Wicklow students are encouraged to participate in a competition aimed at raising awareness on how to combat fast fashion.

elove Fashion is a school competition to give students a closer look at how people dress and how to make a fashion statement without increasing resource demands. Designed by the local government in collaboration with the Rediscovery Center, the competition has launched just in time for the new school year.

The organizers acknowledged, for example, that fashion impacts the environment because it causes damage when growing cotton for textile use, and that the production and global delivery of garments to customers and stores has a high carbon footprint. I am emphasizing

Fashion doesn’t have to be temporary.

High-quality clothing and textiles are extremely durable, and good clothing is timeless and stylish.

The ability to reinvent textiles and breathe new life into them has always been central to the fashion industry. The competition aims to allow students to test their design skills by using old fabrics or recreating something from old costumes. A new modern look is created without the use of new resources.

Part of the vision of the circular economy is moving from disposable fast fashion to an industry that takes advantage of the circular economy, saving resources while creating jobs and adding value to products.

Relove Fashion provides students with a platform to demonstrate their skills in working with textiles, their creativity in design and their commitment to sustainability. Participants, who can participate individually or in teams, must document their design process on a mood board, have their outfits produced by early January, and be asked about their views on sustainability in the textile and fashion industry. . The contest is open to all her sophomores at Wicklow and is suitable for the home economics curriculum and the fine arts curriculum. In some schools, it is implemented as a transition year project.

Wicklow County Council, which led the development of the competition, won the Outstanding Local Government Award for its creation.

Students can register at www.relovefashion.ie. Everyone who registers by September 30th will enter a free drawing to win a school sewing machine.

Costumes created for the contest must be submitted by January 13th.

A Teacher’s Pack is available with more information about the competition.