Sustainability is the latest trend in the fashion industry. Consumers are being bombarded with a plethora of options available on the market, from a huge variety of vintage and second-hand stores to emerging brands with a focus on making fashion sustainable. Even Instagram is tapping into the trend.
While shopping at Reformation might seem like a sufficient option for some, others, like CAS junior Dena Li prefer to be more proactive and teach their communities about the importance of sustainability and eco-friendly consumer behavior.
Li is the first and only NYU student member of Eco Fashion Expo, a student-led initiative started by two Hunter College students. According to its website, the group strives to “inspire others to rethink waste through upcycling second-hand clothing and textile waste.” By hosting and collaborating with different organizations on a variety of events, the group hopes to convene people with different skill sets to create a more sustainable future for the fashion industry and beyond.
“The point is just to get people together to see how physically we can actually revamp and remake different clothing,” Li said.
Li joined EFE as the Outreach Coordinator last October. In this role, she is constantly on the hunt for partnership opportunities for their future events. EFE co-founders and co-directors Angela Chi and Janette Wu firmly believe that Li is a valuable asset to their team.
“Dena was actually the one to introduce us to [the] Artist Market that [NYU] had in the end of January,” Chi said.
The NYU Artist Market was a part of NYU’s Spring Welcome Week. It gave students a chance to share and sell their artwork and helped EFE spread their message to NYU students as well as students from other NYC colleges.
While the initiative to alleviate the adverse effects the industry has on our environment is worthy of praise, the group admits that it has had its shortcomings.
“Last year, we had food sponsors like Chipotle and Insomnia Cookies,” Wu said. “They were able to provide us with their food, but they’re not necessarily very aligned with our mission.”
Li is currently researching and reaching out to different food vendors who would be willing to collaborate with EFE for its upcoming event, Make-A-Thon, on April 13. She’s exclusively looking for vegetarian or vegan options that align with EFE’s message of sustainability.
“Attacking sustainability from multiple perspectives!” Wu exclaimed.
Other NYU students applaud EFE’s upcycling initiative.
“I think this is a good thing to educate people about,” Steinhardt senior Jasmine Mortazavi said.
However, getting the word out is no easy feat when you’re just starting out. While EFE usually uses social media to promote its events and projects, Li still feels like it could do better.
“I think [Eco Fashion Expo] could be a bit more proactive online,” Li said. “We have a lot of these upcycle events, but I only know about them because I’m in the group.”
Despite the challenges on their journey to success, Chi and Wu feel empowered by their ambition and consider it to be a passion project. Time spent with EFE is time well spent, and they’re very proud of their team of young, hard-working professionals.
“We’re all full-time students, a lot of our friends have internships and other clubs and they put 100 percent for everything,” Chi said. “We could not be more grateful for our team members.”
Email Valerie Stepanova at [email protected].
