Alexis Rubalcava
Welcome to my website showcasing my work in sustainable design. Please have a look around!
Welcome to my website showcasing my work in sustainable design. Please have a look around!
I'm Alexis Rubalcava. I'm a responsible fashion enthusiast with zero-waste garment construction experience and certification in sustainable design focusing on textile/material innovations and conducting life-cyle assessments (LCAs). I have a bachelor of science in civil engineering and I've been a project manager with 8+ years experience managing and delivering multi-million dollar projects on time and within budget for specialty retailers nationwide. I've managed my own team, worked collaboratively with other departments, and managed multiple projects simultaneously while working in a fast-paced environment that constantly changes. I am now ready to leverage my retail project management skills in a sustainability role to oversee the entire supply chain for a fashion company ensuring product traceability and circularity from material selection (harvesting, extraction) to the end-of-life phase.
BioDesign - In this course, I explored, researched and developed bio-inspired design solutions to some of our most consuming and harmful industries. I chose the garment industry as the manufacturing is one of the most polluting in the world. My work focused on investigating fibers from a corn stover plant to see if they could be used for threading or textiles as a sustainable alternative to conventional natural fibers such as cotton, wool, linen and conventional synthetic fibers such as polyster, acrylic, elastane. Click on the image link to the left to look through my presentation slides.
Sustainable Processes + Materials - This course explored, mapped, and illustrated the journey from raw or recyclced material through processing, manufacturing, transporatation/distribution, use, re-use, and disposal, using examples of design across scales. This process of reporting methods is otherwise known as a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). With the ultimate goal to learn how to reduce the impact of our designs on the environment, my project focused on outlining the entire life-cycle of 100% organic cotton thread, a wooden spool, and a sewing needle. Click on the image link to the left to look through my presentation slides.
Sustainable Design Foundation - Course was an introduction to sustainable design. My final project centered on the Infinity Burial Suit created by the company Coeio. The suit is a biodegradable shroud made of mycellium. It works to break down toxins and plastics found in the body being buried so they do not spread to the ground and nearby water. This is supposed to be an alternative and eco-friendly burial option to more traditional burial methods. Click on the image link to the left to look through my presentation slides.
Sustainable Design Theory + Practice - The course objective was to treat the planet's current challenges as design problems so we can create solutions for a sustainable future. For my final presentation I created a book assessing the latest textiles and fabrics to hit the market such as leathers made from fruits, plants, and fungi. In the book, I dissect the components of each new fabric to educate readers on whether the fibers they contain are as sustainable as they are advertised or if they're simply another form of greenwashing. Click the image to the left to look through my presentation.