Kelly Burger, a second-year studying aerospace engineering, Georgia Moorefield, a first-year studying psychology, and Evie Dallmann, a third-year studying biology, work on their costumes at Spooky Stitches at Witherspoon Student Center on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. Spooky Stitches was an event organized by the Sustainability Stewards where students could make Halloween costumes out of reused textiles and clothing.
Photo by Aleksandra Senyukova. More photos from event found here.
Where can one find a pirate, a mouse, a clown and Spongebob Squarepants around one table?
These and more innovative costumes were created by NC State students at the “Spooky Stitches” event held on Oct. 24. The hosting organization, the Sustainability Stewards, are a group of NC State students who drive environmental changes on campus. Throughout the year, over 250 sustainability events are hosted on NC State’s campus, many led by the stewards.
Evie Dallmann, a third-year studying biology, is head of the Stewards’ equity and outreach branch and the planner behind the event. “Spooky Stitches” was inspired by a workshop included in the 2024 Environmental Justice Symposium which focused on mending to maintain clothes and limit textile waste. Materials for this event were donated from the Campus Thrift Store and The Scrap Exchange in Durham.
“I feel like there's a lot of waste during Halloween, but also a lot of potential to make something, which I feel like is what Halloween used to be, you made your costume,” Dallmann said. “It was cool, it was yours. If you show people how to sew and how to mend, they might be more inspired to get creative or just maintain their clothes.”
This enthusiasm was shared by other equity and outreach members of the Stewards at the event. Brooke Hartman, a third-year studying environmental science and natural resources, expressed being pleased to see an original idea like Spooky Stitches come to fruition.
“I think it’s so cool that we get to find a way to make Halloween sustainable because it’s one of the most over-consumed holidays ever,” Hartman said.
Jada Stewart, a first-year studying engineering, attended the event after passing Witherspoon Student Center, where Spooky Stitches was held. She plans to use the pirate costume she created at the event.
“I saw the sign and was like, ‘I need a Halloween costume,’” Stewart said.
Those who made costumes at Spooky Stitches will have an opportunity to display their creations at this year’s Environmental Justice Symposium. This event is hosted by the Stewards each spring to develop sustainable skills and investigate topics impacting the environment. Dallmann and Hartman hope to see costumes from Spooky Stitches in the symposium’s art showcase.
The Stewards will continue upcycling efforts after the holiday. They are organizing a mini-market with sustainable creators on Nov. 6 and a Halloween Waste Drive on Nov. 8. More details about these events can be found on the Stewards’ social media and website.
Our community can learn from the sustainable practices seen in Spooky Stitches with costumes and fast-fashion moving forward.
“There's hyper saturation of anything you're going to get online,” Dallmann said. “The sourcing of the materials, if not the materials themselves, are environmentally degrading. … A lot of them are nylon or plastic itself, and wearing that plastic isn't good for your body. … So we challenge people to be a little bit more creative and thoughtful about the environment beyond these few days that are very fun.”
Article originally published via Technician, found here.
コメント