Students embrace new eco-friendly fashion trend

One of the latest trends in fashion has made its way to Sam Houston State University students who want to style for a low price while helping the environment.

Upcycling is a new trend on the rise in fashion design where designers acquire previously used pieces and update them to fit styles of today. Many designers see upcycling as a way to help the environment while catering to the popular demand for vintage-style clothing and accessories. Online businesses such as acidlace.com and recycleboutique.co.nz have embraced upcylcing to make it available to the masses.

Etsy.com also features a number of sites that host individuals selling their own upcycled pieces. The search for “Upcycled Clothing” brought up more than 25,000 results.

 Many students at SHSU have embraced upcycled clothing for its affordability.

“I like to thrift and if I don’t completely like how something from the thrift store fits or looks I’ll cut it or add something to it to spruce it up,” said senior Business major Teshawna Jackson. “It’s a great way of getting cute, cheap items that no one else has.”

Aside from style, other students see upcycling as a way to help the environment.

 “I think upcycling is a great idea for preserving [our planet’s] resources,” said graduate student Kristi Williams. “I’m glad designers are becoming more earth-conscious in their work.”

Ecostylist and creator of Vancouver’s Eco Fashion Week, Myriam Laroche, dresses her clients in vintage or recycled clothing and accessories.

“My clients can wear them and feel even better now, knowing that they are having an impact on the health of the world,” Laroche said on her Facebook page.

Although it may seem like just a fashion trend, it can make an impact. According to the Fair Companies blog, more than 20 million textiles are thrown away in the U.S. each year. Worn Again, a blog dedicated to upcycling in the United Kingdom, says that every ton of discarded textiles reused saves 20 tons of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere.

“It’s a shame [upcycled clothing] styles haven’t gotten even more attention given the fact that secondhand clothing is one of the greenest fabrics,” said blogger Kirsten Dirksten of Fair Companies, a site that advocates upcycling.

Though upcycling may seem like small act toward improving environmental health, as it gains popularity in fashion, it may prove to make a larger impact that expected.