Fast-Fashion & Forward Thinking with lulia Ciubotariu

Written by Emma Campanella

At the ripe and young age of our early twenties, we all are stitching our own embroidery of life. Each stitch pulls our image and self-expression closer to becoming something whole. Style is a vital piece of showcasing who you are. Around campus, you can find many people settling into themselves and accepting who they have become and are becoming. One of those people is my friend and roommate Iulia Ciubotariu. She seems to embody her true self and has always stayed true to her beliefs and what she cares about. She is passionate, smart and artistic like you wouldn’t believe. Take one look into her closet and you would be astonished by the sea of fabrics neatly organized and the accessories organized in beaded jars. Each item is unique and valued for individual reasons. Every morning she brings unexpected items together into one beautiful creation. Every outfit is like a piece of art. But with anything she wears, she wears it with confidence.

“I have a trendy grandma style, like a classy grandma with a hint of hippie,” Iulia gleamed. She isn’t wrong. She’s had an eye for a classier edge since fourth grade, drawing inspiration from the fictional character Nancy Drew herself. She hasn’t always owned this confidence with the outfits she’s flaunted. “[My style] has definitely evolved. I felt very embarrassed dressing how I did when I was younger because nobody really went for a style, especially not something old-fashioned. But I stuck to it and eventually I was like ‘oh well’, I have my own unique style that people recognized. I wanted to keep on doing it,” she reflected.

Iulia was born in Romania and lived there for 7 years until she moved to the states. Though she left her first home and some family behind, she brought with her the culture and memories hand-knitted by her family members. Her style inspiration draws upon her background. “I do get a lot of ideas from European street style. I’m European and I want to stick to what people in my country do and try to look fancy all the time,” she said. There’s a lot of value when incorporating one’s culture into their everyday life, especially through clothing. Iulia carries the pride of where she came from physically on her body.

Finding her clothes is not something ever planned. She usually resorts to thrifting; she loves how everything she finds is a surprise. Her favorite item of clothing, a silk blouse decorated with hotel advertisements, was one of her best finds. “If I could be a shirt, I would be this one,” she laughed.

Iulia is somebody that advocates for sustainability and ethical solutions and shows that a difference can be made through simple changes in lifestyle. “I think we are destroying [the world] slowly, so we need to do something for it instead. The more people we get to help, the more changes we can make,” she said with passion.

The biggest concerns coming from the fashion and clothing industry stem from unethical and unsustainable clothing production. The fashion industry has found to be the second biggest environment polluter worldwide. With fast-fashion trends ending quicker than we can catch on, the clothing industry contributes to enormous amounts of waste (overproduction). On top of that, workers that help produce the clothing for big companies may be treated unethically and receive low wages for their long days of work. This could even include child labor. The good news is that there are companies out there that focus their efforts on creating clothing that is sustainable and ethical, like Reformation. Many more consumers are starting to become aware of this problem that hides within the piles of clothes in their closets.

There are many reasons why fast-fashion is so common in our society. Trends shown online and worn by celebrities displayed through social media creates a feeling of need within consumers. “Companies make a lot more money from people wanting to be a part of these trends and they use social media to exploit people,” Iulia explained. “Lower prices are very tempting to give in to. You don’t realize at first what it is you are buying into until you learn about it.” That’s the problem today. People don’t understand the how their clothing purchases are negatively impacting the world.

There are still ways to satisfy the style you glow in without damaging the environment. Thrifting is much more sustainable than shopping at fast-fashion stores like Zara and H&M. “Thrifting just makes so much sense. [Thrift stores] are very selective about what they bring in and you could find some cool pieces,” Iulia explains. Purchasing clothing at thrift stores reduces the waste and pollution that big business neglect to consider. It is cheaper and often times the money will go towards a charity like Salvation Army. Iulia doesn’t compromise her taste and ability to find cute clothing. “I’m always going to love clothing and having a lot of things, but I don’t want to harm the environment (or my wallet) because of that. So a way to do it is to stick to environmentally friendly or sustainable companies and clothing.”

Iulia’s closet has an abundance of loafers, scarves, pleated pants and blouses. For the most part, all of it is from responsible companies and thrift shops that focus on providing quality pieces that last for a long time. She continues to show that style and fashion can be obtained while maintaining the values of wellbeing and the environment. There doesn’t have to be a sacrifice for fashion and Iulia keeps advocating for more green choices. “I know my change doesn’t have a big impact, but if I can inspire others than [the impact] gets bigger and bigger.”