One of Ohio State’s newest organizations, Students for Sustainable Fashion, is starting the semester strong, working towards hosting more events, guest speakers and sewing workshops throughout the semester.

Vir Kolpe, a third-year in finance and fashion and retail studies and the treasurer and co-founder of the club, said that if the weather allows, the club will be hosting its first event of the semester on Sept. 17 at 2 p.m. on the Oval.

The event is a do-it-yourself merch day and ice cream social that is free for anyone to attend.

Molly Hoskin, a third-year in environment, economy, development and sustainability (EEDS) and the president and co-founder of the club, said the event is an opportunity for people to bring their old, unworn clothes and turn them into something new using markers, paints and other provided materials.

“Our goal is to educate people on sustainability within fashion,” said Hoskin. “We also want to provide a creative outlet for people to make their own clothing and feel inspired.”

Kolpe said that along with this event, he and Hoskin hope to bring more attention to the idea of sustainable fashion, particularly when it comes to accessibility and purchasing habits of college students.

“One of the main things that affects college students is lack of ability to actually go out and buy clothing,” said Kolpe.

Online shopping is always the easy option, explained Hoskin, but it is important to consider the impact your shopping habits have on the world around you.

“People don’t feel the impact because it’s not affecting them directly, but in the long term it is affecting the economy and the environment,” said Hoskin. “Instead you can repair what you already have, buy less and support businesses who implement sustainable practices.”

Kolpe said it is important to put a more conscious and responsible lens on what you, as a consumer, can do to work towards creating a more sustainable world.

“I see sustainability in fashion as a cultural movement based around supporting people who are trying to move fashion forward by promoting ethical consumption and sourcing, researching where you are buying from and moving away from fast fashion as a trend,” said Kolpe. “It is important to focus on sustainable fashion as an umbrella term, it’s not just about one thing, it has environmental, cultural, social and economic effects.”

Hoskin said the idea for the club first came about when she decided to become an EEDS major and became more passionate about sustainability and fashion.

“Out of curiosity I wanted to see if there was a sustainable fashion club on campus,” said Hoskin. “When I saw there wasn’t I was like why don’t I just start my own.”

Hoskin said the club took its first form in the spring of last year, but that this semester is the club’s first active semester on campus.

Students for Sustainable Fashion hosts bi-weekly meetings on Wednesdays from 7-8 p.m. in Enerson, room 330. The next meeting will be on Sept. 13.

For more information about the club and upcoming events follow Students for Sustainable Fashion on Instagram.