Eco Fashion Expo (Debut Show)
April 13th 2017
“It was the one small pebble that generated a thousand ripples.”
EFE’s first debut in April 2018 started off as an eco-fashion show.
It was the one small pebble that generated a thousand ripples.
It was the buttery finger that knocked over a chain of 1000 dominos.
What began as an innocuous passionate project soon blossomed into a full-blown well-oiled machine — generating ripples in the sustainable fashion industry and New York City college students community.
How It All Began
As cofounders of EFE, Angela (left) and Janette (right) had a pipe dream to bring awareness to the deleterious effects of the fashion and textiles industry. After recognizing the power that they (as broke college students) have as consumers, they began to form a close-knit team to propel the mission of inspiring students to rethink textile waste through shows, events and workshops.
Below is the summation of nearly 7 months of event planning, community outreach, fundraising, marketing, sleep deprivation all the while being full-time double-majored college students.
This event wouldn’t have been possible without the core EFE team and all the friends, family, professors cheering us on behind the scenes.
On April 12, 2017, Janette, Angela, the EFE Team, and their friends transformed the Black Box Theatre into a welcoming backyard filled with beautiful flowers from a local flower shop, clothing lines, delicious vegetarian food and of course, a close gathering of 100+ attendees from throughout the NYC area.
The Venue & Art Installations
Janette was inspired by a 28 feet tall art installation featured at The Oculus that raised awareness about clothing waste. She wanted to recreate the sculpture by repurposing clothing leftover from a clothing swap and a mannequin used for designing. The installation is purposed to draw attention to the 13 million tons of textile waste in landfills every year.
One of the main core values of EFE is: Transparency. The EFE Team recognizes the lack of transparency present in the fashion industry. Information about where the clothes are made, the conditions of the factories, and even who are the people behind the production is often obscure. This installation highlights the increased need for transparency between consumers and fashion brands.
Beyond the price tag: Often times, we only notice the price tag on clothing items when we are checking the size of the item and reading the price. However, these tiny tags do not include crucial information about who made the clothing, the environmental impact, the labor wages, the working condition of the manufacturers. As an extension of the core value of transparency, this installation draws attention to the environmental and social costs of manufacturing one item.
With only two hours to transform this space from a vacant black box theatre, every member of the EFE team and volunteers effectively carried out their role in anticipation of arriving attendees.
A glimpse of a packed audience before the show began
Janette was one of the 8 designers that showcased her repurposed clothing line. In this picture, she is telling the story about how she transformed a thrifted curtain into high-waisted pants.
As detail-oriented individuals, the EFE team knew that fairylights were the perfect finishing touches for a backyard themed show.
The EFE Outreach team worked hard to organize and serve vegetarian food thanks to Market Crates as well as support from our sponsors at Insomnia Cookies.