Redesigning Clothing and Textile Waste Through Small Social Enterprise: A Circular Economy Perspective

Post-consumer clothing waste is a growing problem that contributes to environmental and resource management issues. The second-hand market redirects these garments away from landfills, but a large portion still ends up as waste. These waste clothes mainly originate from developed countries and are then exported to developing countries, but almost half of the garments imported are not sold due to poor quality. This leads to the generation of more textile waste and environmental pollution. These challenges highlight need for sustainable solutions that enhance social, environmental, and economic benefits in the developing countries to which clothing waste is exported to. Encouraging methods that extend garment lifespan, promote reuse and support the principles of the circular economy creates a cleaner environment and enables more efficient use of resources. This study aimed to investigate how design can be used to catalyse change, using a co-design approach with senior female citizens from a non-governmental organization (NGO) in Cape Town, South Africa. The participants transformed second-hand clothes from the second-hand market into valuable products for reuse. The fieldwork was conducted between 23 May and 24 October 2024 to explore the role of design in enhancing sustainability, prolonging garment lifespan, and supporting local entrepreneurship. The data collection methods for this qualitative study included observational fieldwork, interactive co-design workshops, and semi-structured interviews. Analysis of the empirical data underscores the transformative potential of the intervention. Initially, the results showed that participants used intuitive sewing and unsystematic garment modification and were creative yet unaware of a structured design process and sustainability principles. Following the expert-led co-design workshops, participants’ intuitive redesign practices developed into a hybrid process combining garment assessment, design planning, reconstruction, and finishing. The project produced 37 documented outputs across clothing, footwear-related samples, and accessories, showing how selected post-consumer garments acquired renewed utility through redesign. Participants reported increased confidence, a stronger sense of purpose, and a willingness to share their upcycling skills within their communities. These findings informed a Community-Based Upcycling Framework linking garment recovery and redesign with community learning, environmental stewardship, and potential livelihood pathways.