The Center for Community, Service, and Justice, also known as CCSJ, hosted a sustainability-focused event on Friday, March 27th, which encouraged students to bring unwanted or old clothes to be upcycled in a creative hand-crafted project night.
CCSJ’s sustainability coordinator, Abby Thornton ‘26, partnered with the fashion and sewing clubs to host the center’s first upcycling event in Cohn Hall.
Many people may not be familiar with the act of upcycling. It involves creative skills like sewing and fabric cutting, and can be easily overlooked simply because people don’t think to customize their own clothing and make them new.
“Upcycling is repurposing what you have into something new, like putting a new design on it,” said Thornton.
Upcycling shares roots with clothing donation and thrifting. The sustainability practice gives unused and aging clothes a metaphorical second life.
“One of my main projects is eliminating fast fashion and over-consumerism…I’m trying to think of ways that we could get people excited about repurposing clothes while having some creativity,” said Thornton.
Despite its cross-advertisement among many relevant clubs, the event saw a humble number of attendees, which is understandable, as this was the first event of its kind on campus.
“With events like these, you never really know how many people are gonna come, especially with it being Friday night. It can definitely be a very hard time for some people, but I’m definitely happy with the turnout,” Thornton said.
The night’s vibe was cozy and creative, as people worked on their own clothes or selected items from CCSJ’s donated collection.
“I just noticed a hole in my pants, and I wish I had brought another pair so I can work on my pants,” David Avila ‘26, an officer of the fashion club, said. At this event, Avila added a few pins to a beanie that he found in the thrift store pile.
A big upcycling trend of the event was adding buttons to one’s design. Many students, Thornton included, chose either to sew or use fabric glue to attach buttons onto pieces of clothing, such as shirts and pants, after being inspired by a design she presented at the beginning of the event.
CCSJ has been collecting clothing donations throughout the month, and will continue until mid-April in preparation for their ‘ForeverGreen Thrift Store’ event, which is scheduled to take place on April 20 in McGuire Hall.
If you have any old or unneeded clothes lying around your dorm or at home, CCSJ has donation bins located around campus, including in Cohn Hall, Thea Bowman, McCauley, Hopkins, and Campion Tower. The thrift is a great way to get spring cleaning out of the way, and do your part in supporting a good cause.
