How cradle to cradle philosophy fuels the product design of the future | Perspectives with Adriana Galijasevic
Perspectives with Adriana Galijasevic
Designer, action researcher, innovator, educator and an advocate for the circular economy in fashion based on the cradle to cradle principles
Adriana Galijasevic wears a number of different hats, all united by a common thread of creating a better world. She is a designer, action researcher, innovator, educator and an advocate for the circular economy in fashion based on the cradle to cradle principles. Her pioneering work with G-Star RAW received global recognition and in 2019 she was selected for Rivet's Influential 50, an index of the most creative and forward-thinking leaders driving the global jeanswear industry. Recently, she started up Cocircular Lab to continue making her mark on the fashion industry in circular product innovation and circular ecosystem creation, powered by action research, systems thinking, collaboration and education. We speak to her about how the fashion landscape can integrate design innovations that align with cradle to cradle principles, and how designers, customers, and marketing teams alike can propel innovation at scale.
“My vision is a cleaner, safer, healthier, more respectful and more diverse world where waste doesn’t exist, powered by a harmonious relationship between natural and artificial intelligence.”
Adriana is inspired by nature, in which there is no concept of waste and everything becomes food for another organism or another system. We discuss the urgent necessity to rewire our mindsets in order to honour nature again, and how designers are an integral part of allowing revolutionary change to happen.
“If you look at the world today, all the waste problems that we have are there because we never designed with an intent to reuse something… Cradle to cradle principles help us transcend to the new industrial revolution, where circularity is key.”
As well as being compelled to innovate fashion to produce positive change, Adriana was drawn to denim for its powerful symbolism as a textile that transcends all ages, genders, socio-economic backgrounds and ethnicities. This universality really resonates with her due to a turbulent past growing up in a divided country - a past that saw her find refuge in art and textiles, and a past that makes her intent on fashioning a better future.
As a designer, Adriana is positioned to drive forward the positive change we need. As she so aptly puts it:
“Only by having the right tools we can create the products of the future.”
Listen to our full conversation in this week's episode of Perspectives, and catch the highlights in our video experience.