Here and Now Fashion Festival

My thesis collection is centered around rebranding the concept of Upcycling. The clothing industry has taken a heavy toll on our environment. Sustainability has been at the forefront of the news due to recent major environmental tragedies. Forbes cited a recent Pulse of the Fashion Industry report that stated fashion generates 4%, 92 million tons, of the world’s waste each year which is more than toxic e-waste. Most people, like myself before enrolling in Parsons, are not aware that some clothing can take up to 30-40 years to decompose, leading to a continuous build-up of waste. My thesis collection uses upcycled clothing to revamp the idea of upcycling with a fresh edge and luxury feel. When researching different companies that upcycle, I realized how small the pool of brands is. I also found myself underwhelmed with the lack of complexity or innovation of the recreated pieces.

Having sewed the majority of my thesis collection in quarantine, I gravitated towards wearing sweats every day. Since I wasn’t seeing anyone, I didn’t feel the need to dress up. After a while, I started to not feel like myself and realized that this is probably not unique to me. Researching this led me to a Vogue article that cited a study from the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology’s website on how clothing affects the mind. Vogue writer Katherine Bernard wrote, “this study shows if you have a strong cultural association with a garment, wearing it can affect your cognitive processes. This phenomenon is called enclothed cognition, meaning that if your brain links “Miuccia Prada’s” or “Phoebe Philo’s” collections with powerful, intelligent women, you’re likely to take on those attributes when you wear that Prada pleated skirt or Céline jacket”. With this in mind, I create designs that are empowering and visually interesting while prioritizing sustainability. I know that designing via upcycling has its limitations, but my clothing aims to rebrand the concept through innovative design, trends, and upscale thinking. Upcycling is something to be admired in the fashion industry and we want to celebrate it and keep the momentum going towards a fashionably cleaner world and a healthier environment.

1 https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonbird1/2018/09/09/fashions-dirty-little-secret-and-how-its-coming-clean/#52c5b1a01771
2 https://www.w24.co.za/Style/Fashion/Trends/fashion-waste-this-is-how-long-it-takes-your-clothes-to-decompose-20180118
3 Bernard, Katherine. “Confidence Dressing: How Clothing Affects the Mind.” Vogue, Vogue, 1 Feb. 2017, www.vogue.com/article/intelligent-design-how-clothing-affects-the-mind.