Studying Time: 5 minutes
By Haley Sengsavanh
In late September, containers packed filled with previous athletic gear arrived on the doorsteps of 19 Toronto Metropolitan College (TMU) trend design alumni. Inside had been clusters of blue and yellow material, from hockey socks, cheerleading gloves to basketball jerseys. All these things had one factor in widespread: they had been previous Ryerson and Rams-branded merchandise now thought-about waste. However by way of the TMU Upcycled Gear Vogue Present, these clothes objects and equipment will obtain a brand new life within the type of 25 runway-ready outfits.
This occasion, which might be held on the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC) on Nov. 28 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., is a part of the college’s Branded Supplies Transition Challenge (BMTP), led by members of the TMU Athletics and Recreation division. Its purpose is to reuse or upcycle the entire college’s outdated branded supplies together with merchandise, uniforms, attire, letterheads and extra.
The style present can be a part of the MAC’s tenth anniversary celebrations, the college stated in a written assertion to The Eyeopener.
They stated the style present goals to “honour and rejoice the legacy of the Rams and the long run success of TMU Daring whereas shining the sunshine on environmental sustainability.” The college reported that up to now, they’ve prevented over 7,000 kilos of branded supplies from coming into landfills, with a purpose to exceed 10,000 kilos by the tip of 2022.
Dr. Anika Kozlowski, an assistant professor of trend design, ethics & sustainability, was approached by TMU’s athletics division to help with the textiles aspect of the BMTP initiatives. This undertaking was a “excellent match” for Kozlowski, she stated. Not solely does she have a tutorial background in trend sustainability, she can be a sports activities fanatic and has been upcycling since college.
“Typically you upcycle one thing that has no worth, and the entire level is to offer it worth”
The style present is a part of Kozlowski’s environmental sciences analysis undertaking into upcycling. She carried out interviews with all of the designers and instructed them to ship again all their leftover material scraps to doc how a lot of the fabric was really used.
“We’re doing analysis to know upcycling extra as a result of it’s very completely different from a conventional trend design course of. Typically you upcycle one thing that has no worth and the entire level is to offer it worth,” she stated. “You’re working with supplies which have stains, could possibly be ripped or have plenty of abrasion and put on.”
Alongside trend professor Shelley Haines, Kozlowski additionally created an outfit to be showcased on the runway. “It’s been a very long time since I’ve been concerned with a trend present, so simply attending to be inventive once more and be part of this was a spotlight for certain,” she stated.
The alumni she chosen for the present are all concerned within the realm of sustainability. Jessica Frankel, who graduated from TMU’s trend design program this yr, created her capstone undertaking solely out of denim from thrift shops. To create these 5 seems to be, she utilized a Japanese mending model referred to as Boro, which patches textile scraps collectively utilizing a single sew. The outcome was a patchwork-looking impact.
She created an analogous patchwork search for the style present by making her personal material from previous basketball and hockey jerseys. Out of this distinctive textile, Frankel created a cropped tank prime and low-waisted joggers set, with zippers curving across the physique that permit it to be adjusted to the wearer’s private liking. She stated the outfit was impressed by sports activities uniforms and Y2K trend. “You take a look at this and also you suppose TMU,” Frankel stated.
Frankel hopes that the style present will encourage individuals to think about how a lot work went into saving the once-abandoned items of clothes.
“Something you’ll be able to consider that may be branded is sitting in a field, in a bunker at school,” she stated. “We’re doing our half as designers to offer these merchandise new life in order that they are often worn once more and never in a landfill someplace.”
Tickets for the present can be found for buy on the MAC web site. Ground tickets for TMU alumni and group members price $20 and balcony tickets for TMU college students with a legitimate OneCard are $10. There may be restricted capability on the balcony, with standing room solely.
All of the restricted version runway outfits might be auctioned off at a fundraising occasion after the present.
All of the proceeds from the style present will go towards the TMU Daring Fairness & Inclusion Award, which financially helps scholar athletes from equity-deserving teams.
President Mohamed Lachemi, interim provost Roberta Iannacito-Provenzano, vice-provost college students, Jen McMillen and 25 TMU varsity and membership crew scholar athletes might be strolling the runway, in response to the college.
In the course of the design course of, the style design alumni had the chance to attach with the athletes modelling their seems to be and collaborate to create one thing genuine to them.
Frankel labored with student-athlete Alyona Ivanova, who graduated from TMU’s biomedical sciences program in 2022. She was a part of the TMU determine skating crew and continues to be part of the varsity’s equestrian crew.
Ivanova is a lifelong athlete—she grew up determine skating and competed for the Russian nationwide crew earlier than shifting to Canada. She presently works for SickKids within the neurosurgery analysis division.
Ivanova can be signed to Icon Fashions and says the present is a good alternative for her to study extra concerning the trend business and join with individuals in it. “As a determine skater, I actually like performing and being on stage,” she stated. “Vogue exhibits are additionally a efficiency in a manner and also you get to indicate off the work of nice designers.”
This distinctive combine between sports activities and trend was one of many issues that originally intrigued TMU trend design 2021 graduate Roy Luo about this occasion. His design course of concerned a variety of suggestions from his fashions. He selected a sporty path when creating the 2 outfits and matching equipment.
“I actually wished to get the attitude of the coed athletes and ended up getting actually impressed by the sports activities they performed. One among them is a baseball participant so I made pants which have a operating baseball sew on the seams.”
Luo’s purpose when creating these clothes was to include as some ways of upcycling as attainable. One methodology was de-constructing knitted objects like toques into balls of yarn, which he then wove into a shawl utilizing a loom. “Numerous knitwear is constructed in a round and nearly zero-waste manner, so a bit could be made out of a single strand of yarn,” he stated.
All through this undertaking, Luo was additionally in a position to experiment with zero waste strategies like subtraction slicing. This methodology of garment-making could be utilized to any tubular form and begins with the designer drawing out the fundamentals for the garment in a mismatched manner.
Then, fairly than slicing out the sample piece itself, they lower out the negatives to create a brand new drape.
“Numerous knitwear is constructed in a round and zero-waste manner”
He integrated a part of this system when making a patchwork skirt from cut-up hockey socks.
“In subtraction slicing, you’re in a position to lower out circles or squares from it. Then you’ll be able to put them collectively. It creates an attention-grabbing form that you simply couldn’t conventionally get in case you had been attempting to draft from the bottom up.”
Luo believes the style present is making a optimistic affect and hopes it demonstrates the potential that upcycling has.
“There’s a variety of concepts on this undertaking,” he stated.
“The completely different strategies that me and my fellow designers are incorporating actually exhibits you that there’s multiple approach to create sustainable trend.”
