Fashion with a Passion

from (2022) SISID: A Special Issue

Behind the Screen: Community, Artistry, and Dance Production Excellence

Mikhaila Neri and Kean V. Nerecina FASH

Finding purpose and meaning

the idea for a fashion-focused organization within the Ateneo was born in September of 2019. While the founders of the organization were conceptualizing a name for their project, they thought of names related to sustainable fashion, or susfash for short, but didn’t want to make things any more complicated than they needed to be since the advocacy of sustainable fashion was intimidating enough. In fact, they wanted to make the advocacy as accessible as possible, so they decided to make the name of the organization just as simple. This was how FASH was born.

Mia Azurin, current Director of FASH, shares, “it was two friends who suddenly thought about having a fashion organization in Ateneo because we felt [that] it was about time that we had an organization centered on fashion.” The founders of FASH had also observed other new organizations with niche interests, such as birdwatching and Japanese culture. Seeing these unique organizations inspired them to form a fashion organization that was grounded on a bigger cause, in the hopes of making the organization mean something more for sustainable fashion practice in the university and the country, where the concept is still novel.

Being a fashion-oriented organization, FASH recognizes the different mediums of self-expression that individuals within the Atenean community use to express their creativity. One form of self-expression is fashion, which is something that fits in the artistic scene of Ateneo that FASH wants to emphasize while incorporating more relevant topics. This highlights the aspect of fashion that the organization combats—fast fashion. But what is fast fashion? Simply put, fast fashion brands work to bring trendy pieces from the latest designer and high fashion brands to the masses’ closets as fast as possible, with no regard for the socio-ecological impact.

The fashion industry contributes to one-tenth of all water used in industrial production. One cotton shirt requires around 3,000 liters of water to be produced. Furthermore, 35% of all microplastics that end up in the ocean are produced by synthetic materials used in the fashion industry (Le 2020). Most of the clothes produced are made in developing countries where human rights violations against women and children in factories are daily occurrences. In Bangladesh, children as young as 11 begin working the sewing machines for measly salaries of barely £70-80 per month, or about 5000 pesos (Butler 2019).

These problems escalated due to the COVID-19 pandemic due to consumers’ lack of purchasing ability. Since physical stores shut down and many people turned to staying at home instead of buying new clothes, the revenues of fashion brands dipped. These problems trickled down to the base-level fashion workers and sewers. Some of the largest fashion houses canceled around $1.5 billion in orders from Bangladesh, negatively impacting the lives of over a million factory workers (Lau 2022). This was the bigger cause that FASH’s Director wanted to address. This is why FASH advocates for sustainable fashion.

The beginning of the organization’s journey has had its share of ups and downs given that the organization officially started to open its doors to new members in January 2021. Given the current socioeconomic atmosphere, there have been apprehensions about the relevance of the advocacy. Currently, sustainable fashion is not at the forefront of common advocacy-centric organizations, but much like other problems such as climate change and poverty, fighting the problem at hand will allow it to reach insurmountable heights.

Ateneans have always been known for their sense of fashion that can be seen on campus, in photos, and even in their usual tambayan spots along Katipunan Avenue. Many of them fit the long-running stereotype of having closets filled to the brim with pieces from fast fashion brands like UNIQLO, to classic staples like Ralph Lauren

and Lacoste, and even more expensive designer brands. Others choose to invest more in footwear and sometimes even purchase a few pairs a month. Simply put, Atenean fashion and style can be characterized by a drive to acquire better and more pieces. This popular mindset does not align with the organization’s advocacy, so how can FASH establish itself and advocate for sustainable fashion within the Atenean community when there is a deeply rooted culture of mass consumption in the university and its students?

One of the most vital parts of FASH is advocacy education. Locally, sustainable fashion has only entered general conversation quite recently, and even some of FASH’s own members enter the organization with little knowledge about the advocacy. But education and discussion are all part of the organization’s mission. Lorenzo Corro, the Advocacy Head of FASH shares that he has always been an advocate for sustainability in general, and actually joined FASH for the sustainability aspect of the organization, which is a more uncommon phenomenon than one might expect. He expresses:

Most of the people were interested in the whole fashion aspect more than the sustainability, which I noticed when people were getting onboarded and had discussions, these were mostly about thrifting, and not delving deeper [into sustainable fashion] so I was a bit confused, but I think it pushed me to join the whole member development branch [now Advocacy department] of FASH, and I started to learn more about the niche topic.

Since even some of FASH’s members are not fully educated on sustainable fashion, the organization does its best to educate the community. Jasmin Pandi, the Externals Head, explained the rationale behind this in saying, “It’s better to start off with something that everyone can agree on, for example,

fashion, and then try to incorporate more relevant things such as sustainability, which is something that we’ve tried to do.”

Sticking with the advocacy

With the difficulty of finding reliable and available resources on sustainable fashion, FASH strives to create new avenues to discuss and spread awareness about its advocacy. Through developing various initiatives such as the Advocacy Integration Course (AIC), FASH Talks, and FASH Library, the organization is able to promote its advocacy through interesting and engaging projects (see Fashion

Photography and the Living Embodiment of Artistry).

Of course, fighting for sustainable fashion cannot be all fun and games. As mentioned earlier, FASH’s founders wanted to ground the organization on a cause that would create a socially and politically relevant organization. It is challenging to advocate for sustainable fashion since its multiple facets are unseen without more interest and intensive research.

FASH acknowledges that the issue of sustainable fashion versus fast fashion can spark various necessary conversations. Sometimes, these conversations create small but relevant changes manifested through an individual’s change in lifestyle. Because of the nature of the advocacy being humanitarian and ecological, more involved conversations that target social and political issues arise. The organization’s leaders admit that FASH still lacks a solid political identity as it has yet to begin any initiatives to create direct social and environmental change. With the organization having only celebrated its first year anniversary of becoming a public organization last January 31, 2022, growth is still in the works. Furthermore, the organization’s constituents all agree that FASH has the potential to become an avenue to disseminate credible information on sustainable fashion while simultaneously exposing the audience to unfortunate truths within the fashion industry.

The fact of the matter is that the truth hurts. While the hidden truths behind the clothes we wear daily can cause discomfort and even guilt, FASH does not aim to force the advocacy onto people who do not practice or agree with it. FASH does not condemn or blame anyone who partakes in the fast fashion industry, because these problems are rooted in deeper systemic issues. Instead, FASH wishes to establish its voice by doing its part in educating its audience by slowly realizing its potential to spark necessary discussions about sustainable fashion one step at a time. This is why FASH has been developing the various initiatives mentioned earlier in order to provide the Atenean community with convenient avenues to discuss and gain information about sustainable fashion.

All of these initiatives focus on education from more experienced members of the organization and industry professionals. These initiatives also provide spaces for discussion. The AIC is one such project. The AIC is FASH’s main education platform for sustainable fashion-related information centered on creating a knowledgeable member base, and eventually a knowledgeable Ateneo.

As with any advocacy or belief, there will always be some who disagree or are simply indifferent to the discussion. Louise Daniel, FASH’s Visuals Head, comments that “kindness and compassion really go a long way.” With this, FASH aims to tell the Ateneo community, fashionistas, and anyone interested in fashion or sustainability that the practice, within and without fashion, is an imperfect journey that varies from person to person.

Practicing sustainability

According to some of the organization’s members, mindful and intentional shopping can be the most helpful methods to practice sustainability. “After joining FASH, I try to think before I buy

stuff, ‘Do I see myself wearing this for a long time?’ or ‘Do I see this just being a fad that will eventually fade away after two or three uses?’” one member shares.

Other FASH members shared that while on the surface level, the visual aspect of clothes is the most important, some of their pieces have meaningful stories that add a layer of sentimentality to them. This value adds to their practices of sustainable fashion by making their garments more than just wearable fabric. Our clothes can become vehicles for memories and highlights of our lives.

While these may seem minuscule compared to other factors of sustainable fashion, practicing the advocacy does not have to happen overnight; small lifestyle improvements can create the largest changes. But when we are all surrounded by the vast popularity of consuming fast fashion brands, practicing sustainability can sometimes seem unreachable or even impossible. Some of us buy from fast-fashion brands such as ZARA and H&M because these are all we know of. This is why advocacy education is paramount to sustainable fashion.

Through the accessibility to advocacy-centric information, some members of FASH realized the negative effects of their fast fashion purchases and eventually stopped. Once the lack of transparency from fast fashion brands about their sourcing, production, and “sustainable” practices becomes evident, it becomes simpler to stop supporting their businesses. It is through this type of education and growth that individuals inside and out of the organization are able to understand the importance of sustainability and eventually share the advocacy with others close to them.

Another member told the story of his transition from hypebeast culture which incentivizes the overconsumption of expensive fashion trends by promising acceptance. Hypebeast culture encourages mindless purchasing of garments that see little-to-no use after the trends die down. The mindset that clothes should be bought intentionally for ourselves and not for the approval

of others is a common starting point for many advocates of sustainable fashion.

The members of FASH have their own personal stories about their sustainable fashion journeys. They share a principle of mindfulness in their everyday lives. We at FASH believe that Filipinos can easily inherit this mindset based on our own culture as we are known to be crafty and resourceful. For instance, every Filipino household has used ice cream containers repurposed for either leftover food or various items. Simple practices like this bring inspiration to FASH members to pass on to the millions of Filipinos as we continue to fight for practicing sustainability in every aspect of our lives.

A sense of community in FASH

FASH opening its doors to new members amid a pandemic was a defining moment in the organization’s history. Founding a new organization during the pandemic was a struggle in itself, not to mention holding its first RecWeek online, something no other organization within the Ateneo had done. In the words of Advocacy Head Lorenzo Corro, “starting online was very rough but despite it being rough, it was still successful.”

While FASH did not need to adjust to the pandemic being born of it, again, its journey was not without its struggles. Event plans made during face-to-face were not so much adjusted, as essentially scrapped and remade for the online setting. Compared to other organizations, its start as a digital organization actually became an asset due to the Internet and social media being excellent mediums for fashion and art. Other than dealing with the logistical and critical adjustments, the pandemic shaped the organization’s structure in terms of how FASH treats its leaders and members. While working and improving on the organization’s projects and initiatives is important, FASH’s leaders realized that building a

solid community, a foundation was vital for the continued growth and success of the organization. Deo Olvina, a content creator for FASH, shares:

I have certainly had FASH members just checking on me, in the midst of everything that’s been happening in the pandemic. I’d say there’s a support system/safe space that the organization has provided in terms of member-centric initiatives, which is very crucial in the pandemic.

As Mia says, “Our whole community is built on empathy.” Everyone in the organization remains kind and welcoming to create an open community necessary amid the pandemic. Their sense of community and efforts to create a safe space gave members of FASH a secondary home.

The future of FASH

As for the one-year-old organization, one question comes to mind: What’s in store for FASH’s future? The number one answer that best represents FASH is definitely the transition of the organization to onsite. Fashion is a visual and physical art, so the opportunity to hold sustainable fashion shows, production workshops, and even bazaars would boost the organization’s growth to the next level. Imagine what all the clothing bazaars, swap parties, programs about sustainable fashion, and tutorials on how to rework clothes would look like on campus.

The onsite setting will also enhance the existing sense of community, inspiring the members of the organization to practice and advocate for sustainable fashion even more. Eventually, some members foresee that FASH can go so far as to be at the forefront of

Philippine sustainable fashion, even though the organization still has far to go.

As mentioned, FASH acknowledges its lack of political identity, and this hole is what the organization envisions to tackle as soon as it accomplishes its main priority of spreading awareness about the advocacy to the community. From a management perspective, FASH as an advocacy-centric organization would largely benefit from partnering with similarly-driven organizations, and even specific sectors in the Philippines.

Of course, these plans are still in the works. For now, the present community of FASH invites future members and leaders of the organization to join the sustainable fashion movement. FASH hopes that its members recognize their role in spreading the advocacy that can spark conversations and create change in an effort to produce a healthier and greener future.

As a growing organization, FASH recognizes that nothing is truly set in stone for sustainable fashion. Nonetheless, there is a need for something or someone to represent the advocacy, especially in the local scene, which is the role FASH hopes to fulfill. As Louise Daniel, Visuals Head, says, “This is why communities, such as FASH, are there so we can actually figure this out together.” It’s early days yet for the organization, but its members are prepared to face the challenges that come with fighting for an advocacy as vital as sustainable fashion.