October 2022 B Section

B8 A&E
Read
The Californian online at www.thecalifornianpaper.com Thursday, October 13, 2022
Students craft their path in fashion design
a
Fashion & Design
provides unique
opportunity to be
creative
Melissa Nguyen
Staff Writer
It takes boldness and creativity
to transform fashion
statements into serious works
of art, but some students have
taken this step towards working
professionally with Cal High’s
Fashion & Design.
Like many other intro classes
at Cal, it offers a variety of options
that help students explore
their creative side and learn
more about the industry.
“I kind of act like the model or
the person we are drawing is me,
I would draw stuff that I would
personally like and am okay
with going out of my comfort
zone,” junior Alina Munir said.
Creating bonds and making
connections with new people
can be tough, but it thrives
within this classroom.
“Everybody was really welcoming,
and I could tell there
[were] a lot of creative people
in there,” junior Aneesha Reddy
said. “The teacher is super
nice too.”
Fashion & Design teacher
Shanin McKavish said that she
tailors her curriculum to her
students’ interests and what they
hope to learn.
“I like to know what students
want out of the class so I can
create a class that meets their
desires,” McKavish said.
One of McKavish’s favorite
projects is “The book project,”
where students get to create an
article of clothing, made entirely
out of pages from a book. She
particularly loves seeing students
in their element as their
eyes light up with creativity.
Her students also enjoy how
relaxed the class is since there
aren’t many strict deadlines
and students can have fun with
assignments at their own pace.
“I really enjoy it because she
tends to make [Fashion & Design]
really stress free, which is
something that you really need
every day,” Reddy said.
Munir added, “I like the class;
I can’t wait to get more hands-on
activities.”
The class also looks at
emerging fashion trends such
as flared jeans, cargo pants,
and more from past decades
that have been innovated into
something new.
For more background information
of the decades of
different fashion, McKavish
assigns a special project looking
at the evolution of our world’s
fashion since the early 1900s.
In the end, it really depends
on what best suits each student
and how they would like to be
perceived.
“I try to make it centered
around them,” McKavish said.
Either way, the class brings a
Photo by Cameron Ho
Fashion & Design students Desiree Dong and Zachary Smallridge work on papers and watch as Brooke Williams burns a piece of fabric over a candle.
new perspective on academics
compared to the usual courses.
“I get to be creative and I
get to see the students’ creativity,
which I love,” McKavish
said. “They’re inspiring [when]
watching the students be creative
and produce amazing
work with incredibly talented
students on this campus.”
Threading into sustainable fashion
Cal High club offers more longlasting
alternative for fast fashion
Shivani Phadnis
Staff Writer
Getting access to sustainable
clothing can be a challenge for
high school students.
Luckily, Cal High’s new club
Threaded may just be the solution
to the fast fashion frenzy.
Juniors Abhiraj Sharma and
Lauren Lee started the Threaded
sustainable fashion club with
the goal of educating Cal High
students about the dangers of
fast fashion, as well as providing
a space where people can learn
about environmentally-friendly
clothing.
Fast fashion is a new trend
in the clothing industry that involves
making cheap, low-quality
clothes at a lightning-quick
pace, often at the expense of
the workers involved. Workers
in the fast fashion industry
suffer through unbearably long
hours and hazardous working
conditions, according to Pebble
Magazine.
Workers aren’t the only ones
harmed by fast fashion either.
Over 85% of fabric waste goes
to landfills, where it won’t decay
for millions of years, according
to the New York Times.
“We wear a lot of fast fashion
without knowing the effects
it has on the environment,”
Sharma said. “I felt that we
have to help educate the Cal
High community on what fast
fashion is.”
Sustainable clothing and
rejecting fast fashion drew
the attention of plenty of Cal
students. At the club’s first
meeting, junior Sophia Pfister
expressed her interest in the
topic.
“I was really interested in
learning about sustainable
clothing since I love learning
about the environment,” Pfister
said. “I thought it was cool
that this club is teaching these
things.”
Shopping at local thrift stores
is on the table for Threaded
members too. The club plans to
go on “thrift trips” which will
have club members shopping
at local thrift shops and community
stores in order to show
them real-world examples of
sustainable clothing.
“We really want to try to promote
shopping in our local community
and support local thrift
stores,” junior Sam Saudners,
the club treasurer, said. “Reusable
clothing is a great way to
support the environment and
give back to the community.”
Sharma and Lee also have
plans to collaborate with other
school clubs, such as the Coins
for Countries Club. Their main
goal for this collaboration is to
organize a sustainable clothing
drive for poor and underdeveloped
countries.
Threaded’s officers have
plans for Do-It-Yourself projects
too. Members will get the
opportunity to make their own
bracelets, tote bags, and t-shirts
out of environmentally-friendly
materials and share their creations
with their fellow club
members.
The biggest thing Threaded
has planned is a sustainable
fashion runway show during
lunch, where students can showcase
trendy but environmentally
friendly clothes they’ve bought.
“Dressing sustainably has
so many benefits, and it’s also
therapeutic in a way, kind of
like retail therapy,” Lee said.
“Knowing that what you are
wearing is safer for the environment
feels nice.”
Cal students and staff have
high hopes for Threaded’s future.
Hannah Cheng, the club
advisor, believes Threaded’s
founders are taking big steps
to achieve their goal.
“I think the message of the
club is really important,” Cheng
Photo by Cameron Ho
From left to right, Threaded’s officers Sam Saunders, Abhiraj Sharma, Lauren Lee, and Melissa Nguyen showcase their
poster at club fair advocating sustainable, ecofriendly attire.
said. “Students who have an idea
for something that they’re passionate
about and take action, I
really appreciate them. ”
From field trips to clothing
drives to runway shows,
Threaded’s founders hope to
make a big impact on Cal and
encourage people to think outside
the box when it comes to
trendy and sustainable clothing.