Holly McQuillan is a lecturer at the fashion design program of Massey University’s College of Creative Arts in Wellington, New Zealand. Her research focuses on sustainable clothing designs in the context of today’s materialistic culture. Her work explores the design possibilities to reduce waste, i.e. the concept of zero waste.

Zero waste design aims at creating design patterns that generate no leftover fabric. McQuillan is convinced that this process has never been thoroughly refined because it was never actually encouraged as a design technique. This is why McQuillan, along with several other designers, does take an interest.

Thanks to the techniques that McQuillan uses, from the start, the designer is in control of more aspects that affect the end result, rather than relying on trial and error to get to the finished product.

Her website offers several downloads, such as instructions on zero waste pattern cutting.