Lunne
Spot treating laundry tool
2017
Lund University, Lund, Skane Sweden
Lisa Lai : Product Design, Art Direction, 3D rendering, CNC
Materials: Birch and PLA
Size: 5” diameter
How much of our clothes do we actually get dirty? Is it necessary to always wash the entire garment? With textile waste growing, I explore how we can extend the lifespan of the clothes we already own.
Lunne is a wooden laundry tool optimized to spot-treat dirtied areas of a garment. Made of two parts, the washboard goes beneath the textile as the hoop clasps over the top, preventing water from leaking outside the isolated area.
It extends the time between each machine wash cycle, ultimately reducing water usage and damage to the clothing. The flat and smooth design of the tool’s edge means that the textile does not get wrinkled and roughened that could potentially damage the cloth. Emotional durability is built as Lunne promotes habits of care and creates a more intimate relationship between the garment and the user.
Lunne was exhibited at the Degree Exhibition Lund School of Industrial Design in Lund, Sweden, as well as the Spring Exhibition 2017 at Form Design Center in Malmo, Sweden in 2017.
Process
Problem Space
Textile Waste
Around 14 million tonnes of textile waste was produced last year in North America. The fast fashion industry has made it so easy to buy clothes in high quantity for a very low price. When a t-shirt can cost the same price as a coffee, it is just as easy to throw away.
Of the many problems that the fast fashion industry causes, the area I focused on were ways to prevent the waste and disposal of clothes at such a fast pace. By extending the life-span of a garment by only 9 months can reduce one’s carbon, water, and waste footprints by around 20-30% each.
RESEARCH
To begin, I began to look at the whole process of the life cycle of a garment. And from there I really focused on where the user can take place in reducing textile waste rather than the industry.
I conducted a survey of over 150 people to get an understanding of the habits people have around purchasing their texile, how they take care of their clothes, as well as how they dispose their clothes.
These were the results that came out of it.
My research was that consumers wash their clothes often more than necessary and resort to donating clothes at the end of it’s life cycle not knowing that most donated clothes do not end up being reused. Thus, I explored how to extend the life of garments resulting in less waste reduction in the long run.
Interviews
With a visit to SYSAV in Malmo, (the
waste management company in Skane), I had a conversation and tour with Ann Nerlund around the subject of textile waste.
I was able to do an interview Elim Chu, the former head stylist at Lululemon who has worked there for the last 9 years, and has now started her own business freelancing in “wardrobe editing”. She takes a look at one’s closet and helps people create a wardrobe that they love and uses slow fashion and minimalistic philosophies.
Define
After digging deep into the problem space to solve and understanding a small portion of a wicked large problem was I able to create a design brief and the parameters I would be working within in.
Inspiration
During a moment where I had spilled coffee on my shirt, I wanted to wash it but did not want to wash the entire item due to the research I had conducted about the water usage and the damage onto the clothing
Sketching
Prototyping
Prototype 1
First usable prototype did not work well as the teeth on the edge of the washboard was both harsh on the fabrics, as well as did not seal water in tightly.
Prototype 2
I went back to the 3D rendering and added a lip onto the washboard. I also raised the texture so the depth of the waves were not so deep. This allowed the water to not sink in as much and make easier to dry.
This change made a huge difference as it did not wrinkle or damaged the clothing, as well, kept water within the isolated area.
