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Kalia Oshiro

This in-progress umbrella, also by a student of Liu’s, raises awareness for global warming. The umbrella itself is recycled — frayed, but usable — and will be painted and lined with Cheetos bags. The piece is a reminder that without environmental regulations, the snacks will not be all that is “flamin’ hot.”

California State University, Northridge’s interdepartmental sustainability initiative, “From Waste to Wearable,” will be hosting a fashion exhibition in December on the second floor of Manzanita Hall. Refreshments will be provided, including cocktails, mocktails and catering. The show will feature guest of honor Dan Hoskins speaking, who is the dean of Mike Curb College of Arts, Media and Communications.

Last year’s inaugural fashion exhibition took place at the Art and Design Center. A few of the five classes collaborating for the exhibition meet in this building, such as professor Vida Liu’s introductory art class and professor Meiqin Wang’s exhibition design class. In the family and consumer science department, professor Jongeun Kim’s students will work throughout November on more advanced outfits for the exhibition, including dresses and gender-neutral attire. The twist is that all the outfits will be made from everyday waste, including empty containers, old fabrics, and wrappers, which showcases the reusability of materials.

According to Earthday.org, the apparel industry is responsible for 35% of microplastics in the ocean, 4% of greenhouse gas emissions, and 40 million tons of landfill waste. All the outfits featured in the show will incorporate recycled materials and objects such as bubble wrap, duct tape and bottle caps.

“With new scientific research coming out, we know that our Earth is on the brink of ecological collapse,” said Wang. “It’s not going to be able to support the kind of lifestyle people in developed countries have been living, without concern that things might run out.”

For these students and faculty, the key to a sustainable future is awareness. Although these pieces are not meant to be worn in daily life, they will keep a small amount of trash out of the landfill. Their other function is to challenge what we assume is useless and explore ways that we can get more use out of trash before discarding it.

“We all can do something,” said Wang. “We all can change our everyday lifestyle to be a little more sustainable… Small actions count. Collectively, if we all do something small, we can make a big difference.”