Can games save fashion?

Sammanfattning: Driven by an envisioned potential of merging theories and practices of play with studies of fashion sustainability, this research went through a play-centric design process to explore the question of How can play and games help reduce fashion waste? Seven design experiments investigated different game impact goals that could have a positive effect on the pursuit of fashion sustainability. The main research findings show that games can create a safe space for players to challenge their own conceptions of fashion. The results also show that games have great potential to assign meaning to garments through shared memories, secrets, stories and meaningful words. Furthermore, the study shows that modular clothes designed as games have the potential to playfully engage their wearers for long, sparking social interaction and inspiring new playful ways to engage with fashion. Additionally, beyond the design process results and actionable insights, this research considers the exposure of its framing to be a crucial contribution. Fashion sustainability is, therefore, a pressuring topic that needs people to be engaged in what they do and know best, in order for transformation to happen. Can games save fashion? The answer is probably no, but this research has proven that play and games offer a fruitful path to start trying.