Clothes For Our World Initiative
A CEYC initiative aimed to raise awareness on fashion's environmental impacts on the world and give clothes to individuals in need.
About
The Clothes for Our World initiative is a project utilizing social media and a clothing drive to bring awareness to fashion’s environmental effects on the world. With this initiative, we hope to impact youth who are on social media and can donate clothes to individuals who need them. Our initiative hopes to give clothes to individuals in need and spread awareness about fashion’s negative ecological impact. Our intended outcome is to have individuals educated on fashion environmentalism and encourage the exercising of ethical shopping and repurposing clothing instead of throwing it away. In our initiative, youth can get involved by sharing our posts or actively participating in our clothing drive.
Our Mission
The Clothes For Our World Initiative is determined to educate individuals about the environmental effects of fast fashion by encouraging fashion sustainability. this initiative does this through sharing educational posts on CEYC’s Instagram (@edmyouthcouncil) to bring more awareness on how youth can adopt more sustainable ways of looking fashionable. In addition to our posts, our initiative is working with schools and organizations to do a clothing drive that aims to give unused clothing to individuals in need to encourage a more circular model of fashion.
Origins
The Clothes For Our World Initiative started as an idea hoping to spread the word about fashion environmentalism and an opportunity for youth to get involved within the community. With the initiative proposed and approved in December of 2023, the team consists of Jessica Huynh, the initiative lead, and hardworking team members: Aditya Peddi, Arunima Chowdhury, Jennifer Huang, Kyna Sha, and Michelle Roy.
What is fashion environmentalism?
Fashion environmentalism is environmental sustainability in the production, distribution, and consumption of fashion. Fashion environmentalism aims to avoid the overconsumption of clothing and the production of of large volumes of textile waste.
Why do we need this Initiative?
Fast fashion and accelerated trend cycles have resulted in the production of more clothing and subsequently more waste. The lack of sustainability inherent in this process is gradually depleting our resources, ultimately driving up the prices of products and making them increasingly unaffordable for consumers. This disproportionately impacts marginalized people in two ways. Firstly, a significant portion of clothing waste finds its way to marginalized communities and regions in the global south. The emissions from incinerating garments, alongside the contamination of water systems due to dyes or microfibers leaching from landfills and improper waste disposal during production, detrimentally affect the health of nearby residents. Secondly, the increased cost of products makes clothes unaffordable for those who are marginalized. With this initiative, we hope to promote more sustainable practices and to help provide clothes to those in need.
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Where can we find out more about this initiative?
All information regarding this initiative is on this webpage and CEYC’s Instagram, @edmyouthcouncil. If you have any further unanswered questions, please contact jessicahuynh35@gmail.com
How can I participate?
You can contribute to this initiative by donating clothing at one of our donating centres such as Ross Sheppard High School and Lillian Osborne. If you are unable to make a donation, spreading awareness of our initiative and interacting with our social media posts through sharing it to family and friends would be just as impactful!
Who will be donating clothing?
Currently, schools like Ross Sheppard High School and Lillian Osborne are actively participating in our clothing drive in April and May. Thank you Ross Sheppard and Lillian Osborne for agreeing to partner up with the Clothes For Our World initiative.
If your organisation would like to participate in the clothing drive, please contact jessicahuynh35@gmail.com.
Who are we giving our clothes to?
Clothing donations are given to nonprofits that advocate for youth and support youth in tough times. Currently, the Bissell Thrift Shoppe has agreed to participate in our clothing drive.
