Thrifting, upcycling, swapping, recycling, creating. At EarthMatters@NYU’s ReFashion NYU event at the Kimmel Center for University Life on Tuesday, all of these practices and more were promoted as sustainable fashion.
Focusing on the different ways an individual can fight back against the growing pollution and rate of waste that fast fashion contributes to the environment, ReFashion NYU provided its visitors with a plethora of information on the harmful effects of traditional retail stores, including several alternatives to them.
EarthMatters@NYU club president and Gallatin senior Lilly Ferris explained that the organization hosted this event due to an increased interest in sustainable fashion among in the club.
“We wanted to kick off the month with something that appeals to all the EarthMatters members,” Ferris said. “It’s a combination of us being interested in sustainable fashion initiatives by showing all the ways you can get involved […] and a way to give tools and resources to people so they can feel that they can tackle and incorporate sustainable fashion into their own lifestyles.”
From crocheting with the NYU Naughty Knitters to promote DIY clothing to using Poshmark to sell old clothes rather than throwing them away, ReFashion NYU highlighted individual steps to improve sustainability. It also hosted several other organizations at the event, like Styling Stingy and Fashion Revolution.
Club member and Liberal Studies first-year Mehrin Ali spoke about Fashion Revolution and the importance of sustainability in her life.
“[Fashion Revolution] exposes the unethical practices of fast fashion and big billion-dollar companies,” Ali said. [It] brings awareness to where [clothing] is actually made by calling out big brands.”
To prevent contributing to controversial brands, ReFashion NYU reached out to Styling Stingy’s Al-Fuquan Green, a business owner who specializes in selling thrifted and vintage clothing. Green attended the event to share his story, passion and tips.
“You don’t have to spend loads and loads at your local malls; you can just go to your Goodwill and still look good,” Green said. “People need to be sustainable because it doesn’t make sense to throw something away that can still be good years and years to come.”
Teeming with passionate participants and hosts, the collective spirit at ReFashion NYU radiated potential and hope. It was clear attendees were eager for more information on this subject, something EarthMatters@NYU was happy to provide.
Ferris explained that the main goal of the night was to demonstrate how simple sustainable fashion can be.
“Sustainability does not have to mean your life becomes harder,” Ferris said. “I think it’s finding that intersection between your interests and sustainability while making some sacrifices, that meshes this practice and your current lifestyle while still being able to find the fun in it.”
ReFashion NYU marks the beginning of Earth Month at NYU. Find more events focused on saving the planet here.
