This week on Chronversations, NASCAR is bringing speed to the streets of Chicago, and Columbia fashion students are bringing it to the runway. From vintage racewear to recycled track materials, student designers are pushing the limits of style, sustainability, and self-expression.
TRANSCRIPT
0:07: Welcome back to Chronicle Conversations.
0:10: I’m your host, Stella Huang.
0:15: Did you know Columbia students are partnering with NASCAR?
0:18: Fashion students here are collaborating with the racing giant to debut a sustainable collection during race weekend, reimagining motor sports style through eco-conscious design and recycled race materials.
0:30: I stopped by the fashion lab earlier this week and met 3 of the designers taking on the challenge.
0:36: First, I met Mora Forkapa, a senior majoring in fashion studies.
0:40: I’m making kind of like a racer suit, but also like a little bit of everyday wear.
0:46: There, I’m focusing on the tires and also the window safety netting for the drivers, so I’m kind of calling it like risk to reward and I’m focusing on some tire prints and I made like a skirt window netting kind of midi skirt going on, yeah, and I’m super excited.
1:06: She’s constructing a look that blends everyday wear with the thrill of the track.
1:10: Her looks are inspired by the speed and adrenaline she remembers from watching NASCAR with her dad.
1:16: I grew up watching NASCAR with my dad.
1:19: Yeah, he worked for DuPont at the time, so he always watched Jeff Gordon because that was the DuPont car.
1:25: So, what we loved always like the speed of the cars.
1:27: And while she’s not building a race car, she’s definitely engineering something.
1:32: I took a canvas bag that was really cool and I’m using kind of the inside fabric of that and some of the patches that were on a lot of the t-shirts and sweatshirts.
1:44: I also am using a pair of sweatpants.
1:46: I’ve cut up and I’m using like they have more little logos and stuff on there and I’m also trying to use our organic cotton thread.
1:56: To be a little more sustainable. Mora is not alone. Emili Hernandez, a recent graduate, is also in the lab.
2:03: The materials themselves sort of shaped the direction of Emily’s final garment.
2:07: I’m just upcycling that NASCAR like provided for us, so I used like a button down shirt with short sleeves and I was just fixing the fit of it.
2:18: She had to adapt her original design plan based on what materials were left, but she sees it as a valuable creative challenge.
2:25: I had an initial idea, but then I saw the materials that they provided, so I had a pivot to something else, but still kept some of the original idea I had with my initial sketch, so I had to problem solve that and go through a different direction.
2:40: Her target audience, Gen Z.
2:43: But actually, anyone who connects with the design. I want my design to be functional and that anybody who likes the design can wear it and just like, if it appeals to a person that they like how the structure and the construction of it is, they could be able to wear it.
3:02: And then there’s Chase Lowry.
3:04: He’s leaning into NASCAR’s past to imagine his future.
3:07: So I was inspired kind of by like old 1950s, kind of when NASCAR originated, what they used to wear.
3:16: They used to wear like all white kind of jumpsuit looking type things, so I wanted to pull inspiration from that while also keeping it futuristic and like up to time and kind of just merge those together into a cool little balance.
3:29: Behind every stitch, there is a story, a moment of growth.
3:34: You can see it in their choices.
3:36: In every fabric swap, sketch redo, and risk taken.
3:42: Honestly, I work really good under pressure.
3:44: I feel like that’s what pushes me to get things done and make quick decisions.
3:48: I just took on a challenge.
3:49: I’ve never really created any sustainable actual garments.
3:54: I think it’s really cool for like the portfolio aspect.
3:56: I feel like it would be really cool to show an employer in the future that, hey, I did something for NASCAR and also kind of challenging my career going within these parameters of trying to make it NASCAR but also Chase at the same time.
4:09: From the track to the sewing machine, Columbia’s designers are proving that motor sports style doesn’t have to stay in the pit.
4:16: With recycled gear, boat ideas, and fast deadlines, they’re building a whole new land for fashion.
4:22: Be sure to check out their final NASCAR looks when they are revealed later this summer.
4:27: Make sure to stay up to date with campus and metro news at columbiachronicle.com.
4:32: And sign up for our newsletter at columbiachronicle.com/newsletter.
4:38: I’m Stella Huang.
4:40: Thanks for listening.
Copy edited by Emma Jolly
