Since it was my first semester in the StemCOMM VIP, I was a little nervous to be taking part in organizing a Fashion Show for the 2023 Science Festival. Luckily, I met some great people who were helpful and encouraging the whole process through.
In the beginning, I was on the team that would cover the Additive Armor section of the show, but I started to become more involved with the Sustainable Team. We worked with the Kendeda Sustainability Fellows to compile research regarding textiles, fast fashion, and the clothing life cycle. Below is some of the information we found through research!
Fast fashion is the quick production of low-cost clothing, that is often trendy and not built to last. We wanted to talk about how the production, sale and eventual disposal of fast fashion items has a significant impact on our environment, and our communities. Many of the materials used to make our clothes have a heavy impact on the environment. For instance, it takes 2,700 liters of water to produce a single cotton t-shirt. Every year, the dyeing of fabrics consumes about 5 trillion liters of water. These chemicals used to clean and dye the clothes are often washed out into natural sources of water, causing harm to local ecosystems. It takes a lot of resources to get a piece of clothing to a consumer. But what happens when the trend is over and fast fashion is no longer fashionable? The average American throws away 81 pounds of clothing each year. The EPA estimates that only 15% of unwanted clothing is recycled. What can we do? The most sustainable thing we can do is use what we already have. We can do this by reusing and upcycling unwanted clothes. By breathing life into garments that have already been made, we can reduce the demand for new clothing production and break the cycle of wasteful fashion practices.
We met multiple times before the show to flesh out who was speaking, who would model, etc. We also visited the Kendeda Revolving Closet, where anyone can drop off clothes and shoes for donation! The closet is an initiative located in the basement for community members to donate their unwanted clothes for other to community members to use again. People are also welcome to take from the closet at no cost! When I visited the Closet, I was surprised by some of the clothes there. We were able to find some outfits for the fashion show. With three sustainable outfits planned out, we also needed 3 models. The models ended up being VIP members, and a Kendeda Fellow was our speaker/presenter. We ended up merging this section with the Additive Armor section, so we included a fourth model to wear the dress.
I also worked on creating a pamphlet/event program for guests to look through and learn more about each exhibit.
On the day of the event, things were starting to come together and time was moving fast. Steven and I went to print out QR codes that would link to the event program, as well as print out physical copies to staple together. Before the show started, all of us changed into our model outfits and got ready to strut the runway.
The show was a success! Here are some photos from the event:
