Narasvara: The Design of a Convertible Upcycled Bag Using Stitch and Slash Technique with Buketan Motifs
Keywords:
Upcycling, Buketan Motif, Stitch and Slash, Sustainable FashionAbstract
Abstract
The increasing volume of textile waste generated by the fast fashion industry, particularly fabric offcuts often regarded as valueless, has become the primary background of this study. This issue highlights the need for a sustainable design approach that not only focuses on waste reduction but also emphasizes the creation of new aesthetic and cultural values from leftover materials. This study purposes is to explore the aesthetic and functional potential of offcuts and wasted fabric as the main material in the Narasvara bag collection, designed as a sustainable fashion product. The collection focuses on semi-formal convertible bag designs using an upcycling approach, combining stitch and slash textile manipulation techniques with Buketan batik motifs as key visual and cultural elements. The method employed is Material Driven Design (MDD), consisting of four stages: technical and experiential material exploration, material vision definition, user-material interaction analysis, and product concept development. The exploration involved various types of non-elastic fabrics to examine the visual and textural effects of the stitch and slash technique, as well as the adaptation of Buketan motifs into a contemporary design context. The outcomes are realized in three bag variations that emphasize both functional versatility and surface articulation. Evaluation was conducted through a survey involving 102 women aged 18–34 and interviews with three experts in batik, sustainable business, and product design. The results indicate that the designs are perceived as unique, aesthetically engaging, and functionally usable. While some respondents noted the visual density of the surface patterns, this was balanced by the simplicity of the overall form. This study demonstrates that textile waste can be recontextualized as a deliberate design element, contributing to contemporary sustainable fashion by emphasizing aesthetic transformation alongside cultural integration.
References
Armstrong, C. M., Niinimäki, K., Kujala, S., Karell, E., & Lang, C. (2016). Sustainable product-service systems for clothing: Exploring consumer perceptions of consumption alternatives in Finland. Journal of Cleaner Production, 97, 30–39. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2014.01.046
Bick, R., Halsey, E., & Ekenga, C. C. (2018). The global environmental injustice of fast fashion. Environmental Health, 17(1), 92. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12940-018-0433-7
Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. Sage.
Desmet, P. M. A., & Hekkert, P. (2007). Framework of product experience. International Journal of Design, 1(1), 57–66.
Earley, R. (2017). Designing sustainable fashion: Textiles and the fashion industry. Bloomsbury Publishing.
Fletcher, K., & Tham, M. (2019). Earth logic: Fashion action research plan. The J. J. Charitable Trust.
Geissdoerfer, M., Savaget, P., Bocken, N. M. P., & Hultink, E. J. (2017). The circular economy: A new sustainability paradigm? Journal of Cleaner Production, 143, 757–768.
Gwilt, A. (2014). Fashion design for living. Routledge.
Hawley, J. M. (2006). Digging for diamonds: A conceptual framework for understanding reclaimed textile products. Clothing and Textiles Research Journal, 24(3), 262–275. https://doi.org/10.1177/0887302X06294626
Karana, E., Pedgley, O., & Rognoli, V. (2015). Materials experience: Fundamentals of materials and design. Butterworth-Heinemann.
Kozlowski, A., Bardecki, M., & Searcy, C. (2019). Environmental impacts in the fashion industry: A life-cycle and stakeholder framework. Journal of Corporate Citizenship, 2019(73), 17–36. https://doi.org/10.9774/GLEAF.4700.2019.sp.00004
Leman, A., et al. (2020). Textile waste management and reduction strategies in the fashion industry. Journal of Environmental Management, 267, 110–122.
Martono, & Puspita, D. (2022). Material driven design approach in sustainable product development. Journal of Design Studies, 15(2), 85–98.
McNeill, L., & Moore, R. (2015). Sustainable fashion consumption and the fast fashion conundrum. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 39(3), 212–222.
Niinimäki, K., Peters, G., Dahlbo, H., Perry, P., Rissanen, T., & Gwilt, A. (2020). The environmental price of fast fashion. Nature Reviews Earth & Environment, 1, 189–200. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43017-020-0039-9
Nugraha, A., et al. (2021). Cultural value integration in contemporary Indonesian product design. Journal of Cultural Design, 6(1), 45–58.
Pedgley, O., Rognoli, V., & Karana, E. (2021). Materials experience as a foundation for materials and design education. International Journal of Design, 15(2), 1–15.
Rognoli, V., Karana, E., & Pedgley, O. (2017). Materials experience: A product design perspective. Materials & Design, 90, 16–27.
Sandin, G., & Peters, G. M. (2018). Environmental impact of textile reuse and recycling—A review. Journal of Cleaner Production, 184, 353–365. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.02.266
SIPSN. (n.d.). Sistem Informasi Pengelolaan Sampah Nasional (data persampahan Indonesia). Kementerian Lingkungan Hidup dan Kehutanan Republik Indonesia. https://sipsn.menlhk.go.id
Tariq, M. (2023). Stitch and slash technique as a textile surface design method. International Journal of Textile Design, 12(1), 55–63.
Yulianita, D., & Sukendro, G. (2019). Persepsi generasi muda terhadap batik sebagai identitas budaya Indonesia. Jurnal Desain dan Budaya, 4(2), 120–130.
