Thrift and Upcycling Club: Creative Sustainability
The Lehigh University's Wilbur Powerhouse Design Lab is filled with the hum of machines and chatter of students. Denim scraps, patterned T-shirts, and corduroy pants are sprawled across worktables, waiting to be reimagined into something new.
For members of the Thrift and Upcycling Club, these old clothes are canvases for creativity and sustainability. The club was launched by co-founders Lily Wu, '27, and Bryn Fayle, '27, who turned their casual weekend thrift trips into a campus-wide effort to make sustainable fashion accessible and fun.
Wu sees thrifting as a tangible solution to offset the cost of living and the fast-fashion industry's environmental toll.
According to the United Nations Environment Programme, 92 million tonnes of textile waste is produced globally, with 11% of plastic waste coming from clothing and textiles.
Author's summary: Lehigh's Thrift and Upcycling Club promotes sustainable fashion.