Exploring Zero Waste Design with Stefanie Kroth
In our latest online TAUKO Community Meeting, we spent an hour with Stefanie Kroth, the pattern technician of TAUKO Magazine, with background in fashion design and pattern making, exploring the principles and practical realities of zero waste fashion design.
Stefanie introduced zero waste design, her true passion, as a way to reduce fabric consumption and rethink how garments are created from the very beginning of the pattern-making process. She shared examples of innovative approaches such as subtraction cutting, kinetic pattern construction, tessellation, and construction-based design, showing how pattern pieces can be developed to use fabric more efficiently.
The session also touched on the environmental impact of textile waste. Stefanie explained how a significant amount of fabric is lost already at the cutting stage in garment production, and how zero waste design can help reduce this waste while also lowering material costs for makers and small businesses.
We looked at historical and contemporary references, including designers and pattern innovators such as Madeleine Vionnet, Julian Roberts, Rickard Lindqvist, Liz Haywood, and others working with zero waste methods today. Stefanie also shared resources, books, and collectives where participants can continue learning more.
A particularly useful part of the session focused on workflow: starting from a sketch, developing pattern ideas, testing layouts with mini-prototypes, and using tools such as 3D visualization software to check ideas before cutting into fabric. Mila and Stefanie also discussed how working in miniature can help makers understand unusual construction methods without using precious fabric.
Thank you to Stefanie for sharing her knowledge so generously, and to everyone who joined the online session. HERE is a link to the recording which is not complete due to technical issues, the beginnig is missing :).
A list of designers and resources from the meeting:
Inspiration
Middle Age/Liz Haywood
Thyaht Ram
Madelaine Vionnet
Geneviève Sevin-Doering
Yoshiki Hishinuma
Julian Roberts, Subtraction Cutting
Rickard Lingvist, Kinetic Garments
Bible of Zero Waste:
Timo Rissanen & Holly McQuillan: Zero Waste Fashion Design
ZW Fashion
Natascha von Hirschhausen
Notjustalabel:AA Gold
Farrah Floyd
Emroce
Zandra Rhodes
Kiabi
DIY
Zero Waste Design Collective // Zero Waste Pattern Library
https://www.zwdcollective.org/
Liz Haywood (Books: Zero Waste sewing, One year of Zero Waste sewing)
https://lizhaywood.com.au/
-> in the japanese book
Birigtta Helemrsson (Books: Zero Waste Patterns, Sewing with scraps)
https://www.birgittahelmersson.com/
-> in the japanese book
Danielle Elsner (Decode) -> in the japanese book
https://decode.design/
Mylène L’Orguilloux (Book: Couture Zéro Chute)
https://www.reformonsnous.fr/
-> Workshops in French
Stefanie Kroth (Book: Zero Waste Nähen)
https://www.stefaniekroth.de/zerowaste/
TAUKO Designers
Liz Haywood (Issue 9 & 18)
Birgitta Helmersson (Issue 2 & 19)
Emily Klug (issue 9)
Cynthia Bitshell (Issue 11 & 18)
Cris Wood (Issue 15)
Julie Bourgeois (Issue 7)
ZWW.FI (ZW
https://www.instagram.com/zerowastewardrobe/
Our next TAUKO Community Meeting will take place in June and will focus on sewing machines. You can sign up here: