OVERVIEW
BACKGROUND
Look at this photo.
Doesn’t it look familiar?
Staring at my closet, I wondered—where do all these clothes go? The reality was shocking. Textile waste accounts for 20% of global emissions, yet recycling rates remain low—just 1% in South Korea. Fast fashion is only making it worse.
Discarded textile waste is pilling up like this in distant countries
PROBLEM
Why don’t people recycle clothing despite this situation?
We surveyed 300+ fashion-conscious individuals and found four key barriers to clothing recycling. The biggest shock? Accessibility. Many struggled with limited online information, confusing terms, and the hassle of visiting a tailor.
SOLUTION
Turning Complex Services into a Seamless Platform
How might we make clothing repair and recycling easier, more trusted, and more convenient than buying new?
This led us to create a platform dedicated to clothing repair and alterations. By improving accessibility and simplifying the process, we aimed to make clothing recycling effortless, foster a sustainable fashion culture, and reduce textile waste.
FINAL DESIGN
Simpler, Smarter, and More Trustworthy App Design
Seamless & User-Friendly Service: Book a Pickup, Get It Delivered.
Verified Tailor Information & Centralized Reviews.
Seamless Communication & Coordinator Support.
IMPACT
Shaping a Sustainable Future
Ran a booth selling upcycled clothing and raising awareness of textile waste.
Coordinator-Mediated Brokerage for Fashion Repair (KR No. 10-2022-0178330).
2022 IHEI Show-off Festa
Excellence Award
2022 Starbucks Startup Challenge
Innovation Award
USER RESEARCH
Who are our users, and what do they need?
Survey
Surveyed 300+ users to uncover key insights:
Perception of online clothing repair
Barriers to choosing repair over new purchases
Preferred communication for tailoring requests
Factors influencing tailor selection
Willingness to use a digital repair service
Interview
Also, we interviewed 12 customers and 10 tailors.
Key Findings
Inconvenience of visiting
(Prefer online service)
Unclear and high pricing
Difficult to request
(Communication issues)
VOC(Voice of Customers)
"I spent over an hour just looking for a reliable tailor online, but I couldn’t find reviews anywhere. I wasn’t sure if I could trust them."
"I dropped off my clothes, but I had no idea when they would be ready. The tailor just said ‘come back next week. "
"Even after the repair was done, it wasn’t exactly what I wanted. But since I already paid, I couldn’t ask them to fix it again."
Customers want a hassle-free, seamless process with clear communication.
Challenges in
Digital Adaptation
Marketing Struggle
Difficult to request
(Communication issues)
VOP (Voice of Providers)
"I get so many calls asking about pricing, but every repair is different. I can’t give an exact quote without seeing the clothes first. "
"Customers often explain what they want, but sometimes I misunderstand their instructions. Then they complain later. "
"I know I should promote my shop online, but I don’t know how to use digital platforms to reach customers. "
Tailors want digital processes to be simple and easy to use.
The insights we gained from tailors were unexpected. After much consideration, we decided to prioritize solving customer problems first, given our limited resources, and address tailor's challenges later.
User Persona
Based on the insights and data we gathered, we identified three key persona groups. Given our limited resources(team size, budget) and the nature of our online platform and app, we decided to first target the 20s-30s age group, as they were expected to yield the greatest initial impact.
User Journey
Customers were going through the following process, and many of these challenges were inevitably caused by the limitations tailors faced.
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
Has there been no efforts so far?
Who are the current competitors in this industry?
Where does Clobbler stand within this market?
We analyzed competitors to position Clobbler. X-axis: Digital Integration. Y-axis: Service Transparency (pricing). The mapping highlights market gaps and Clobbler’s unique edge.
PROBLEM
Barriers to a Seamless Repair Experience
We analyzed survey and interview insights, identified key patterns, and mapped the complex customer-tailor challenges into a clear diagram.
This helped us pinpoint key issues and refine them into three core problems.
Customer Problems
1. Complicated & Inconvenient Process
2. Lack of Trust & Transparency
3. Limited Information Availability
SOLUTION
Transforming Challenge into Solution
Solutions
1. Simplified and user-friendly service process(From pickup til delivery)
2. Work detail sharing & gallery for portfolio transparency
3. Verified tailor information & expert reviews
FINAL DESIGN
Designing Clobbler Experience
Through the Clothing Repair Association, we were able to obtain information on member businesses across the country, though it was a challenging process. This allowed us to verify whether the online information matched reality and identify unregistered businesses, enabling us to share reliable data on verified shops and experts.
Screen Design
Seamless & User-Friendly Service: Book a Pickup, Get It Delivered.
Verified Tailor Information & Centralized Reviews.
Seamless Communication & Coordinator Support.
Clobbler User's Expected Journey
USER TESTING
The Unbridgeable Communication gap, and the Patent.
User Testing Overview
Phase 1 : Direct Communication with Tailors
Participants: 5 individuals
Method: Messaging & phone calls
Objective: Evaluate clarity and efficiency of direct customer-tailor communication.
Phase 2 : Coordinator-Assisted Communication
Participants: 5 individuals
Method: Messaging & phone calls
Objective: Assess if coordinators improved communication efficiency.
Communicating with testers(via messenger)
Result
Phase 1 Key Findings :
Miscommunication due to technical tailoring terms.
Customers struggled to articulate requests.
Tailors misinterpreted descriptions, causing errors and delays.
Phase 2 Key Findings :
Zero communication errors.
Coordinators translated customer needs into tailoring terms.
Both sides experienced a smoother, more efficient process.
Iteration
Communication was a challenge, especially for experts. Fashion students bridged the gap—resulting in zero errors across five test sessions.
This model led to a patent application, though it was ultimately not granted.
REFLECTION
Beyond the Solution : Lessons
Problems are never singular; they are always interconnected.
To promote a culture of clothing reuse, we designed a platform to make repair services more accessible and convenient. Yet, this is just one approach among many. Encouraging repair adoption isn't just about convenience—it's tied to consumer habits, industry structures, and digital adaptation.
This project taught us that solving a problem goes beyond creating a functional solution. It requires understanding the ecosystem, anticipating adoption challenges, and refining the approach based on real-world feedback. While Clobbler started as a way to simplify repairs, its true impact lies in shifting mindsets and making sustainable choices easier for both customers and tailors.
There is no single solution to clothing waste and repair accessibility, but each step toward simplification and transparency pushes the industry forward. This project was just the beginning.