The Marist Ethical Fashion Initiative aims to foster visionary fashion leaders who can redesign the unsustainable fashion industry. It focuses on topics related to sustainable and ethical fashion through research, education, and community engagement. Members meet bi-weekly for discussions and organize events like clothing swaps and repair workshops to share their knowledge. They also collaborate on research projects, such as investigating the effects of natural vs synthetic fibers on bacteria growth. Furthermore, members participate in community service like making quilts from donated t-shirts for a local homeless shelter. The organization offers opportunities for cross-disciplinary learning and networking to develop skills needed for careers in the changing fashion industry.

1. Marist Ethical Fashion Initiative
Purpose:
Whether through the creation, production, communication, or consumption of fashion, we are all
implicated in destructive aspects of an endemically unsustainable system, where obsolescence is inbuilt. As
one of the world’s largest industries, the fashion industry today has disastrous effects on the environment
and global health. As a result, the apparel industry has become tremendously relevant to all of our world
industries-- particularly politics, law, sociology, environmental science, engineering, and technology. In
this changing environment, there is now a real need for fashion diplomacy: fashion professionals who are
capable of working with cross-disciplinary groups of people to change the nature of the industry so that it is
more sustainable. The purpose of this organization is to foster a group of impassioned and visionary fashion
leaders who are prepared to redesign the industrial model and shift the fashion paradigm.
Goals/ Methodology:
The Marist Ethical Fashion Initiative focuses on topics relative to sustainable/ ethical fashion, with the
particular goal of changing the way people view fashion and demonstrating how the apparel industry today
is tremendously relevant to all of our other world industries.
All efforts made by the members of the Marist College Ethical Fashion Initiative are aimed toward three
main objectives:
Ø Research
Ø Education
Ø Community Engagement
Meetings & Events
Through engaging round-table discussions, general members meet bi-weekly to discuss sustainability issues
as well as current breakthroughs within the apparel industry. EFI members then share their knowledge with
the Marist student body through creative events and engaging workshops. Example events include clothing
swaps, movie showings, contests, panels, guest speakers, etc. Last semester, EFI hosted a Holiday
Repurposing Workshop where students transformed old, donated clothing into something new. The club
also organized an informational display highlighting fair trade garments that are sold at the Marist Bookstore
during campus Sustainability Week. This semester, the club will be hosting a repair workshop where
students can bring in damaged clothing and EFI members will teach them how to make them new again.
The Research Project
Through cross-disciplinary collaboration with students from varying backgrounds, students are encouraged
to view the fashion industry from a multitude of perspectives, question the current industrial model,
stimulate creative thinking, and discuss innovative solutions. Members have the particular opportunity to
work one-on-one with other students from varying disciplines by participating in the club’s research
project. During the current semester, EFI is working with environmental science and biology students to

2. investigate the influence of natural versus synthetic fiber materials in the growth of bacteria present in
human sweat during high levels of physical activity, as well as determine how might the bacteria affect the
physical appearance, quality, and performance of the different textiles over time.
Community Service Events
Furthermore, members engage with the community through several community service events, projects,
and fundraisers. Students also establish strong relationships with local artisans, designers, and textile
workers in the Hudson Valley area, and make efforts to foster and develop further support for our local
economy among the Marist student body through the organization of Ethical Fashion Fairs. This semester,
in addition to hosting a Fair Trade Fair on campus, the Ethical Fashion Initiative is giving back to the
community by hosting a quilt-making workshop where students will take donated t-shirts and create a quilt
that will then be donated to a local homeless shelter.
Industry Relevance:
The Marist Ethical Fashion Initiative offers a positive and inclusive environment where students can work
together and stimulate creative thinking in an area of the industry that needs much attention in the world
today. The unique learning opportunities presented by the club help students develop skills that will benefit
them throughout their entire career. Particularly, the ability to work well in cross-disciplinary groups of
individuals is highly sought after by industry leaders today. The Marist Ethical Fashion Initiative provides
students with unique leadership opportunities, and empowers students to become fashion diplomats--
people who can truly make a positive impact on one of the dirtiest industries in the world.
Join Now
The Marist College Ethical Fashion Initiative offers a highly distinctive learning opportunity unlike any other
sustainability-related student-run organization across the United States. In addition to engaging with a wider
community of students and faculty, EFI members will also have opportunities to network and engage with
EFI alumni currently working in the industry. Join now and become a part of a community of innovators.
Please contact Rebekkah.Colclasure1@marist.edu for more information.