A World of Waste
Editor’s Note
by Aria Kothari
In the Fall of 2009, Alexander McQueen debuted his latest ready-to-wear line at Paris Fashion Week. McQueen was known for his eccentric and grandiose designs, but this line was unlike anything he—or anyone else in the industry—had done before. The runway’s set featured a towering pile of shattered glass, scraps, and debris that acted as the show’s centerpiece.
His spectacular set serves as the primary inspiration for MadeWithCare's first issue - RECOGNITION. Recognition's goal is in its name; as you read through this magazine, I encourage you to consider and reflect upon your personal waste, your relations to the fashion industry, and your relations to the earth. Recognize your impact.
Zooming In
Recognizing the Value of Sourcing
by Aria Kothari
Interviews
What NYU Students Think of Fashion and the Environment
What is your relationship with the fashion industry?
"As much I try not to not let it bother me, I feel like I always have to wear something nice— or at least nice to me, because I'm into fashion."
(Desmari Miller, Business & Film @ Gallatin)
"It's complicated...I love fashion; I love clothes; I constantly want more clothes — but on a personal level I understand that overconsumption is a huge issue, so I try not to buy too much firsthand. It is difficult to balance wanting to be part of trends, understanding what I genuinely like, having my own personal style on top of that, and being sustainable."
(Becca Solomon, Fashion Sociology @ Gallatin)
by Aria Kothari
How much do you consumer in a year fashion-wise?
"It’s a lot. God, it's like—it's in the hundreds, for sure."
(Becca Solomon, Fashion Sociology @ Gallatin)
"Shopping wise, I’ll probably go shopping in big chunks, like 4 or 5 times a year. This year, just because of college, I have bought a lot...in total, I’ve bought 50 things, coming out to around $2000 to $3000."
(Nihar Duvvuri, Drama @ Tisch)
What are your thoughts on trends?
"I like to think of my personal style as something unaffected by outside trends that come and go, but I know that’s not true. I think that there is validity to trends—fashion comes in and out, and that doesn’t make our love of it at the time any less valid. You have to look at trends and you have to be able to pick out what you genuinely like from them and what you're being manipulated in some ways to like, and from that kind of see how you can put your own personal-style-twist on them. I don’t like the idea of your entire outfit being curated by trends but I think you can style outfits around a trendy piece."
(Becca Solomon, Fashion Sociology @ Gallatin)
"I’m a fan. It gives me a guide because I’m not extremely in the fashion community. It is nice knowing like, “okay, this is what I can do if I want to just kinda stay in line with whatever’s happening.”
(Nihar Duvvuri, Drama @ Tisch)
Where does your fashion inspiration come from?
"I literally live for Pinterest; it's my favorite thing ever."
(Desmari Miller, Business & Film @ Gallatin)
"A lot of it comes from social media. A lot of it also comes from my own personal intentions– what I’m trying to say with my clothes. I see clothes as the first thing that people get to know about you upon meeting you, and it feels like I get some control over my perception in that sense."
(Becca Solomon, Fashion Sociology @ Gallatin)
“The people around me, pretty much. Now that I am [in New York], it has switched over into more social media…my inspiration comes from Instagram and Tiktok. For the most part it’s more just the people on my feed whenever they post…it’s always interesting seeing their wardrobe and stuff.”
(Nihar Duvvuri, Drama @ Tisch)
How would you describe your personal style?
"Definitely bright and colorful. No matter what, my outfit has to have some kind of color in it."
(Desmari Miller, Business & Film @ Gallatin)
"If I absolutely had to limit it to a sentence, I would say it is maximalist femininity, or putting a feminine touch on typically masculine items."
(Becca Solomon, Fashion Sociology @ Gallatin)
"My personal style is very simple. I think I wear a lot of basics and neutral colored items—nothing too flashy."
(Aashi Khandelwal, Media, Culture, & Communications @ Steinhart)
"Most of the pieces in my wardrobe are basics—just things to layer easily so that everything goes together with everything."
(Nihar Duvvuri, Drama @ Tisch)
How much do you know about where your clothes come from?
"I feel like I don’t really know to what extent really popular, mainstream stores are fast fashion."
(Desmari Miller, Business & Film @ Gallatin)
"Very minimal. I have some awareness about whether companies I buy from have unethical labor practices, but I don’t know anything in depth."
(Aashi Khandelwal, Media, Culture, & Communications @ Steinhart)
How much do you know about what your clothes are made of?
"Literally nothing. I’m still not totally convinced that I know what silk is, as a fabric. I think I used those words wrong… I know a lot of things are made from cotton. That’s kind of where my knowledge ends. Yeah, very little."
(Becca Solomon, Fashion Sociology @ Gallatin)
"When it comes to specifically Uniqlo, I know pretty much everything because the names of all of their clothing are based on what it’s made from. All of their clothes kind of look the same...so when I am shopping there, I’m mostly shopping from a material standpoint because the look is pretty uniform." (Nihar Dhruvi, Drama @ Tisch)
"I have minimal knowledge. I buy clothes based on how they feel. If I’m curious I’ll check the tags, but I don’t usually do that."
(Aashi Khandelwal, Media, Culture, & Communications @ Steinhart)
What are your thoughts on climate change?
"I feel like it could be noticeable on a day-to-day basis, especially living in New York. Growing up, I feel like it used to snow a lot more and it used to be colder. The weather has definitely changed since I've grown up. It's just not the same..."
(Desmari Miller, Business & Film @ Gallatin)
"Personally, I think there is a lot of extremism and fear tactics, like I don't think the world is going to end while I'm alive. But I don’t really want the world to end for my children or grandchildren either, so it matters..."
(Becca Solomon, Fashion Sociology @ Gallatin)
"I think it’s a pretty prevalent issue, but I try not to think about it because it stresses me out. People talk about climate change in kind of a buzzword-y way, and don’t say anything of actual substance."
(Aashi Khandelwal, Media, Culture, & Communications @ Steinhart)
"I would say it’s an extremely important topic right now. I wouldn’t say I’m going out of my way right now to approach it or take part in the solution—though I probably should…but I’m not actively part of that whole community right now. It’s still a very important topic and we need answers."
(Nihar Duvvuri, Drama @ Tisch)
