Cazenovia College fashion course debuts sustainable clothes collection at The Key

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On April 30, the Cazenovia College fashion courses debuted the “Seem Again” clothing collection at THE MAIN ELEMENT consignment store on Albany Street.

Look Again is a sustainable clothing collection created by students found in Traveling to Instructor Elise Thayer’s product development class.

The two-semester course provides hands-on, real-world learning in the creation of innovative, customer-influenced apparel for a specific target market.

Students develop an understanding of design, development and merchandising concepts through a good collaborative project with local industry partners.

Relating to Thayer, the fall course, product development principles, targets working with a business partner to build up a line concept. Through the entire semester, students conduct development and general market trends, complete initial patterns, and get started fabric sourcing.

The spring course, product production applications, explores technical style and developing in the global marketplace. Students design and construct parts and products a ready-to-wear garment brand under the Look Again label.

Both semesters are particularly centered on the look and production of upcycled and recycled clothing.

“Currently, students everywhere are concerned about the environment and how exactly to live considerably more sustainably in all aspects of their lives,” said Thayer. “Fashion students realize the necessity to balance the goal of the fashion industry to supply garments that meet up with the needs of everybody, while [likewise] reducing the effect on the environment.”

Thayer added that she believes it is crucial for pupils to explore the role of manner within the wider circular market - a model of production and intake that involves posting, leasing, reusing, repairing, refurbishing and recycling existing elements and products for so long as possible.

“[The] objective is usually to produce goods and solutions in a more comprehensive and sustainable method,” she explained. “Circular vogue focuses on creating products even more thoughtfully with equal importance positioned on both production and end of the life span of a garment.”

By April 25, the college students had produced about 30 to 40 parts, including tops, pants, shorts and accessories.

The collection features three structure categories:

Curated vintage: One of a kind finds, handpicked from THE MAIN ELEMENT.

Reworked: Existing pieces which have been improved or embellished with personal touches, such as for example embroidery, decorative stitching, paint, tie-dye, or patches. Reworking also contains combining garments to create fresh fashion pieces.

Repurposed: Pieces crafted from existing vintage elements. New designs and habits are created, and different garments are trim from thrift finds donated by The Key and by other people involved in the project.

“We'd bring the [donated outfits] in and collectively consider what we wished to do with them,” said Jayda Devine, a junior trend merchandising major. “We'd to think about that which was trending and how exactly we will make them look just how our school campus and persons our age, not to mention others aswell, would get interesting and trendy.”

Cara McDougal, a junior fashion merchandising major and manner design minor, added that the pupils also worked to make sure that each part tied into the overall company aesthetic and aligned with the project’s sustainability goals.

“We tried to do the job sustainability into every part of the collection, not merely the clothing,” she said. “[For example,] the tags happen to be tied onto each part using scrap fabric.”

McDougal described the project as both fun and challenging.

“I think what many people don’t know about the retail market is that there surely is so much setting up and so much detail that goes into a collection,” she explained. “[As a shopper,] you don’t even see all the research and development that went into addressing the final merchandise. It was really cool to view it go from little or nothing to what we've today. It took consequently enough time. Every little aspect - every color, every tag, every trim, everything you can think of - was decided on and needed to be accepted by the jury. It was a whole lot of decisions, nonetheless it really was good experience.”

The Look Again project was formerly developed within a sustainability category taught at the university from 2004 to 2007.

According to Thayer, the manufacturer was created at the same time when THE MAIN ELEMENT was looking to expand its young customer foundation and Cazenovia College trend faculty customers Joanne Gilbert, Laura Pirkl and Karen Steen had been seeking to expand the networking of community and sector partners supporting the fashion curriculum.

According to Thayer, THE MAIN ELEMENT provided unsold merchandise for trend students to re-try to make into new garments, which were then sold at The Key.

“Formerly, [this] was an elective course and project that was embraced simply by the college’s fashion programs, the Cazenovia community, and THE MAIN ELEMENT,” explained Thayer. “Ironically, it had been difficult to sustain the job when the semester finished and the way to obtain garments dwindled. We think the time is now to revitalize the task, due to renewed pupil interest and community users who often requested we go back to the project. We have developed ways to support Appear Again between semesters with internships and incorporating aspects of production in additional classes . . . The current importance of connecting with local producers and businesses [likewise] backed the revitalization of the college’s partnership with THE MAIN ELEMENT.”

This season, Pirkl served as a consultant to the merchandise development class.

A Cazenovia University alumna and former adjunct professor, Pirkl is now a freelance artist and design director of JES Clothing in DeWitt.

She has 28 years of experience in the fashion industry and has spent 13 years as design director for American Trend Network, working with many national shops and private label makes.

The entire Look Again collection was debuted at THE MAIN ELEMENT throughout a private event available to program students, college or university administrators, Albany Street companies, and guests of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church.

Attendees included Reverend Robert Trache, interim rector of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, Cazenovia University President Ronald Chesbrough, and Village of Cazenovia Mayor Kurt Wheeler.

“It has been an excellent experience dealing with Cazenovia College to aid in the expansion of the appearance Again store-within-a-store,” said Firari. “We started this project weeks ago by donating clothes for the learners to repurpose and up-cycle in their style classes, and we've provided an ideal venue to allow them to also find out about merchandising, sales, and shop procedures. Professors Thayer and Pirkl have held classes in the retail store, and their students have been incredibly involved with the whole project. It's been fun to connect to such imaginative and energetic students.”

Guests were presented with party favors and treats made and donated by Latte Da Café.

The collection happens to be available for purchase at The Key.

Located in 66 Albany St, The Key is certainly a charitable consignment and donation shop founded in 1960 simply by the ladies of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church. The two-level retail space supplies a wide collection of clothing, footwear and household merchandise at a fraction of their primary costs.

To learn more on The Key, visit thekeyconsign.com or perhaps follow “THE MAIN ELEMENT Cazenovia” on Instagram and Facebook.
Source: https://eaglenewsonline.com

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