The University of Illinois’ largest fashion event; a premiere exposition for the new generation of fashion futurists
Powered by The Fashion Network (TFN) in partnership with the Siebel Center for Design (SCD)
Did you know? 💡
Fashion is one of the most polluting industries in the world:
100 billion new clothing items are produced every year, but 50% of those end up in landfill IN THE SAME YEAR**— 1 garbage truck full of clothing is dumped into landfill every second¹.**
What is Circular Fashion? ♻️
About the Expo 💭
The Circular Fashion Expo is an event designed to bring all of the elements of a circular fashion system into one, epic event so that the campus community & local stakeholders can collectively create a thriving circular economy.
Event Features
- 🔄 Clothing Swap — donations are received & tracked. People can donate their preloved things, then buy any number of garments and only pay a small swap fee.
- 🛍 Vendors — from artist to jewelers to students simply selling what they pulled from their wardrobes. It’s free to vend.
- 🧵 Up cycling Services & Workshops — 1-on-1 sessions to teach visitors the basics of garment repair like sewing, stitching, & patching.
- 🎨 Interactive Art Installation — completely constructed with student art and community creators, visitors can walk through an exhibit and contribute to a collective installment piece.
- 💃 Runway & Design Competition — an epic finale with 100+ models and competition for fashion designers to compete with up cycled & zero-waste looks.
- 🎵Live Music & Performances — a full schedule of live music throughout the day of the event with student groups ranging from A Capella to dancing performing throughout the runway program.
- 🤝Community Building & Networking — a once-a-semester opportunity to engage with the student body and greater CU area in conversation and action surrounding the circular economy, impact of circular living, and community supporting these efforts.
Our Impact 🌎
Spring 2022 (CFE.1): Introduction