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Design+ Traditional handcrafting and sustainability

Westwood have committed to transparent production perceptions. These challenges arise from the disparity
processes. They publish detailed reports on material between the demand for rapid, mass production and
sourcing and working conditions, thereby enhancing the need to preserve sustainable, culturally embedded
consumer trust. 138 practices.
• Collaborations with designers: Initiatives such as • Commercial and operational challenges: Traditional
Fashion for Good bring together creators, consumers, techniques – such as hand weaving and natural
and businesses to promote sustainable fashion dyeing – typically require more time and specialized
practices. By supporting innovative designers who labor, resulting in higher production costs and
incorporate traditional techniques, these initiatives limited scalability (Figure 24). This creates a
contribute to sustainable development. 139 competitive disadvantage compared to fast fashion,
The importance of fair compensation and transparency which is driven by rapid production cycles and low
102
in production chains is crucial to advancing sustainable pricing strategies. Attempts to scale up traditional
practices in fashion. Fair compensation ensures that workers production may compromise the quality and
are remunerated proportionally to their contributions, authenticity of these practices, as pressure to increase
thereby supporting the economic sustainability of their output and reduce costs can negatively affect the
communities. Transparency allows consumers to make handcrafted nature of products and the integrity of
68,142
informed purchasing decisions and fosters a culture of techniques. Moreover, increased demand may
accountability within the industry. 140,141 lead to the industrialization of traditional techniques,
making it difficult to maintain their authenticity and
4.8. Challenges of integrating slow fashion and the cultural identity they embody. 143
traditional techniques into the modern fashion • Cultural preservation and appropriation: Integrating
model traditional techniques into slow fashion aims to
preserve and revive these practices. However, their
Integrating slow fashion and traditional techniques into commercial exploitation may result in diminished
the modern fashion model presents numerous challenges authenticity or even cultural appropriation.
144
related to both production processes and consumer
Recognition of, and respect for, cultural heritage and
the contributions of local artisans by designers and
businesses are critical to prevent the exploitation of
these practices. Cultural appropriation – defined as the
commercialization or extraction of traditional designs
and techniques without the consent or participation

Figure 23. Intuitive embroidery by Gabriela Martinez, XTANT Craft
Workshops. Reprinted with permission from XTANT (https://www.
xtant.io/). Ref. XTANT. Copyright © [2025], XTANT. 135 Figure 24. Values context 142
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Volume 2 Issue 3 (2025) 21 doi: 10.36922/DP025190027