(featured photo: some designs of team from Asia Pacific College)
As a society, we buy a lot of new clothes. That means a lot of materials are used. When we shop for new clothes, can we also give some thoughts to the source of the materials and its impact on the environment, especially when we just observed Earth Day last Saturday?
Last Saturday, SM Aura SMX Convention Center’s Function Room 3 was the venue of Green Fashion Revolution 2017, an interschool design show and competition that highlights sustainable fashion design.
Three schools participated in Aboitiz GFR Manila 2017. They are Asia Pacific College, De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) and SoFA Design Institute.
Photo above: Some designs of De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde
How does the competition highlight sustainability? as much as 30% of the competition’s judging criteria is allocated to show design sustainability, which is the creative recycling of waste material to a more functional, practical design that is saleable and marketable to the public.
Photo above: Two designs of winning school: SoFA Design Institute
Photo above: From Left: Ms Sofia Abloitiz, Ms Janeena Chan (ABS-CBN host, fashion blogger), Ms Celia Elumba, Director, Philippine Textile Research Institute, Mr. Paul Pangilinan, Commissioner-at-Large, National Youth Commission, Ms. Sophia Calugay, Fashion Revolution
At the end of the competition, SoFA Design Institute was declared the overall winner. However, there was really no loser in this competition. Apart from the cash prize that all participating schools will receive, the purpose of the competition has been achieved, which is to bring awareness of sustainability to the fashion industry.
A Better World
Apart from getting fashion designers and consumers to think about the impact on environment while designing and buying clothes, there are other ways that we can be involved in building a better environment for future generations. Use clean energy instead of fossil fuels, protecting habitats of endangered animals, just to name a couple.
At the fashion show, we were shown a video about the work done by Aboitiz Foundation to protect the critically endangered hawksbill sea turtle (pawikan) and 66 other species in a biodiversity park in Davao City.
