The second edition of BiOrbic’s ‘Green is the New Black‘ slow fashion course culminated in a slow fashion exhibition at UCD last week. Run by BiOrbic researchers, the course is aimed at undergraduate students and focuses on the impacts of fast fashion, how we can transition to a sustainable model and most importantly, how students can communicate this to others.
In the first year, Green is the New Black students delivered social media campaigns on Instagram to build awareness around the topics they’d learnt about. This year, students took things to the next level by hosting a slow fashion exhibition on the ground floor of the O’Brien Science Centre. Students were asked to compose and display sustainably sourced outfits, including second hand clothing, thrifted clothing, clothing made from sustainable materials and more. Four students exhibited outfits and in an open format and communicated with visitors about their pieces as well as their learnings from the course.
Congratulations go to Niamh Whelan, Pauline Ascon, Yanika Farrugia and Jessica Lagreid for their fantastic creations!
Green is the New Black was started from scratch by PhD student Manuel Bruch who has led both editions of it. Reflecting on the event, he said “The fashion industry is one of the dirtiest on the planet. And while it often does not feel this way, we as consumers hold the power to change this by the choices we make and the way we treat our clothing. This workshop is advocating for awareness of the impacts of our every-day life on the planet.” This year Manuel was also joined by fellow PhD students Burcu Akkoyunlu, Celine Erkey and Jia-Lynn Tham in the organisation and running of the course. After the show Burcu stated, “To change the fashion industry for the better, we should change the way we are purchasing. Today, we showed sustainable ways to shop around Dublin!”
Celine who was a student in the first edition and this year joined as an organiser said “My journey with Green is The New Black started as a participant during its inaugural run two years ago. I felt empowered with the knowledge I learned to be a more conscious, sustainable shopper, knowing that my changes, although seemingly small, made a difference in the fight for a cleaner, and greener earth. I was so happy when Manuel approached me to help run the workshop this year, as I was eager to inspire others, as I was before, and promote innovative and sustainable techniques for conscientious fashion choices.“
BiOrbic Public Engagement Manager Amanda Mathieson noted the success of the event and said “This all started as something Manuel designed in an EPE training workshop. In the first year we helped him develop and run it. Now in its second year, he is organising everything himself with the help of fellow researchers, including past students. This is why Green is the New Black is such an important project for us. It demonstrates what a truly excellent cohort of researchers we have here at BiOrbic, who care about their societal impact and encourage and support each other in their public engagement activities.“
