Environmental awareness raised through clothing

DAVIS, Calif.– By mixing unique fashion sense and environmental awareness, students from the University of California-Davis Environmental Consciousness Design class have created a sustainable design exhibition that displays stylish clothing and other functional pieces that not only look good, but help reduce global warming. \nThe exhibition, titled “This is Why You’re Hot,” was held in the East Conference Room of UC-Davis’ Memorial Union.\n“In the design field right now there is so much talk about global warming, and it’s putting a spotlight on future designers ... (because) they have a huge capacity to slow down global warming by choosing what materials to use,” said Abigail Kira, a junior majoring in design and psychology. “Materials (used for the exhibit) are still of great quality and durable and better for the environment. The things we make (in the class) could be reproduced easily and used in people’s daily lives.” \nApproximately 20 different pieces created from reused, post-consumer products were featured in the show. These ranged from a cocktail dress made out of old neckties to a working clock produced from a variety of trash items. Most of these works were made by students from the design class, but the show also featured pieces donated and bought from outside sources, which helped to show sustainable design applications outside the academic world. \n“(The exhibition) shows that there are a lot of trendy items that kids can use that are sustainable. The general attitude about eco-friendly things is that they are not going to be trendy or colorful. (However,) a lot of the things we made are fashionable and geared for everyday use,” Kira said. \nAt a time when global warming and other environmental issues are rising to the forefront of public concern, this exhibition attempted to educate people on the importance of functional design that is created from post-consumer products. \n“A lot of times the things that we recycle take so much energy to recycle that it puts us a step backwards. We hope to create more things that are completely biodegradable or take less energy to decompose or recycle,” Kira said.