From a dress made of a burlap sack to a shirt made out a pair of men’s trousers, the green inspired fashion show and discussion panel, “Garden of Eden,” hosted by the SF State Student Fashion Association (SFA) at Jack Adams Hall last Friday, brought fashion to the forefront of the environmental movement.

Models strutted down the runway in clothes ranging from avant-garde garments to everyday street wear from 26 designers at SF State. Using recycled materials and sustainable fabrics like bamboo and hemp, the aspiring designers showcased how fashion can be green.

“The show is a way of designers letting people know how sustainable fashion can be achieved,” said SFA vice-president Ray Gin.

The panel discussion that opened the show, addressed ideas behind the importance of sustainable fashion and the environmental issues involved in manufacturing clothing. Panel members included textile specialist and SF State Apparel Design and Merchandising (ADM) instructor Gail Baugh; founder of the street wear design company Yam Street, Jeffrey Betcher; and designer for Del Forte, an organic jean company, Amber Clisura.

Of the toxic elements found in some dyes and the manufacturing of fibers that produce air pollution from factory machines are important factors to consider when designing and buying clothes, said Clisura.

“Dyes, such as the color indigo, contain toxic chemicals that can get out into the environment in the disposal of at the end of their use,” she said, as dyes are not guaranteed to be disposed of as a toxic substance and can find their way to river and oceans.

Betcher said for future designers to look into, [bamboo and hemp] because they have a lot of potential.

These plants can be made into wearable products with less detriment to the environment than synthetic fibers, since it takes less machine power to create bamboo and hemp into workable fibers, he added.

According to the panel members, by using natural materials like cotton, hemp and bamboo (and steering clear of nylon and polyesters clothes and other items that use heavy amounts of chemicals in their production), designers and consumers can assist in either creating or buying sustainable garments and become part of the growing movement towards using renewable resources.

The only sustainable qualification each designer had to meet to be in the fashion show, was that 80 percent of the garments had to be made from recycled fibers, renewable resources--like bamboo and hemp--or used clothing, according to SFA advisor and ADM instructor Dr. Connie Ulasewicz.

Designers recycled fabrics and materials from household sheets and bed skirts to dresses, shirts and pants bought at local thrift stores or found in their closets, said Gin.

The majority of designs that graced the runway were from ADM majors who are studying textiles and design in preparation for a career in the fashion industry. However, ADM faculty member Paul Galliano also showcased three items that offered updated spins and detailing to skirts, pants, shirts, and blazers. He was also the only designer in the Garden of Eden, fashion show to design a piece for men.

International relations major Sabrina Habel, 21, attended a SFA fashion show last Spring and said she was excited when an ADM student asked her to model sustainable garments in Garden of Eden.

“This [show] seemed like a good one to be a part of,” Habel said.

Student designer Megan Quirolo, a senior ADM major and a self-proclaimed environmentalist, showcased four clothing items designed around not just being green, but also on the idea of being casual enough to be worn on a daily basis.

“This is the first show that I made clothing that I would wear,” said Quirolo, 24, of her brown and red dresses made of old shirts from the store Thrift Town and jersey and fleece fabrics made from recycled cotton.

“This is also the first show that I got to a chance to showcase items that are like the ones I want to design after I graduate,” said Quirolo.

At the completion of the show Clisura summed up what she said sustainable fashion meant to her.

“It’s fashion with a soul,” Clisura said.

In addition to showcasing green garments, the event also acted as a fundraiser for Toys for Tots, a program aimed at providing Christmas gifts for children from under privileged backgrounds. The $2 admission was waived for many of the nearly 300 audience members, who brought a new toy to donate for Toys for Tots.