As part of her role as Columbia’s Student Government Association’s Senator for the School of Fashion, sophomore fashion studies major Lorena Castro hosted a clothing swap event at The Hive this week in partnership with Columbia’s styling club Columbia à La Mode.
The space’s bleacher-like seating was converted to a clothing display, with pins, purse, shirts and sweaters available, but what made the event unique is that after students found something they wanted, they could head to an alteration station to refashion it.
Castro was inspired after Columbia à La Mode, a subcommittee of Columbia’s Fashion Association, hosted a clothing swap last semester. Castro “thought that it was awesome.”
The DIY element came from a town hall, also last semester, where participants were asked what kind of events they would like to see. Students clamored for more DIY opportunities, and Castro knew a partnership, and more specifically a clothing swap, was in order.
“I thought that it would also be awesome to decorate clothes,” she said. “I was like, maybe a little fun spring initiative already bringing out clothes and then coming and decorating them.”
Helping lead the operation was Galaxy Wolf, sophomore fashion merchandising major and director of Columbia à La Mode.
Wolf said that the event was approached as an “elevated” clothing swap. Students will be able to drop off clothing no longer worn and pick up clothing left by others, with attendees needing to drop off clothing to take some. In addition, everyone was given the opportunity to elevate their looks at a crafting station.
“On the way out, we’ll have a table of craft supplies and DIY supplies that you can use to put a little pizzazz to your items, or take some add-ons with you if you want to do it at home,” Wolf said.
Helping out at the event with her digital camera taking photos for all who attended was Giselle Alvarez, a sophomore fashion major, and Columbia à La Mode’s officer.
“I love events, so I’m always throwing out ideas like nobody’s business, “ Alvarez said.
As a fashion student, she says that the clothing swap can be a great way to “stay fashionable on a budget,” as well as saying that “ sustainability is really important” right now.
Currently, a lot of the student body is against supporting fast fashion brands, and she believes that the clothing swap gives students a way to support this ideal without the priciness of certain consignment stores, “especially for college students who can’t exactly afford to go shopping constantly.”
Sustainability is a value also shared by all of Columbia’s SGA, said Jenna Davis, junior fine arts major and the group’s president, who was in attendance in search of some new clothing — and to support Castro.
“I think clothing swaps are so necessary because the fast fashion world is so horrible to the environment,” Davis said. “Having things like this, going to the rack on campus, thrifting just in general, is so important.”
According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office, the Environmental Protection Agency estimates an over 50 percent increase in textile waste between 2000 and 2018, that they have anticipated to continue to grow. It’s through promoting sustainable habits that both associations try to foster a less wasteful fashion industry.
“I think that, like starting now, as we’re learning fashion, as students who want to enter this field, it’s really important that we just have these priorities set,” said junior fashion major Charlee Lambert, vice president of Columbia’s Fashion Association.
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