An exciting new event has been added to Drew’s Earth Week this year. Partnering with Drew Environmental Action League, a group of four first-year action scholars are organizing a sustainable fashion show, with clothing pieces sourced entirely from donations by Drew students and community.
In an era of overconsumption and fast fashion, sustainability in the clothing industry has become a hot topic. To highlight this, Frankie Mailley (‘27), Kaishla Gallardo (‘27), Madeline Koory (‘27) and Mari Centeno (‘27) came up with the idea to create a fashion show to promote sustainably made and collected clothes.
Gallardo explained that, when coming up with the idea for the show, “We just wanted Drew to know other ways of expressing themselves but in a more alternative way.”
Adding on to this, Mailley said, “We figured that a fashion show would be a good way to communicate with the Drew community that not only is secondhand and sustainable clothing something that is environmentally beneficial, but also it can look good at the same time.”
The fashion show includes handmade and thrifted items, with a wide variety of styles, pieces and aesthetics to help appeal to a wide audience.
“We do hope that this show is going to be a little bit more of an inspiration for people who want to go out and thrift and also practice sustainable measures of thrifting,” Mailley said. “We are hoping to sort of show that sustainable fashion looks good, is good for the environment and have fun doing it.”
Mailley’s hopes for the show are shared by all of the organizers. The sustainable fashion show is meant to serve as an inspiration for Drew students and community members to take more action toward incorporating sustainable measures into their everyday lives.
Thrifting and upcycling clothes is something that has been common for a very long time, and by hosting a sustainable fashion show, the benefits and excitement of secondhand clothing can be shown in a positive, encouraging and inspiring way.
“I think that having people go to a live event is very effective, and a live event that is upbeat, that is energetic,” Koory said. “Because a lot of conversations around sustainability and sustainable fashion can be very negative, like, you know, ‘these companies exploit their workers in this way,’ and ‘there is this environmental impact,’ and ‘over a third of microplastics in the ocean come from our textiles,’ and so when you throw all that information at people through a slideshow or just through random social media posts, people aren’t wanting to always engage with that negativity.”
Many people, when they hear the words “sustainable fashion,” “thrifting” or “secondhand,” assume those clothing items to be outdated, ugly, dirty, old, etc., and they do not think that sustainable fashion is relevant for them if they want to stay stylish and on-trend.
This mentality, while common, is not accurate. The trend cycle and constant routes of influence when it comes to fashion and what is or is not trending leads to loads of discarded clothing or fashion items after a single season. People are encouraged to discard last season’s items for the newest ones, which leads to people purchasing cheap, trendy clothes without regard to the quality or longevity of those pieces.
Koory explained, “We’re intending to communicate that secondhand clothing can be very fashionable, and you’re not just going to find ugly graphic T-shirts when you go to the thrift store. You’re going to find some beautiful pieces that feel authentic to you, and we want to encourage people [to realize] that you can find things of high quality, things that suit your style…we just want to encourage people to shop ethically and secondhand.”
A desire to keep up with trends doesn’t have to keep people from sustainable fashion.
“Trends are going to pop up,” Mailley said. “And you know what, trends don’t have to be exclusively a bad thing. You can participate in a trend and still do it in a way that is environmentally conscious. If the trend is crocheted tops or men’s shirts that cut off at the waist, you can find a shirt at a thrift shop, take some scissors, cut it up and make something that way instead of having to purchase something new…Having fun while doing it is the most important part.”
Mailley’s comment shows that anyone can participate in sustainable fashion, regardless of style, skill or income. This style of fashion is for everyone, and there are no rules as to what you can and cannot do when it comes to your own actions regarding sustainability.
Centeno said via email, “I would like to spread the message that micro-trends don’t have to determine your style! The more you try new styles, and different kinds of clothing, the more you’re able to recognize what clothes you feel the most YOU in! Personally, I love being able to alternate between contrasting/different styles depending on how I feel each day, and by finding unique pieces in secondhand shops I’m able to hand craft an aesthetic that is authentically me!”
Sustainable fashion does not have to only consist of clothes that are bought secondhand.
Mailley explained, “To me, sustainable fashion isn’t exclusively things that you are purchasing from the thrift shop or things that are donated to you somehow. Sustainable fashion is clothing that you are getting a lot of use out of. It is a jacket that you got when you were a teenager that you still wear now. The same pair of shoes for the last two years because they still have their soles in. [It] is taking the clothes you have and getting as much use out of them as you can before you have to discard them for one reason or another, and when that happens, choosing to source new clothes from places that don’t utilize harmful labor practices or contribute harmfully to the environment.”
As Gallardo put it, “We just want to encourage everyone who is at our fashion show just to be creative…It costs nothing to get a pair of scissors, cut up your shirt or just learn how to sew and stuff like that. Anything [that is] environmentally friendly is what our cause is all about.”
The creators, of course, are big proponents of sustainable fashion in their personal lives as well. Gallardo stated, “To me, sustainable fashion is all about my creativity and just my expression, but doing it in a way that is environmentally friendly.”
Centeno expresses how they believe sustainable fashion is the future when they say, “By supporting sustainably and ethically sourced clothing we are protesting the mega corporations that continuously harm our environment, marginalized workers, and all consumers. Additionally, I see sustainable fashion as an opportunity to reinvent what was discarded!”
While this is the first year the sustainable fashion show is occurring, Mailley expressed aims for it to expand in the future.
“The hope is that this project can eventually grow, we can have more models in future years and that this is something that becomes a core part of Drew’s Earth Week,” Mailley said.
The sustainable fashion show is set to take place on Friday, April 19 at 7:30 p.m. in the Black Box Theater.
Skylar Anderson is a first-year majoring in studio art. Lapo Miles is a sophomore majoring in art and psychology.
