BY RITEE KARMACHARYA
Fashion from comfortable wear to stylish received a boom of trends this season. Ranging from trendy jackets to shoes, sustainability in fashion has made its way up the ladder in trends of the season.
If you paid attention to fashion lately, you must notice the overwhelming number of baggy clothing, a style making its comeback in the past few years. “I definitely see a rise in baggier clothing,” said senior Trevor Sharkey. “I think that’s the new thing that’s in.”
Many students in Old Bridge rock “streetwear style,” incorporating elements of sportswear, hip-hop, and skateboarding in fashionable yet comfortable clothing. “Streetwear is trendy right now, like matching sets, puffers,” said senior Lillian Schumacher. “I thrifted this vest and the rest of my outfit is from online shops.”
Streetwear and sustainability go hand in hand in the latest trends, as the student body participates in thrifting and buying eco-friendly fashion. “I thrifted my jeans from goodwill,” shared Sharkey. Thrifting not only offers a way to help the environment, but also includes many varieties of different styles and types of clothing.
Many clothes, especially fast fashion, take years to break down, filling the world with piles of landfills. Landfills add to climate change as they contribute carbon dioxide, methane, and more harmful elements to the Earth. “Buying more fast-fashion clothes will eventually destroy the environment, and we must work with what we have already. Reduce, reuse, and recycle you know,” said Clothing and Design II student Abigail McManaman.
Synthetic fibers from mass-produced fast fashion, such as SHEIN and Forever 21, cause extensive damage to the planet, exploit workers, harm animals, and could take up to a thousand years to biodegrade. “Sustainable fashion is very good for the environment and more people should either use or buy sustainable clothing and incorporate it into their daily styles, including thrifting and reusing clothes,” added McManaman
Made from vegan Ethylene-vinyl acetate and algae foam, Yeezy slides also contribute to sustainable fashion, since they use less energy and emissions than other plastics used in shoes. Along with buying second-hand fashion, eco-friendly fashion serves as an alternative to contributing to pollution. “Yeezy slides are pretty comfortable,” said Lucas Marcellana. “You can order them from the site itself.”
In Old Bridge’s fashion design class, students currently work on projects where they flip clothing, using second-hand material to create stylish designs. “I’m working on replacing the inseam of thrifted flared pants with white fabric and making them bell bottoms,” said McManaman.
Baggy clothes, puffers, slides, and flared bottoms take the lead in trends of the season. The boom of sustainable fashion contributes to a cleaner, safer, and healthier world in our future. While shopping for fashion, don’t forget to keep “reduce, reuse, and recycle” in mind.
Posted on 1/25/24
Photos by Ritee Karmacharya
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