Formal Alteration and Modification

What?

Users and to specialists to have products adjusted or modified. This can be part of a service system.

Why?

An existing product have a higher use potential and/or emotional value than a new equivalent product.

Challenges

• Lack of specialists and craftsmen.
• How should the service system be created to support this?

Examples

• The European Remanufacturing Network gathers tools, documentation and case studies.
• Sojo is a London-based app connecting users and seamstresses to have garments repaired or altered.
• Furriers often offer traditional services to do with modification of garments; see for example Maison Elama.

Further Reading

Boorsma et al. (2020). Incorporating Design for Remanufacturing in the Early Design Stage: a Design Management Perspective. Journal of Remanufacturing.

Fletcher & Grose (2012). Fashion & Sustainability: Design for Change, Chapter 9: Adaptability. Laurence King Publishing.

Ostuzzi et al. (2017). From Design for One to Open-Ended Design. Experiments on Understanding how to Open-up Contextual Design Solutions. The Design Journal, 20(1), 3873-3883.