Circular Aesthetics: Designing for Longevity and Emotional Durability in the Post-Fast-Fashion Era

Session

Integrated Design

Description

This paper examines the intersection of circular design and emotional aesthetics in contemporary fashion, proposing the concept of “circular aesthetics” as a design philosophy that prioritizes longevity, repairability, and emotional attachment over disposability. Moving beyond the limitations of fast fashion, the study explores how designers can cultivate deeper affective connections between users and garments by integrating material authenticity, narrative symbolism, and participatory design processes. Drawing on the theoretical frameworks of Jonathan Chapman’s Emotionally Durable Design (2005), Kate Fletcher’s Sustainable Fashion and Textiles (2014), and Tim Ingold’s Making (2013), the research emphasizes fashion’s potential to evoke empathy, memory, and care as sustainable values. The methodology combines case study analysis and reflective design practice, evaluating examples from contemporary circular fashion initiatives and experimental ateliers. The paper argues that emotional durability—understood as the ability of a garment to retain meaning and relevance over time—is the missing dimension in the transition toward a truly sustainable fashion system.

Keywords:

Circular design, emotional durability, sustainable fashion, affective aesthetics, longevity, design ethics

Proceedings Editor

Edmond Hajrizi

ISBN

978-9951-982-41-2

Location

UBT Lipjan, Kosovo

Start Date

25-10-2025 9:00 AM

End Date

26-10-2025 6:00 PM

DOI

10.33107/ubt-ic.2025.194

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Oct 25th, 9:00 AM Oct 26th, 6:00 PM

Circular Aesthetics: Designing for Longevity and Emotional Durability in the Post-Fast-Fashion Era

UBT Lipjan, Kosovo

This paper examines the intersection of circular design and emotional aesthetics in contemporary fashion, proposing the concept of “circular aesthetics” as a design philosophy that prioritizes longevity, repairability, and emotional attachment over disposability. Moving beyond the limitations of fast fashion, the study explores how designers can cultivate deeper affective connections between users and garments by integrating material authenticity, narrative symbolism, and participatory design processes. Drawing on the theoretical frameworks of Jonathan Chapman’s Emotionally Durable Design (2005), Kate Fletcher’s Sustainable Fashion and Textiles (2014), and Tim Ingold’s Making (2013), the research emphasizes fashion’s potential to evoke empathy, memory, and care as sustainable values. The methodology combines case study analysis and reflective design practice, evaluating examples from contemporary circular fashion initiatives and experimental ateliers. The paper argues that emotional durability—understood as the ability of a garment to retain meaning and relevance over time—is the missing dimension in the transition toward a truly sustainable fashion system.