Making a zero waste Kiabi windbreaker

The Kiabi windbreaker is a gender-neutral zero waste pattern originally developed by French brand Kiabi in collaboration with Mylène L’Orguilloux, co-founder of Zero Waste Design Online Collective . It’s been adapted into a pattern that can be sewn at home. The pattern is available here.

Here’s a short video showing the design process (4:23min)

The windbreaker is reversible (ie a double layer) – you can swap the pieces around to colour block or make it in a solid colour.

The windbreaker has some nice details. Often these come about during the zero waste design process.

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I’ve been keen to try this but the project has had a few false starts. I took the files to the photocopy shop to get printed but they were under new management and temporarily closed. Then we had school holidays. Then we had a snap 7-day lockdown. Then I was too busy getting the Xanthea t-shirt pattern finished, and I sort of forgot about it.

It came back on the radar as I was browsing the zipper aisle at Clare Fashion and Fabrics and saw they sold reversible zips, and I remembered the windbreaker needed one. (This shop continues to surprise me. It’s a descendant of the “country drapery” and sells quilting supplies, ladies clothes and menswear, all good quality. They also stock unexpected things such as curtain header, a single roll of gold lame, and the latest American craft books. I didn’t think they would have reversible zips though.)

There’s quite a bit of reading to do to before charging in with the scissors and sewing machine but the pattern instructions are easy to read. I can certainly appreciate how much work it has been to develop this pattern for home sewing. There’s support and advice on Zero Waste Design Online’s forum.

There are two options for the pattern – either to print out a complete cutting layout for your size (which is what I did) OR print out all the pieces in graded nests and make your own cutting layout according to the suggestions.

It’s all been fairly smooth sailing so far. This is def no “5-minute make” – there are 71 pattern pieces – but I’m looking forward to sewing it together during the week.

Until next week!

Cheers!