Making SKFK’s Zero Waste Habene Dress

SkunkFunk (SKFK) is an ethical clothing label in Basque country, Spain, and were early on the scene with using zero waste patterncutting for some of their garments. Their zero waste garments come with the pattern printed on the label as proof of authenticity.

All of their zero waste patterns have been compiled into a booklet called The Art of Zero Waste, and a friend in the EU very thoughtfully sent me a copy. Checking back now, it appears the booklet is currently unavailable with a “notify me when available” option, but Australian addresses weren’t accepted in their shopping cart, and neither were British ones (due to Brexit?).

The purpose of the booklet is to allow people to create the garments at home. I haven’t found anyone else on the Internet who’s made things from this booklet, but some of the patterns are listed in the Zero Waste Pattern Database.

Their earliest zero waste garments date back to 2016, the same year I discovered zero waste patterncutting and the same year the landmark Zero Waste Fashion Design book came out.

The friend who sent me the booklet and I decided to each make something from it, and compare notes. I found it hard to choose but have started with probably the most simple one, the Habene dress.

The booklet contains no sewing instructions, only the cutting layout, and they’re only in one size, designed to fit on a particular fabric width. Fortunately, many of the shapes are simple and fluid, so there’s a bit of leeway with fit. I think the most of the patterns in this book would be simple enough for a teenager to sew, with some guidance.

Habene is very simple indeed. It’s essentially two rectangles, with gaps for the neckline and armholes along the top edge, and there are ties at the sides. The idea is that you can wear it many ways, tied at the back, front, loose, and probably other ways.

For fabric, I had some from Mum’s stash. It came from Indonesia in the late 1970s/early 1980s, sent over by a family member. It’s a lovely fine cotton batik. I couldn’t believe it when I measured the piece and found that it was exactly enough! The only scraps I had were trimmings to straighten the end, and it had been cut fairly straight to start with.

It was pretty quick to cut and sew, as you can imagine.

These are the kind of zero waste patterns that really “celebrate the cloth”, as there are minimal cuts and the fabric is allowed to shine. With this batik, the top and bottom are actually the selvedges, so if I ever changed my mind and wanted to use the fabric for something else, it would be easy.

So I tried it on, tied in various ways…

Should you have this booklet and desire to make the Habene dress, I made a few changes to the pattern when I did mine: 1. Neck 2cm wider so I could get my head through. 2. Armholes 5cm higher. 3. Cut the ties a little wider and longer, to fit the batik fabric. 4. Didn’t use the neck and armhole strap as I wasn’t sure how. But I did feel bothered that the entire dress was hanging from two very small shoulder seams, so I reinforced them using a little piece I cut from the ties:

Also, I think some bra strap holders will be in order, and I might lower the front neckline a little to make it more comfortable (although it’s a very comfortable dress to wear already).

The Verdict: a great little booklet if you can get one – maybe a friend in the EU can help you out. It has some fun garments to make if you’re okay with minimal hand-holding and enjoy creative patterncutting. The Habene dress was quick to sew and fun to wear.

Cheers!