Get to know the zero waste master a bit better with us!

Birgitta Helmersson is a Swedish-Australian designer currently based in Malmö, Sweden. She exclusively drafts and creates zero waste garments and shares that skill with the sewing community through a wide collection of patterns. Imagine- no scraps, just a gorgeous new outfit!

We can’t wait to welcome Birgitta to Glasgow (‘mon Scotland!!) and to our studio over at Morris Park in November for an exciting workshop all about the art of zero waste dressmaking. Birgitta will take the group through drafting and constructing the Tee Block from her book Zero Waste Patterns before diving deeper into the possibilities on ZW pattern drafting. It’s going to be a good one! Find out more here.

We caught up with Birgitta to find out a bit more about her and ask the important things like what her no.1 snack is… Let’s jump in…

How long have you been sewing?

B: I started sewing when I was around 12 years old, so that means I have been sewing for nearly 30 years! I wanted to learn to make my own clothes from a very young age and had dreams of being a fashion designer. I was originally self taught and I started by copying clothes I had and making my own designs. They were very rough in the beginning, but once I did a pattern making course when I was around 17 it was like a whole new world opened up for me. I remember being very excited by all the possibilities and the thought that I could now make anything I wanted! 

What is your go-to snack when sewing?

B: I actually love good food, and snacking, but I (shock horror) do not have a favourite snack when sewing! I think I get so involved in what I’m doing when I’m making something that it is much more likely I will forget to eat completely! 

What do you love to watch/listen to when you sew?

B: I love listening to NTS radio when I’m sewing, and sometimes if I have a longer more monotonous sewing job I will get into some podcasts, usually ones that motivate me about the ins and outs of running a business. I love what I do but having a small business can also be very draining and stressful, so really anything to pep me up and get me motivated and excited about potential ideas and future plans!

How did you start your path into zero waste pattern making?

B: I started working in the fashion industry in my early twenties in Melbourne, Australia, as a design assistant and pattern-maker, and it was during this time I became very interested in production and textile waste. I worked in companies that designed and developed everything locally, so on one hand they were working very sustainably compared to many other places, but I still became very frustrated with the waste, and also the fact that so many people brushed it off as something that is ‘just part of the industry’.

B: Through my work I was able to see the whole process, from design, pattern-making, sampling, and production, which was invaluable in understanding how it all worked. In one of my jobs, working with a costume designer, I had an amazing colleague who was equally as obsessed with waste as I was, and she would save every scrap and off-cut and organize them into different boxes and tubs, and as we worked with costumes, many of which used applique and various decorative techniques, we were able to use a lot of these scraps. After a period of travel, and after my first daughter was born, I ended up starting my own brand in 2013, which is where I first started experimenting with zero waste pattern cutting (ZWPC). There wasn’t very much info on ZWPC at that time so I really had to just try things out and experiment a lot. In the beginning it was a very frustrating and time consuming, but over time it became easier. You do start to imagine the patterns that way from the start, it becomes a bit of an obsession as it really is so satisfying using up every piece of fabric!

Have you always been passionate about sustainability?

B: My awareness has grown over the years, and therefore my passion for it as well. But I would say that at the start of my career sustainability in fashion wasn’t something that was even talked about. I knew that I wanted to work for local brands, and that I didn’t want to support fast fashion, but I didn’t truly understand the damage it was doing until I had worked in the industry for a while. I grew up idolising designers like Vivienne Westwood and Alexander Mcqueen, and my idea of what it would be like to be a fashion designer turned out to be very different to the reality. I became very jaded after working in the industry for a while, it was quite soul destroying seeing it not as an art, but just a money making machine churning out new things constantly. It took me a long time to find the love for it again after starting my own business. But once I figured out I could do it in my own way, and that I didn’t have to follow the rules, it became much easier to find the passion for it again.

What would you say to someone who feels overwhelmed by the maths/ calculations of zero waste patterns?

B: Yes the maths and calculations can be very overwhelming, especially if you are designing the patterns from scratch, and trying to work out an array of sizes! But I would say that if you are making things for yourself you can be a lot looser about it, not everything needs to be perfect, and sometimes imperfections actually end up being the best part about a garment. My advice would be to not be afraid to just give it a go, and to not be afraid of making mistakes. I will do a lot of little sketches of different layout ideas to test on paper first so this can be really helpful. If you are following an existing patterns then just trust the process and follow each step one by one. You do actually get used to the maths and it becomes very satisfying when you work out the perfect layout!