands being celebrated for their sustainable fashion supply chains and innovations in sustainability, rather than the product being advertised on a model. I also created advertisements within the article that promoted a ‘grow your own Vogue Garden’ concept: if the reader wanted to purchase a physical copy of Vogue magazine, they could plant it in their garden after use, and it would grow a plant of some kind. By the end of the year, the reader would have a ‘Vogue Garden.’
Since completing the project, I am planning on taking my research to potential biomaterial yarn producers to discuss the real-life feasibility of my idea.
What has been the most valuable thing you have learned on the course so far?
The Sustainable Fashion MA has taught me to investigate my local area and work with the community, rather than seeking to change fashion from a global point of view. Starting local and working with the community on projects to begin the conversation and education around sustainable fashion feels much more effective. If every village, town, or city has a group of people working on sustainability projects, I am hopeful we will be able to reach our global sustainability goals for 2050.
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