The fashion industry towards change
In recent years we have witnessed a transition in the fashion industry towards a more responsible production organisation, demonstrating how important it is to connect the different actors involved in an increasingly synergetic manner.
Design is the starting point for change and material selection is the beginning of every project
Many manufacturers are implementing techniques for the creation of new textile fibres from waste recovered from different supply chains, such as the industrial or food sectors, aiming the development of technologies that can serve and satisfy strategies based on circularity.
Up-to-date knowledge of the opportunities offered by existing materials on the market enables designers to make conscious and autonomous choices from the earliest stages of design.
This is possible if supported by regular and authentic collaboration with specialised manufacturers enthusiastic about distributing knowledge and resources that can foster responsible fashion development.
DAMō was created to enable designers and manufacturers to meet
DAMō was born out of the desire to enable the meeting of interested parties through a web portal full of interactive tools and accessible resources. DAMō is the ideal place for the creation of fashion products that respect the best standards of ethical design, circular fashion and socio-environmental sustainability.
But was does the name DAMō mean?
Some people have asked us what DAMō means. The name DAMō was carefully designed to embody the fundamental pillars of our project: circularity, creativity, reuse and made in Italy.
Playing with the anagram of the Italian word 'Moda' (fashion), we want to emphasise that, by reusing innovatively what already exists and is ready to be used or reused 'da mò', we can preserve the aesthetic-symbolic elements characteristic of fashion while making it more sustainable.
Let us look in detail at the meaning of our pillars:
- Circularity: we promote the transition process towards circular design starting with traceability and transparency of the supply chain and promoting certified materials with high-quality standards for the creation of circular fashion products.
- Creativity: we support the development of creativity by offering designers and brands easy access to sustainable materials at competitive prices and in customised quantities
- Reuse: we want to promote the use of existing materials or of materials created according to new sustainable recycling technologies, without resorting to the exploitation of new raw materials
- Made in Italy: we want to enhance the Italian fashion industry, with its textile and manufacturing traditions, supporting it in the process of adapting to the new standards required by the European Community (EU Strategy for Sustainable and circular textiles https://environment.ec.europa.eu/publications/textiles-strategy_en)
A web portal to support the development of sustainable fashion
We, therefore, decided to create a web portal where technology and transparent communication intertwine to support the development of creative projects.
You will be able to move freely within our web portal and be supported at every stage of your research.
Within our easy and intuitive portal, you will be able to choose the solutions that best suit your needs, and find the answers and tools you need to help you in the development of your fashion collections.
The portal is structured to support you in the following three design phases:
- Search for easily accessible educational content such as product sheets, industry reports and webinars, to educate designers on sustainability issues and promote transparent communication of fashion collections
- Development of ethical fashion products. Technology, an essential element for innovation, supports the various stages of design by facilitating and accelerating all processes: 3D technology and AI are used to enhance the creative research and development experience.
- Search for eco-sustainable materials through a system of cataloguing materials according to sustainability parameters studied with experts in the field to guarantee high standards of quality, sustainability and traceability in line with DAM values and allow users to connect and source materials from small local producers and certified suppliers.
DAMō Traceability System
Today, more than ever, the traceability of a garment's origins and the details of how and where it is made are becoming increasingly important. It is crucial that designers have all the necessary information about the materials used in the creation of their fashion products. For this reason, DAMō has developed its own traceability system, aimed at providing designers with a complete view of materials along each stage of their life cycle, in order to make them aware of the choices they make.
Our sustainability attribute system was developed in cooperation with 4sustainability, a multidimensional system that fashion & luxury brands and companies can respectively recognise and adopt to build sustainable production chains. 4sustainability is developed and updated to harmonise the requirements and indications of the most globally recognised industry methodologies and initiatives.
It makes it easy for companies to measure their sustainability performance and enables annual verification and validation of progress as a form of assurance and communication to the market.
To determine the attributes of each material, the evaluation criteria are divided into three categories - Origin / Processes and Treatments / Life Cycle - so as to trace the phases of the materials' production cycle. Next to this is a further category ‘Trace’, which is necessary to describe the traceability of the items.
A set of attributes that encapsulates the specific sustainability characteristics of the fabric, pertaining to its composition and the raw materials within it..
Pre-consumer textile
Textile raw materials or semi-finished products derived from textile waste from previous processing or unsold stock.
Mechanically recycled
Fabric containing a percentage of material derived from mechanical recycling processes.
Chemically recycled
Fabric containing a percentage of material derived from chemical recycling processes.
Recycled
Fabric containing a proportion of material derived from recycling processes.
Organic
Material made from natural fibers such as cotton, wool, silk, hives and jute grown without the use of GMOs, pesticides and hazardous fertilizers.
A set of attributes aimed at safeguarding the well-being of the communities and workers involved, and initiatives focused on creating opportunities for collective welfare.
Empowerment of local communities
Activities aimed at providing support, resources and opportunities to individuals and groups within a community in order to strengthen their economic independence.
Support on smallholder farmers
Forms of assistance that are provided to farmers/farmers, including- access to credit, long-term contracts, farming support tools, etc. - with the aim of improving their living conditions.
Decent work & sustainable livelihoods
According to the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the United Nations (UN), decent work is a prerequisite for human well-being; workers must receive wages paid fairly, without incidents of forced and child labor. Materials characterized by this attribute come from Initiatives and Certifications committed to improving the working and livable conditions of ranching and farming communities.
Safe conditions for workers and communities
Requirements aimed at enhancing the safety of agricultural workers and neighbouring communities.
Set of attributes containing the requirements, commitments and tools proposed by the Certifications and Initiatives related to the material, with the aim of reducing environmental impact.
Save water
Commitments to reduce water consumption, which include adopting more efficient irrigation techniques and material processing methods
Regenerative agriculture
Cultivation techniques aimed at restoring natural systems to their original state involve repopulating land degraded by farming with the plant species that were previously present.
Land, soil, air protection
Requirements aimed at safeguarding land, soil, and air to prevent contamination, depletion, and degradation of biodiversity.
Soil conservation
An approach aimed at preventing the loss of the topsoil layer due to erosion, as well as mitigating reduced fertility resulting from overuse, acidification, salinization, and/or other chemical contamination.
Free from pesticides
No pesticides are used in the cultivation of natural fibres.
GMO banned
Prohibited use of Genetically Modified Organisms as crops.
Pest management
Pesticide management system.
Crop protection
A set of strategies and tools aimed at safeguarding crops from pests, such as diseases, viruses, weeds, and insects. This must be achieved in line with sustainability principles, including the prohibition of harmful pesticides, with the objective of reducing resource consumption and associated environmental impacts.
Against deforestation
Cellulosic-based material sourced from sustainably managed forests where no deforestation processes are conducted.
The absence of chemicals considered hazardous according to the Manufacturing Restricted Substances List (MRSL) published by the ZDHC organisation.
Reduced water consumption, both direct and indirect, during material processing, which can be quantified using a specific indicator: the water footprint.
Reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions during material processing, measurable through a specific indicator: the carbon footprint.
Material subjected to a Life Cycle Analysis aimed at calculating all inputs (energy, water, resources) and outputs (by-products and waste released into the environment) flows.
The material for which all necessary information (e.g., production batch, transport documents, and processing details) has been recorded to reconstruct the ownership changes that occurred during the manufacturing process.
Material traced and processed by entities within the territory of Italy, excluding raw materials
Material tracked using blockchain technology. In a blockchain network, each transfer of material ownership is recorded on a shared, decentralised ledger using digital tools such as QR codes. Each transaction is recorded in a blockchain, connected in chronological order, forming a 'chain'. Participants in the network may choose to make information accessible to all participants, or enforce higher security measures where access is restricted to agreed-upon information between parties.
Material composed of 100% natural proteic, natural cellulosic, or synthetic raw materials and thus recyclable through appropriate processes.
The ability of the fabric to be decomposed by bacteria and other living organisms in the environment.
Remaining deadstock
Material that is potentially decomposable by bacteria and other living organisms.
Material composed of 100% natural proteic, natural cellulosic, or synthetic raw materials and thus potentially recyclable through appropriate processes.