it is most admirable when artists find a way to incorporate recycling into their art. not only does this prove the inherent beauty of what some consider “trash,” but it can further inspire other artists to create similar work.

within the last decade, buyers have become more aware of the consequences of the fashion industry. growing consciousness about the effect of clothes dye, worker exploitation and material waste have made consumers and designers rethink their fashion choices. daniel also became more conscious of this and wanted to contribute and be part of the solution.

“i wanted to put forth, through fashion, a warning message of the environmental issues we live with” he said.

through the creation of garments, daniel conflates different trends that are resurfacing, such as “slow fashion” and “no waste.” slow fashion entails understanding the process in which the clothes are being made. as daniel is the designer, seamster and creator of his work, he is responsible for all aspects and knows exactly where it all comes from. the no waste movement strives to repurpose materials that would otherwise be destined to become landfill. daniel’s work combines both.

daniel has used a number of materials, ranging from cassette tapes to computer keyboards and glass lenses.

“each material presents its own difficulties, even preparing the material and thinking about the item’s construction is a challenge,” he said.

the process behind recycling these materials is complex. it involves collecting, cleaning and a creative aspect in which the artist must envision the presentation of the material.

“using cd discs was maybe the most challenging material, because of its rigidity,” he said. “i had to cut them up and make small holes in them in which i tied some metal string and brought the little pieces together. also the keyboards, preparing the keyboards and calculating the amount of keys i needed to add, and then remove so that the dress would not be shapeless.”

the technicalities involved in this type of work are not perceived at first glance. once the artist has an idea, creating a concept and making it a tangible item can be an elaborate procedure.

in terms of inspiration, the ubiquity of litter and residue is something that often reaches artists and observers.

“i was walking at night and the shine of a vhs film tape on the floor caught my attention,” he said. “this inspired me, and i thought that maybe i could make something luxurious out of that shine.”

after all, the idea of luxury in fashion derives from a combination of materials, creation, and inspiration.

daniel’s outlook of creating something sumptuous from nothing is an approach that many self-made artists have. it takes true artistic talent to create beauty from what others deem as waste. daniel’s creations demonstrate how creativity can shape the way we view materials, enhancing their circularity and usability. through fashion, daniel detects the intrinsic beauty of “junk” and molds it into a garment that appeals to all audiences.

microplastics are a form of microfibers –– fibers under 5 mm in diameter or just a little larger than a headphone jack. over time, through washes and wears, our clothes’ synthetic fibers like polyester, nylon, and spandex break down and release microplastics into our water systems or enter waste facilities and are then used as fertilizer and absorbed by our produce. the amount of microplastics released is significant. domestic washes alone contribute up to 35% of microfiber pollution in the atmosphere. this is a concern because of how pervasive microplastics are. they’ve been found in our drinking water, in produce such as apples, in markets across the us selling seafood, and even in pregnant women’s placentas. institutions like universities however are more focused on getting rid of visible plastic waste and are neglecting to prevent this major form of pollution now found even in the deepest parts of the oceans. 

in an effort to curb the amount of unnecessary plastic waste the school creates, the george washington university administration issued a single-use plastics ban in the spring of 2021. the decision has the expected (and debatably impactful) restrictions on plastic utensils and bottles at university events but fails to regulate another significant source of plastic pollution that it’s profiting from: synthetic fibers. it is encouraging to see the university switch from synthetic plastics to bioplastics in their kitchenware, but there needs to be a massive change in the school store as well. to begin, here are three suggested edits for the school’s online and in-person store. 

1. no more synthetic knitwear 

out of the 70 designs offered for women’s sweatshirts on gw’s bookstore site, only two sweatshirts are fully made from natural fibers, both being cotton crewnecks. the remaining 70 sweatshirts are between 20-100% polyester. the sweatshirts that are fully fleece are of major concern. researchers found that, on average, synthetic fleece jackets release 1.7 grams of microfibers each wash, which is the mass of about two pen caps. additionally, out of the ten beanies offered, only one was fully made with cotton; the rest were 100% acrylic.

solution: since two sweaters are already made from 100% cotton, gw can reduce its stock of microplastics-shedding sweaters and offer more designs with primarily natural fibers.  

2. no more synthetic bedding

similar to knitwear, the majority of gw-themed blankets offered are made at least partially with synthetic fibers. only one blanket out of five is fully made from cotton, while another is fully polyester, and the rest are a mix between cotton and either polyester or acrylic. like a fleece jacket, the fluffiest and coziest blankets unleash the most amount of fiber when they’re thrown around in the washing machine and dryer. additionally, the 12 bed sheet sets offered on the website are all made out of 100% microfiber which is a synthetic blend between polyester and nylon. while the benefits of these $20 sets are that they are cheap and soft, they imported from an unnamed manufacturer and will inevitably release microplastics. 

solution: again, gw already offers an option for blankets that is made with natural fibers. if the students are unaware of microfiber pollution and mitigation techniques, the school should step in and not even produce and profit from the synthetic alternatives. additionally, it might be worth piloting a cotton sheet rental program, like a hotel, as students only live in dorms with xl twin mattresses for a few years and this would offer a sustainable and cheaper alternative to buying new sets of synthetic bedsheets freshman year. 

3. offer filtration systems for athletic wear 

gw signed a 5-year contract with adidas in 2019 to supply its team and fan merchandise. adidas’ catalog all has 100% recycled polyester items. while some would be intrigued to see the basketball teams don some wool jerseys, gw could account for the polyester items by upgrading the microplastic-catching technology across campus. institutions have the power to contain microplastic pollution, proven by france that has adopted a law that makes microplastics filters a requirement for new washing machines after 2025. gw could push forward a similar agenda by adding microplastic filters to its laundry rooms’ washing machines. for student-athletes living off-campus, the school could also provide microplastic-catching mesh bags to reduce the microplastic release. additionally, to replace general synthetic athletic wear offered to all students at gw’s bookstore, biodegradable options could be introduced from companies such as tripulse and pangaia. to match the growing demand for sustainable options, particularly by gen z-ers, these sustainable apparel companies use tencel, a light breathable biodegradable fabric made from wood pulp, along with roica v550, a biodegradable replacement for the typical petroleum-based elastics. 

solution: gw should add microfiber filters to laundry machines on campus and provide microplastic-catching mesh bags to athletes as there are no other team sports-appropriate alternatives. additionally, the school store could print and display infographics of care tips on how to mitigate microplastic pollution. 

––

you may be asking why we should be so fussed over synthetic fibers when cotton and wool fibers also may pass through water treatment facilities. the two main concerns are ingestion and biomagnification. first, scientists are already finding synthetic fiber-filled gastrointestinal tracts in small fish, which is preventing them from eating and digesting actual food. second, because of these fibers’ porous and hydrophobic properties along with their chemical-heavy production, we put carnivores at most risk of biomagnified chemical poisoning as the chemicals accumulate up the food chain. 

gw’s single-use plastics ban just focuses on the more visible plastic waste, but more attention needs to be directed at the issue that’s unknowingly made it into our own bodies. according to polling in 2020, approximately 60% of us consumers have never heard of microplastics before, so it falls on gw as an educational institution to inform its students and the public on the issue. gw’s current disposable plastics ban is a great statement against a well-known issue, but there’s a truly remarkable opportunity for the school to be the first to recall at least part of its school merchandise due to unsustainable and harmful materials. while the university may not have much say over what packaging third-party food vendors on campus offer (as noted in the plan), gw has full control over the designs of the merchandise it orders. if the school and its students are committed to eradicating disposable plastics, they should also consider the microplastics they unknowingly dispose of every time they do their laundry. 

fast fashion / slow art, showcased at the corcoran school of art & design, was co-curated by bibiana obler, associate professor of art history at the corcoran, and phyllis rosenzweig, curator emerita at the hirshhorn museum and sculpture garden. the film-centric exhibition features pieces from an international pool of artists such as german filmmaker hito steyerl and chinese director wang bing.

“one might think, given the title, that’s a very didactic exhibition saying, ‘fast fashion is bad! lets fight it,’” obler says. “but, that’s not actually the message we want to convey. we want to start a conversation, especially because these issues are so complicated.”

the wasteful nature of the clothing industry has come to the forefront of fashion conversation in recent years. brands that built empires on cheap, trendy clothing, such as the international retail giant zara, are even promising to change their ways.

just this summer, zara’s parent company inditex announced their plan to make their brands more sustainable by converting to 90% organic, recycled, or sustainable raw materials by 2025. however, these steps are not getting to the heart of the problem: the immense amount of clothing that is made from these or other materials. the amount of clothing produced each year doubled from 2000 to 2014 and the amount of clothing purchased by an average consumer rose 60%.

while it is easy to think of sustainable fashion as a consumer issue, fast fashion / slow art forces audiences to face the opposite side of the coin and consider how the garments that line our closets were made in the first place.

the exhibition depicts the issues as largely cultural. martin de thurah’s film “stories,” for instance, plays with the concept of disposability as it shows a model taking off t-shirt after t-shirt and tossing each on the ground as she walks down a city street.

according to obler, the lack of value we place in our clothing is central to the problem.

“i have a certain relationship to shopping and it turns out it’s very different than people of your generation,” obler says. “while i, personally, do shop fast fashion because it’s cheap, i then expect to keep (the clothing) forever. the whole notion that you can buy a t-shirt and only wear it once is totally alien to me. that doesn’t make sense. in talking to my students, who are increasingly conscientious consumers and are increasingly thinking about these issues while they shop, they have a certain expectation of the amount of shopping that they will do in a year that is just completely different than mine.”

zara and many other brands that line our shopping malls and retail streets maintain their low prices by outsourcing to poor countries where sweatshop workers earn as little as 1 u.s. cent an hour. exploitative labor allows clothing items to be sold at the same price as a cup of coffee. as a result, consumers toss their clothing more freely. the average american throws out 81 pounds of clothing each year.

fast fashion / slow art brings the hidden costs of fashion to the forefront with pieces such as “15 hours,” an uncut film by wang bing that shows the grueling 15-hour day of one garment worker in huzhou, china.

other works beg the onlooker to consider the relationship between laborer and machine in modern manufacturing. american textile artist cat mazza created one of the few non-video pieces in the show. in her work, “electroknit dymaxion,” mazza replicates the most popular traditional weaving styles from each continent using software called knitpro, which digitally translates images into textile patterns. the patterns were then knit in cotton by machine.

the result is a massive patchwork that speaks to something beyond the technological age: the timeless similarities and connectedness of humans across continents.

“the goal is that these are not simply things that you can kind of go in and look out and think, ‘oh, what shame that fast fashion is such a problem,’ and then leave again,” obler says. “the idea is that you stay awhile and that you don’t just have an aesthetic experience and that you also really are compelled to think a little further, even if you’ve thought a lot about these issues.”

—

fast fashion / slow art is showing at the luther w. brady art gallery at the corcoran school of art & design through dec. 15. the exhibition is open tuesday through sunday, 1-5 p.m. it will reopen at the bowdoin college museum of art in maine in spring 2020.

from a recent clothing swap run by unity charity fashion show to alpha phi sorority’s annual alpha phlea market, students looking to thrift-shop a new summer wardrobe had lots of options at northwestern university. several student organizations hosted an ongoing stream of pop-up used clothing sales throughout spring quarter.

both unity and alpha phi collected donations around campus from students, including members of their own organizations. unity co-president and northwestern junior lilli boice was impressed by some of the trendy pieces they received for the swap, with clothes from high-end brands such as lululemon or free people, as well as some pieces with tags still attached. the clothing swap also allowed shoppers to receive one free article of clothing in exchange for donating.

aside from offering a fun activity and affordable alternative to buying brand-new, shopping resale also can significantly reduce the environmental cost of fashion. according to a report by mckinsey & company, making a kilogram of fabric (2.2 pounds) generates an average of 23 kilograms (nearly 57 pounds) of greenhouse gases, which contribute to global warming by trapping heat inside the atmosphere. additionally, the report found that almost three-fifths of all clothing produced ends up in incinerators or landfills within a year of being made, adding to the global problem of pollution. these statistics are especially troubling considering that the last two decades have seen a significant uptick in the sheer volume of clothing produced. the same mckinsey & company report found that clothing production doubled from 2000 to 2014, and the number of articles purchased each year by the average customer increased by 60%. 

consumers adopted the term “fast fashion” to describe the mass production clothing trend. good on you, a website that specializes in rating clothing brands by ethical value, described fast fashion as “cheap, trendy clothing, that samples ideas from the catwalk or celebrity culture and turns them into garments in high street stores at breakneck speed.”

the rate at which brands are able to replicate current and ever-changing styles can be a major contributor to the problem. the mckinsey & company report stated that the average customer kept articles half as long in 2014 as in 2000 across all categories of clothing. this can be largely due to the pace of trends in the industry, as the same report found that european clothing brands moved from releasing two collections per year on average in 2000 to five per year on average in 2011.

luckily, sustainable consumer practices such as buying used clothing can help in curbing production at least slightly by reducing the demand for new fashions. the convenience of pop-up events on campus, as well as shopping at the nearby downtown evanston resale store crossroads trading, encourages students to adopt this habit. northwestern sophomore emma healy attended alpha phlea market the past two years, but she admitted that she hadn’t seen thrift shopping as a realistic option until coming to college. 

“back home where i’m from, there aren’t so many thrift stores that are actually close to me and that have things that i would be interested in,” said healy. “but here, being so close to chicago and even in evanston, there’s a lot more options for thrifting.”

other students have also had luck finding thrifting options close to campus. northwestern sophomore emma belanger decided on her birthday this past march that she would challenge herself by abstaining from purchasing any new pieces of clothing for a year. “the amount of toxic waste that’s created by textile production and the different manufacturing processes that are involved in clothing are so harmful,” she said.

in her efforts to avoid traditional clothing stores, belanger has tried to expand her range of used clothing retailers beyond the downtown evanston area. “there’s (a goodwill) that’s kind of close to campus. me and my friends just took a bus,” she said. “i’m trying to branch out into the chicagoland thrift stores.”

university of kansas sophomore adam alani is also a strong advocate for buying resale clothing, finding the current practice of mass clothing production to be unsustainable. “we’re just consuming, consuming, consuming, and things can only go downhill from there,” he said.

alani managed to persuade his sister, as well as some of his college friends, to take up thrift shopping as a habit. “in order to convince somebody of that, i would bring up the monetary aspect of it first, because that’s usually what grabs people’s attention,” he said.

another strategy alani has found is using his style to defy the assumptions many shoppers may make about buying used clothing. “what i’m wearing is, like, cool,” he said. “it’s not raggedy, as some people would think.”

unfortunately, despite alani’s success in combating one stigma about recycled fashion, many consumers are still wary of buying resale items. boice experienced this through interactions with some of her friends from home. “whenever i say i bought something second-hand, (they’re) just like, ‘oh, ew,’” she said. “i do think it’s a good solution, but i think it’ll be a better one when more people are open to the idea of having second-hand clothes.”

this hesitation, combined with limited budgets, can make fast fashion a major temptation for college students. although healy often aims to shop sustainably, she confessed that it can be difficult at times, especially when shopping for a specific article or style. “it’s hard to resist prices that are so low like that, especially with trendy items that you don’t really need to last,” she said.

she found that the likelihood of a piece going out of fashion often contributed to her decision. “you don’t need it to last six years if it’s just a throw-away top that you’re just going to wear for one season,” she said. “it’s sometimes hard to justify paying $50-60 for it.”

healy’s reluctance to spend more on clothing is reinforced by the fact that she usually won’t have to. fast fashion retailers such as h&m often sell full-priced jeans and dresses at a bargain rate of $9.99.

leonela leon, an environmental studies major at the university of california, berkeley, found this price structure problematic. although she acknowledged that the high prices of sustainable clothing brands could at first be unpalatable to the average consumer, she said that the solution lies in adjusting our view of fashion and how we value the clothes we buy.

“yes, a $75-$100 pair of leggings or jeans or a t-shirt is expensive to us now, but that’s just because we’re conditioned to the fast-fashion design, so we’re used to buying $10 t-shirts,” she said. “we need to shift back to how we used to think about clothing, and we used to spend a lot more of our income on clothing. now we spend a lot less than that, so we buy so much more.”

leon’s claim is consistent with a report from the bureau of labor statistics, which found that the portion of consumer income spent on apparel dropped from 12% in 1950 to 4% in 2003, a 66.7% decrease.

as leon mentioned, the steep decline in apparel spending isn’t due to a decrease in clothing purchases. rather, the price of clothing has risen so little in previous years in comparison with other consumer goods that it has essentially decreased over time. or, in the case of the united states, the price has actually decreased, according to mckinsey & company, finding a 3% decrease in the price of clothing from 1995 to 2014 and an average price increase of 55% for all other goods.

although leon expressed a concern for these decreasing prices, she did understand why they could appeal to many consumers. “we do need to shift our way of thinking,” she said. “but also i know there’s a lot of privilege in that, and a lot of people are living paycheck to paycheck, and they can’t make those investments.”

still, leon said that low price tags are often the result of a hidden cost that most consumers don’t realize is being paid. “get used to the fact that clothing should not be that cheap and factor in the different costs that we’re paying in social and environmental ways,” she said.

brian leber, owner of the eco-conscious jewelry store leber jeweler inc., also stands by the idea of considering non-monetary costs of production. “fundamentally, if a company is sourcing through means that do not address social concerns, all they’re doing is passing the cost onto those that are being exploited,” he said.

the history

the idea of sustainable fashion has been around for decades, sprouting from rationing during both world wars. to conserve materials for soldiers, governments asked their citizens to trim dresses short and donate unwanted clothes for the military. 

it landed in the spotlight during the 1980’s when companies like patagonia and espirit gained notoriety for making clothing out of recycled polyesters and organic cotton. 

fast fashion: the enemy of sustainable fashion

fast fashion is considered to be the status quo of how the fashion industry is run, which is exemplified by companies like h&m and zara that sell their clothes for extremely low prices and change styles quickly. traditional clothing companies cut costs and are concerned more about the economic bottom line than the health of the environment. it is important to remember that buying cheap comes at a high cost for the environment and laborers. 

according to unesco, some chinese laborers that are hired by these large clothing companies are paid just 12 cents an hour for their work. in addition to the negative human impacts, the industry also requires toxic dyes and pesticides to produce the products due to the speed of which it runs. zara uses a rapid five-week cycle to design, manufacture and then sell new clothing products. if the products do not sell they often times end up in the landfill. 

the independent reported in november 2017 that workers in istanbul’s bravo tekstil factory, which makes clothes for zara, sewed pleas for help in the clothing that they were making. according to the article, factory laborers were fed up with working conditions but were scared of speaking up because of fears of getting fired.

the notion of consumerism goes hand-in-hand with fast fashion. as fashion trends evolve, so does the public’s appetite for purchasing new clothes. patagonia founder yvon chouinard is famous for an ad campaign that was printed in the new york times that showed an image of a patagonia jacket with the statement “do not buy this jacket” written in bold letters. the message was intended to encourage people to think about what they purchase and only buy clothing when they absolutely need it.

remedies for fast fashion

one of the simplest actions that you can take to limit your carbon footprint is to donate old or worn down clothes to thrift stores or charities. this way, it gives clothes a second life for those individuals that actually need it. you also may want to think about giving clothes that do not fit to friends and family.

another way to function in the sustainable fashion model is to buy clothes from thrift stores. not only are thrift stores much cheaper than buying new clothes from high fashion brands, but you also will be giving clothes a second chance. consequentially many of the clothes that are sold at thrift stores are no longer made in circulation. meaning that the piece that you purchase will be individual and can add a little swagger!

there is a movement in high fashion to create trendy articles of clothing out of recycled or sustainable materials. designer ryan jude novelline designed a ballroom gown made out of old children’s books. lucy tammam is a designer who creates beautiful bridal wear with just silk and organic cotton. 

clothing to look out for while shopping

if you have no appeal to high fashion or are just too strapped for cash, there are other sustainable fashion options on the market.

adidas has partnered with parley, an organization that salvages plastic from the ocean, to make shoes, shirts, and socks. the plastic that otherwise would infiltrate marine life digestive tracts is now being turned into clothing through the initiative. some major european soccer teams that are sponsored by adidas have worn recycled jerseys in competitive matches. 

another option is the shoe brand all-birds, which have become quite popular. their sleek design, relatively inexpensive price, and environmentally friendly materials will show your friends that you are sustainably conscience while also being fashionable. the sneakers are made up of recycled plastics, cardboard, organic wool and castor bean oil (an alternative to harmful oils). 

questions to consider 

how often do you shop for clothing?

would you rather have expensive but durable clothing or cheap but flimsy clothing?

what are your thoughts on using recycled materials to make a fashion statement?

considering the facts about fast fashion, how does your favorite brand of clothing compare to others in terms of their consciousness of the environment?

***

q&a with sustainable shoe designer louis d’arienzo

louis d’arienzo designs sustainable shoes with a company called florent belda in porto, portugal. here is what he had to say about sustainable fashion:

q: what does sustainable fashion mean to you?

a: sustainable is a very broad term that is often misused. for me, my business and my product it is making the lowest environmental impact i possibly can from the materials i use to the partners i work with; how they practice and promote better ways of making for the planet and the people they employ.

q: sustainability also has the long term in mind. what happens when the product’s life is over? are the processes and ingredients using natural resources and at the same time not depleting those resources and maintaining balance?

a: right now i try to use a mix of recycled and biodegradable materials wherever absolutely possible.

q: where did you get your start in sustainable manufacturing?

a: i have always tried to implement the use of less damaging materials and methods for all of the companies i have had the pleasure of working for. when i decided to launch my own collection of footwear i knew it needed to be borne with this ethos.

if you start from the beginning with this mindset and approach, while challenging and at times limiting, you are able to make it a part of your dna. it forces you not to stray.

q: what/who influenced you to start manufacturing sustainable sneakers?

a: the state our planet is in! it made no sense whatsoever to put a new product out on the market that didn’t acknowledge the damage that is being done. it was my obligation.

q: what are your products made out of (and where do the resources come from)?

a: i use vegetable tanned leather and lining for my uppers that use no chromium or heavy metals in the tanning process that can gravely pollute the water table. i found a sole manufacturer in portugal that produces soles made from up to 70% internally recycled waste material. the inner workings and structural parts use cork, cardboard and biodegradable components. we are partly using 100%rpet thread (polyester) from plastic beverage bottles.  all of our adhesives are water-based avoiding volatile solvents that can be hazardous for the people working with them.

q: you mention pursuing the higg index in your business model, can you talk a little bit about what those guidelines mean?

a: the higg index was initiated by the sustainable apparel coalition. it essentially provides the tools for a company to measure its product’s or facility’s sustainability performance. it is designed to promote better practice during the sustainability journey.  it is not designed to fail, but to encourage and guide.

q: why do you think it is so important to pay your laborers a fair, living wage?

a: all humans have inherent dignity and should be treated and compensated fairly. right now i have no employees but this is a conversation i’ve had with my shoe factory who upholds the highest standards of inclusiveness and fairness.

q: why portugal?

a: portugal has always held a respected tradition of shoe and leather goods manufacturing. in the past 15 years they have really come to the forefront of quality, reliable product with an artisanal hand. more and more companies from the luxury sector to start-ups are turning their attention to portugal. portugal is also a very progressive country environmentally and socially.

q: how do you reconcile leaving your post as a designer for high-end fashion markets?

a: i actually still work as a design consultant in the luxury sector for a well known milanese fashion house.

q: what is your goal for the sneaker company?

a: to continue building and nurturing my business expanding into more product category while respecting the environment and being true to my message. i look forward to taking part in more rewarding collaborations supporting and empowering people and communities that need it most.

q: what do you want to see come out of the sustainable fashion model?

a: i believe in sharing our resources, breakthroughs, and successes. the only way forward is to engage and help each other who work in the materials and manufacturing industries. if we are all striving to make every effort to create products that respect the environment our industries will truly become sustainable ones.

q: how do you make the shoes attractive and affordable to middle-class customers?

a: my designs are quite pared down but that doesn’t make the decision making in their design and execution easy. i feel their simplicity makes them accessible yet the detailing and color combinations keep them compelling and rather joyful.

from abroad, i watched the terrorist acts that took place in charlottesville, virginia. the irony was not lost on me as i put forth my best effort to aid the lives of brown women and children in bangladesh, funded by mainly white and developed nations like the u.s., acts of terror were being committed against our own minority brothers and sisters at home.

there are assumptions made in the states about developing countries — i know, because not only have i been privy to them from my peers, but i have committed a few myself; such as believing almost every man in these nations is sexist. but as i met and interviewed men in the villages and male union leaders, i realized many of them are supportive and active in the fight for women’s full equality in the workplace and at home.

when we are fed one narrative by the systems in power and do not take the time to educate ourselves on it, then this is the problematic narrative we act upon. our president drums up hate and utilizes fear mongering as he seeks to ban more muslims from entering the country and keep a record of muslim citizens. perhaps if he interacted in their communities or visited a country where 80% of the population practices islam, he might understand the gentleness of it.

those who are prejudiced might experience the kindness that was offered to me in a mosque, in the form of an older man extending a pastry to me, unasked, that was meant as an offering to a shrine. they might see the beauty of arabic as it is used in their art, and not the fear that many have placed on letters they do not understand. they might wake to the sound of prayers and chants drifting through the trees, and understand the truth of islam is the truth of peace. perhaps then there might not be acts of violence in the united states against those of us who are muslim.

assumptions like these are uninformed and often ignorant, but the truth is no different from the united states’s truth, and that is a message that is often lost in the global narrative.

humanity is a strange mix of love and suffering, and that is the basis of every society at some level, though each experiences it differently. for example, the exploitation of the poor is concrete everywhere.

did you know it is expensive to live in the slums? that these small houses with tin roofs take the majority of a garment worker’s salary? without a living wage, there is no rising above. a job does not equal financial security. as with america, we assume that if you work hard you can rise from poverty, but we ignore the systemic issues that purposefully keep minorities and women down economically, politically, and socially.

were a woman in the factory to seek to rise above her position, she might be met with laughter, at best. our heart goes out to her, yet we do nothing to help her sisters in the states, as women of color make typically 54% of what a white man makes. the hypocrisy of the preconceived notion is how events like charlottesville happen. we cannot turn a blind eye to injustice at home merely because we think other nations are worse off. while they might not match the united states in socioeconomic or political prowess, that does not mean we cannot learn from them and formulate a better understanding of ourselves and our duties as a nation.

after my trip to bangladesh, i fully believe the success of foreign nations is tied greatly to the “othering” of specific groups in the states, and vice versa. bangladesh is a developing country because europe, by expanding their global empires hundred of years ago, reaped the goods and benefits of the nation — rich in product and culture — raped the land, raped women, and placed economic and political holds over the people. today, they still remain under such nations as we both exploit their labor in factories with abusive conditions for cheap, and pump kilo upon kilo of natural gases into the environment, catalyzing climate change at an alarming rate.

as a particular result of developed nations’ lack of sustainability, thousands of people in bangladesh, india, and nepal have been displaced from their homes, went missing, or lost their lives due to unprecedented flooding, at rates never before experienced. the world is on the brink of a climate refugee crisis, and the united states has plans to leave the paris agreement. the fast fashion industry, which is where bangladesh makes the majority of its money, is the second greatest polluting industry in the world, utilizing 70 million barrels of oil a year and emitting 10% of global carbon emissions, according to forbes.

but what happens to these nations is not discussed in the forefront of the american political sphere, even as we face our own unprecedented hurricanes. these countries are not us, nor are they like us, so they get less coverage than if a disaster were to happen in paris, barcelona, or berlin. by extension, attacks like charlottesville happen because of a longstanding tradition to ignore racism and its perpetual existence in our country. somehow, being an american citizen still does not make a person “like us.”

we are complicit in the subjugation of garment factory workers in bangladesh, and oftentimes, fundamentally, we are no better at home. but this is the part where i tell you that these women, like women everywhere, are not weak. we can learn something from these factory women, even if we cannot speak their language.

as care and i interviewed the women at the top of an old, crumbling building and journeyed with them to their homes, and i watched hope unfurl. though we were all surrounded by extreme poverty and the women face so much adversity, the women, one of whom was named rekka, could not stop smiling and inspiring us to smile with them. the women finally had a chance to speak their truths and about what has happened to them, some fired for becoming pregnant, others facing physical and verbal abuse. they finally had a chance to tell the stories of their empowerment, and how they have found solutions through care’s programs.

though we could not communicate at all and utilized a translator, i met a woman named afrin that i now consider my friend; we spoke the language of kindness and gratitude. as i just watched the women take care of each other and their families, i saw the most concrete example of true feminism i could find. not one based on “squad goals” or another marketable trait, but one based on women of color supporting women of color, and taking a direct stand against their abusive bosses and communities, despite the disadvantages they face.

as they stand up to their employers, so can we. by focusing on the narrative that america is the best country in the world, we lose sight of what we can learn, and what we must atone for. it is our duty to stand up for environmental justice, to sexism, to racism, and to prevent something like charlottesville from happening in the future.

in 2017, the age of hyper globalization, it is time to willingly learn from our mistakes and take a note from the garment factory workers in bangladesh speaking truth to power. while there are so many other lessons i will take from bangladesh, on toxic masculinity, gender norms, microaggressions, racism, etc., that i wish i could fit into this blog, i will leave you with the image of rekka. strong, a survivor, a provider, and an advocate we can look to in our lives in america.

all of cross’ dresses are handmade and designed to flatter all feminine shapes. in addition to featuring her own line, she also features clothing and jewelry from over 80 local art makers who sell handmade goods in her shop on 19th street in oakland. field day and friends has been open in oakland since 2012 but cross has been designing her line for over 10 years.

cross started sewing as a teenager because she couldn’t find anything to wear.

“it became a political move for me too. being exposed to the suffering and inequality that comes from sweat shop labor. i would hunt for over-sized amazing fabrics from and make a-one-of-a-kind piece for myself that i felt at home in,” she said. part of what fueled her to create her own boutique was the excessive waste in the garment industry.

cross finds her fabrics by doing what she loves best: thrift shopping. “i hunt through a lot of different fabrics, which means that a lot of my stuff is very small batch; there’s a lot of one-of-a-kind or very small runs. we also use only organic cotton that is grown and milled in the u.s.,” said cross. she wanted to make timeless, impeccably crafted clothing from completely conscious materials. her passion for living sustainably does not stop at clothing design either, she also chooses to live her live the same way.

“my neighbor and i bought our two houses and our yards connect and then we have two lots next to us. we didn’t buy the lots; one of them we’re squatting and the other we’re renting. we have chickens, fruit trees and some veggie beds. i also have a fish pond that i use to make compost to fertilize the garden. the fish poop is a good nitrogen-based fertilizer,” said cross.

cross is particularly also in favor of keeping all things local, which means keeping things in the community. she manufactures all of her clothes within the same neighborhood of oakland as her store and really tries to give back her community whenever she can.

the event, which was hosted by the d.c. chapter of the sierra club in conjunction with the university’s center for environmental filmmaking, office of sustainability and zero waste club, took place in the malsi doyle and michael forman theater at the school of communication.

sierra club’s daniella castiel, one of the organizers of the screening, said that as consumers, one of the first steps in making a difference is seeking out as much information as possible on how our clothes are made, including by reading about the topic online or watching documentaries on it.

“when you know what actually happens, the next time you walk into a store and pick up a pair of jeans, you think twice about it,” castiel said. “when you think twice about something, you are being considerate, you are being conscientious about making that decision, you are looking for a better source, a better place to buy from.”

in her opening remarks introducing the film, castiel spoke about how the fashion industry is currently the planet’s second largest polluter of freshwater resources. castiel also brought up ethical implications of the fast fashion phenomenon, with consumers constantly chasing new trends and expecting cheaper items, leading to inhumane working conditions for many around the world.

“have you ever thought about the power and influence we all have the moment we purchase a piece of clothing?” castiel said. “did you know that 80 percent of garment workers are female teenagers and young adults, women and girls between the ages of 18 and 25, the ages of many of us, in this room?”

directed by andrew morgan, the documentary follows the making of clothes in today’s globalized world, looking at the cotton fields in texas, the busy factories in bangladesh and india where production is often outsourced to, and the fashion runways and shopping malls buzzing with customers. it includes voices from the fashion industry like designer stella mccartney.

the film discusses the 2013 rana plaza factory collapse in dhaka, bangladesh, that killed more than a 1,000 people. it showcases the struggles factory owners often face with retailers pressuring them to lower prices of products, forcing them to ignore the safety measures of the spaces in which their workers are in to keep up with consumer demand for cheaper clothing.

the film also talks about leather factories in kanpur, the leather export capital of india. there, every day, more than 50 million liters of toxic wastewater is produced, contaminating the only source of drinking water in the area with chemicals used to treat leather, causing serious health issues for the residents. major retailers from outside india are able to source cheap products while avoiding all accountability for the rising cost to the planet and human health, according to the filmmakers.

the film closes with morgan questioning how long people will continue to turn a blind eye to the lives of those behind our clothing, and whether or not we are at a turning point on the path to making real change.  

“in the midst of all the challenges facing us today, all the problems that feel bigger than us and beyond our control, maybe we could start here, with clothing,” morgan says at the end of the film.

castiel hopes students become more thoughtful consumers and examine their wardrobe and see the people behind the fashion labels after having seen the film, she told planet forward.

“consumers need to be more curious,” castiel said. “when they put on a t-shirt, they need to think, ‘whose hand has touched this t-shirt? who suffered to make this t-shirt?’”

au students jessica balerna and celange beck, co-presidents of the au zero waste club, said that they thought that while the film was a great place to start the conversation about the negative consequences of fast fashion, they would have liked to see more perspectives shown in the film, like the role of local and national governments when it comes to accountability, and more in-depth analysis and suggestions on how to create a more sustainable world. they said that their club has been working on starting a thrift store on campus for over a year and are currently waiting for approval from the university for their project.

balerna, a senior in the environmental science program in the college of arts and sciences, said the documentary ties in well with the idea behind the thrift store project, which is to try and encourage people to reuse items and be thoughtful buyers.

“instead of buying new and throwing it away, and buying new and throwing it away, you can buy used for less and sort of recycle it,” balerna said. “so when you get bored with what you have, instead of throwing it away, it goes to back to the thrift store for someone else to get excited about.”

beck, currently studying business administration at the kogod school of business, said that if and when the thrift store project is approved, the entire au community will benefit from it.

“the thrift store is another way to improve the community on campus,” beck said. “it’s about caring about the people and the planet simultaneously and having students involved in what we are doing at the store.”

recently i started getting a flier in my bags along with my receipt, which reads, “together we can close the loop.” a catchy phrase that was, of course, in green.

coming from an industry that consumes water and textiles in unimaginable quantities i started questioning if that was a trend h&m was riding out, or a true push forward in sustainable consumerism. it appears h&m is following in the footsteps of companies like levi’s, nike and adidas, which have been pushed by the public to reinvent their production waste tactic through water and textile recycling programs.

as these recycling programs grow, consumers and producers both start winning. here are a few programs on their way to a win-win system.                                                                                                   

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from cradle to cradle

closing the loop is the idea that by donating our clothes, in any condition and from any brand, apparel companies can then stop sourcing new textiles and use what we are giving them. we get rid of our out of style, hopelessly torn and way-too-worn clothing (you know which pair of jeans i’m talking about) and they get recycled by processing plants to be re-made into new clothing. in total there are about 21 billion pounds of clothing and textiles in landfills right now, or 70 pounds per person. some 95% of which could be used to make new products right now.

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levi’s cuts back on the tap

saving water is more important than saving money and levi’s has known this longer than most, levi’s has influenced all industries on how to reduce water use in all facets of the clothing production cycle. their results? saving 1 billion liters of water from 2011-15, or the equivalent of 165 million toilet flushes, according to their website. where levi’s has diversified is by including the consumer in the conversation. they have partnered with i:co, or icollect, a company that facilitates the recycling of consumer clothing and allowing the partner to use the refined goods to make new products. i:co provides drop boxes for clothing of any brand and quality, in return you get a coupon (only at levi’s locations). they have also created their own clothing line based on saving water, water<less. this program advocates to wash your jeans every 2 weeks instead of once a week and save 19 liters of water. pretty simple, and they have pretty infographics and guides to help you along the way as well.

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nike and adidas turn dye dry

two giants in the pantheon of athletic wear, nike and adidas are back at it in tech innovation to save water and recycle shoes. unlike levi’s, nike and adidas are primarily focused on their end of the water reduction and recycling programs. nike and adidas both have waterless dye systems, which save on average 23 liters of water per shirt. both companies also provide a shoe recycling program, though neither offers a voucher or other monetary incentive for the consumer. adidas piloted their take-back campaign, primarily in brazil, but also in the united states. both companies boast renewable energy use, drops in water and pfc use, and tech innovations to reduce waste such as nike’s launch program. though both companies’ programs offer recycling programs, they are limited in scope and in incentives. it is clear nike and adidas are hedging their savings on their end and not on us. 

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h&m globalizes recycling

fast fashion has been flying off the shelves as fast as it goes to the landfill. h&m appears to recognize this and has reacted with a partnership with i:co (remember them?). advertisements for the ‘conscious’ collection have been quite prominent. through this program h&m sources 21.2% of their cotton from organic cotton or recycled, their goal is increasing this number to 100% by 2020. these products are marked by the clevercare symbol on the hangtag along with tips like washing at 30 degrees instead of 60 degrees we can cut our energy use in half. in tandem h&m created the first global garment collection program, really taking i:co and placing it internationally. through this i:co program you will also receive a voucher/coupon. in 2014 h&m collected 7,600 tons of clothing which equates to 38 million t-shirts. though progress is happening rapidly, only 20% of ‘sustainable t-shirts’ are created from recycled materials and they need to increase their sustainable cotton use nearly 80% in 4 years. 

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programs like these are growing and diversifying, with every company listed above creating a new sustainability program in the last 3 years. the two most water intensive steps in clothing production are cotton production and consumer use. we can now tackle the latter and reduce our water consumption and double down on producers water and textile use. it is our opportunity to keep up the pressure and turn this trend into habit, create incentives for consumers and it can only diversify. whether it is that t-shirt that still has a tag on it from a gift exchange gone wrong or your favorite pair of socks you just can’t sew back together, there are options to be environmentally conscious and get a new pair of socks.