Written by Samantha Nordstrom
The Patchwork Initiative and the Student Sustainability Center hosted a movie night to watch Fashion Reimagined, a documentary about sustainable fashion, from 6-8pm at the Avenir Museum on February 27. Krazy Karl’s Pizza and soft drinks were provided to about 16 people that attended. Some students were attending for extra credit in a Design & Merchandising class taught by Professor Sonali Diddi, who’s also the sponsor for the Patchwork Initiative.
According to the Fashion Reimagined film’s official website, the documentary follows trail-blazing fashion designer Amy Powney, who rose to sustainability stardom when she designed and created a sustainably-produced fashion collection.
Raised in rural England by environmentalist parents, Powney entered the London fashion scene feeling uneasy about the devasting environmental impact of the industry. When she won the coveted Best Young Designer of the Year Award from Vogue, she used the prize money to create a sustainable fashion line “from field to finished garment, and transform her entire business.”
The Tribeca Film Festival website reports that the film documents Powney’s trips to Uruguayan sheep pastures, an Austrian garment factory powered by steam, and other key parts of her journey. The site states that the film functions as “an eye-opening primer on how the clothes you buy today will shape the world of tomorrow.”
Raegan Synk, a freshman at Colorado State University and a member of the Patchwork Initiative, said that watching Powney succeed as her project gained more traction was really interesting. Synk said she’s has always been passionate about sustainable fashion and encourages people to stop supporting fast fashion brands like Temu.
“I’ve always loved thrifting and now as I learned more about it, reusing clothes just feels like an easy thing we can do,” Synk said.
Synk is also an Eco-Leader at CSU, which puts her in charge of implementing sustainability initiatives in the residence spaces on campus. She’s currently working on a semester-long project to place donation bins in resident halls and encourage residents not to throw things away. Synk said she’s looking forward to getting involved in more sustainability initiatives on campus.
If you’re interested in getting involved, follow the Patchwork Initiative on Instagram or email Sophia.Richter@colostate.edu. Additionally, follow the Student Sustainability Center on Instagram and subscribe to the Green Bulletin email list to stay updated on the latest events.
To reach The Green Bulletin, contact the SSC Content Officer at samanthanordstrom1@gmail.com
