Consider this: sustainable garments for a sustainable world
It probably isn’t often that while shopping for a pair of jeans you consider the yardage it took to put the pair together.
Even the thriftiest of shoppers probably don’t look at a pile of men’s ties and see a potential women’s dress.
But ideas exactly like these were necessary when creating sustainable garments for Hurley and Nike’s “Considered” exhibit.
The exhibit, which runs till Dec. 16 at Hurley’s )( Space Gallery in Costa Mesa, started as a joint project between the OTIS College of Art and Design in Los Angeles, Hurley and Nike, but morphed into an art exhibit, which Hurley and Nike hope will travel the country.
Students were asked to compete in three categories: “Heirloom,” classic items intended to be passed down; “Regenerative/Reuse,” repurposing recycled materials into garments; and “Zero Waste,” using the least amount of materials possible while maximizing usage.
John Cherpas, Hurley’s senior vice president of design, got the idea from OTIS Fashion Department chairwoman Rose Brantley.
“She said, ‘I have this great idea. I’m not sure what to call it, but I want to do something about waste,’” Cherpas said.
Nike had just created an index model to score a product’s environmental footprint, so Cherpas thought the concept couldn’t come at a better time.
Hurley currently does three-month mentorships with the school, but “Considered” quickly turned into a six-month project for the students.
Sisters Vivian Mong, 20, and Annie Mong, 23, both students, said they knew little about sustainable fashion when given the assignment.
“When they first presented the project to us, I was like you’re speaking a different language to me right now. Please speak English,” she said, laughing. “It was one of the hardest projects I’ve done here.”
However, the women tackled their “Zero Waste” concept head-on, impressing Cherpas with a pair of jeans that used 1 fabric yard — 60% less than the usually required 2.5 yards of fabric.
“They were able to take all the scrap and fit it in a Ziploc sandwich bag,” he said. “It was probably one of the most exciting things I’d seen.”
They had other creative tactics up their sleeve, such as a jersey top that can be converted to a dress, long-sleeved shirt or tank top. Hoods can be removed from jackets and a cardigan cape can be turned into a skirt.
They also made pieces unisize — because they would be easier for factories to make — and reversible so they could be worn multiple times.
They made hangtags with environmentally conscious washing instructions, such as “shower with your jeans” or “run in the ocean with your jeans.”
“We had to think about education,” Annie Mong said. “Not necessarily ‘save the world,’ but subtly educate customers about sustainable fashion.”
Although the sisters weren’t experts in green fashion, they did have an experience prior to the project that gave them some perspective.
While on an extended stay in Hong Kong, the Mongs visited clothing factories and saw waste and pollution with their own eyes.
“There was one in particular, a denim washing company,” Vivian Mong said. “I actually saw the dirty water go down the drain.”
Cherpas believes the show is powerful enough to make people consider not only the effects of waste, but also water consumption.
“We’re fortunate to live where we live,” he said. “We have such an abundance of water. One in six people are without water worldwide.”
As for his design team, Cherpas said they are on the “fast track” to making the brand more environmentally conscious and are paying close attention to how all their pieces are made.
The Mongs’ designs, and those of other students, are currently on display at )( Space Gallery, 1945 Placentia Ave., Costa Mesa.
Twitter: @joannaclay