Adorned in upcycled-chic apparel, the student models and designers at Pacific’s 10th annual Green Fashion and Art Show took to the runway. They were happy to show off their creativity and passion in service of sustainable fashion.
The participants created both ready-to-wear and haute couture ensembles. They used recycled materials like bed sheets, plastic bags and paper packaging. Other models dressed in outfits they’d assembled entirely from clothing found in thrift stores.
“The Green Fashion and Art Show…is meant to encourage people to expand their horizons with the clothing that they acquire. Hopefully they realize that they don’t have to buy clothing brand-new to be able to be really fashionable,” said sustainability engagement manager Kelsey Smith.
Abigail Landers is a first-year Media X student. She knew she wanted to participate in the fashion show as soon as she saw posters advertising the event on campus. She enjoyed the design process so much that she completed a series of three outfits inspired by the Greek goddess Persephone.
“I was pretty committed to (the designs) once I started them,” she said. “For the first one I used plastic packaging and fake flowers that I found at the store. Then for the second one, I used magazine pictures and felt scraps. And for the third one I used felt scraps and film from a VHS tape.”
Landers said sustainability has always been important to her. “I think it’s something that everyone should be talking about. Inevitably, this is our only world, so I think it’s very important to take care of it.”
Pacific celebrates sustainability month
The Green Art and Fashion Show was part of a series of programming Sustaining Pacific planned to celebrate sustainability month in April. It also helped spotlight Pacific’s commitment to sustainability. The university ranks first among private universities in on-campus, renewable energy generation. Our solar energy panels provide 30% of the Stockton Campus’s needs.
The fashion show included a showcase of upcycled artwork created at Sustaining Pacific’s Green Art Night. Activity tables helped attendees learn more about sustainability in a fun, interactive way.
“Being able to get everyone back together, and celebrating sustainability and celebrating each other, that has just been amazing for me,” said Smith. “Seeing how many people came out to the Green Fashion and Art Show and all of the other events that we’ve had makes me really excited for the future.”
Visit Pacific’s sustainability webpage to learn more about how University of the Pacific is building a more sustainable future.
Follow Sustaining Pacific on social media:
- Instagram: @sustainingpacific16
- Facebook: @sustainingpacificuop