Introduction

With the influence of social media, the overconsumption of goods, especially fast-fashion, has unfortunately become normalized. While fast-fashion seems to be an affordable way to keep up with microtrends, it actually causes environmental harm, excessive waste and labor abuse. This workshop aims to combat fast-fashion by advocating for sustainable alternatives and inspiring conscious consumption. Throughout the semester, students have analyzed the negative impacts of fast manufacturing, while learning hands-on techniques and skills to upcycle clothing and accessories. Each student used recycled old materials, fabrics and trinkets to create a series of curated fashion pieces that suit their personal style. By repurposing unused “waste” into fun, wearable pieces, we learned how to sustainably "Recycle, Restyle and Rewear."

History & Distinction

Fast-fashion began in 1830 with the invention of the sewing machine and expanded in the 1960s when clothing became a form of self expression and social status. Sewing machines enabled people to produce clothing faster and as a result, dressmaking shops transitioned into sweatshops. Sweatshop laborers endure horrible working conditions to manually mass produce cheap and trendy clothing. (Birch). Environmental harm, along with exploitative labor practices and overconsumption are some of the biggest ethical concerns that stem from fast-fashion. 

The projects we did this semester was inspired by the by the thrifting movement which became popularized on social media around 2021. We wanted to share the art of recycling and thrift-flipping in addition to shedding light on the fast fashion industry. As certain fast fashion businesses became increasingly more normalized and popular, the thrifting movement sought to advocate for not just re-using second-hand clothing, but also repurposing and redesigning clothing (Park, et al). The thrifting movement popularized second-hand stores, and in contrast, denormalized fast-manufacturing industries by shedding light on the harmful consequences of fast fashion. The technique we use in our workshop in all our projects is “thrift-flipping,” which is taking something old and making anew.

Methods

Conducting background research, we wrote a literature review of nineteen resources including websites, articles, and books. We found that fast-fashion poses significant environmental, ethical, and social challenges which we as a society need to combat with sustainable and practical solutions. We then dove into the source that helped normalize fast fashion all together: social media. As we expected, we found many micro-trends along with influencers who promoted fast fashion brands. However, we also found other trends that fought against the fast fashion industry such as the thrift movement and promotions for local sustainable businesses. We dove deeper into the thrifting trend, as we saw how eco-friendly and innovative it could be. Our projects were all designed to involve thrift-flipping or repurposing, and our presentations included tutorials, videos of other creators' thrift-flipping, and information about how thrift-flipping could be a sustainable alternative to fashion. Through these activities, students not only learned how to thrift-flip and upcycle “waste” materials but also how to think innovatively about the issue at hand and develop a creative solution. 

Audience & Impact

Our direct audience are Art Scholars students interested in fashion, style, design, DIY crafts or sustainability. Our workshop suits anyone, especially Gen Z, who is interested in those topics. Through our workshop, our students got to practice sustainable alternatives to fashion, in addition to exploring and studying different aesthetics and styles. They got to learn about how fast fashion is harmful to the environment and people, creating innovative and personal art that directly combats the normalization of fast fashion. It is significant to mention that the issues of fast fashion should be explored by anyone and everyone, thus our workshop aims to be a source of education and inspiration for sustainable fashion not just for our students but everyone. 

References

“9 Sustainable Fashion Activists Have One Message for Us All.” Indie Studios, Indie Studios, 18 Nov. 2023, www.indiestudios.nyc/work/9-sustainable-fashion-activists-have-one-message-for-us-all. 

Birch, Storm. “Explained: The History of Fast Fashion.” Ocean Generation, Ocean Generation, 31 Aug. 2023, oceangeneration.org/the-history-of-fast-fashion/.

Park, H., Kim, J. & Lee, K., (2022) “Interplay Between TikTok & Generation Z: The Trickle-Up Effect of #thriftflip”, International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Conference Proceedings 78(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/itaa.13735 

Acknowledgements

What had just been a vision last year is now a fully completed project thanks to so many people. We want to thank our lovely teaching assistant, Vanessa, for her patience, guidance and input as well as our awesome teaching staff, Harold, Heather, and Irene, for their mentorship and encouragement throughout this entire process. We are deeply grateful for all the support from friends and family who believed in us. Last, but not least, thank you to each one of our students for being an amazing class to teach.