MENU

Why Sustainable Fashion? The 180 Style Challenge

Date: April 21st, 2016

Time: 7:00PM

Location: Room 1700 SFU Harbour Centre

The Faculty of Environment and the Sustainability Office at Simon Fraser University are pleased to invite you to a free public talk and discussion about sustainability and fashion in advance of Earth Day.

Presented by Ingrid Uhrich, Instructor, Fashion Design and Merchandising, Centre for Arts and Technology

Moderator: Joanna Ashworth, Director, Professional Programs, Faculty of Environment

Abstract

Do you know where your clothes come from? Can you tell the difference between polyester and cotton? What do you do when a piece of clothing falls apart?

These are the questions Ingrid Uhrich, a technical fashion designer, instructor and mother of three, kept asking herself and others before embarking on a journey to find out some answers.

Ingrid Uhrich has made it her personal challenge to learn more about the counter movement in the fashion industry’s status quo: Sustainable Fashion. By wearing the same little black dress for 180 days in a row, Ingrid hopes to inspire and educate others about a different way of approaching fashion. During this experiment, Ingrid has kept a blog where she discusses several of the aspects that affect sustainable fashion, including the phenomenon of fast fashion, which has infiltrated our culture so quickly. She talks about the social, environmental and economic impact of this process, both globally and locally.

The purpose of the project (http://www.180stylechallenge.com/) is to raise awareness about the difficulties in trying to keep a sustainable lifestyle while buying clothing and the options to those who would like to try. During this lecture through slides and personal stories, we will explore the ups and downs of the challenge and investigate some of the possibilities enfolding some of the answers being discovered.

Bio

With over 20 years of fashion design expertise, Ingrid Uhrich has seen and experienced big and small enterprises at work in the fashion industry. From the design room at Jax in the mid 90s to Scallywags designs, a small children’s wear cottage manufacturer in Kelowna, Ingrid has been part of the development of clothing lines from design concept to production. She has worked as a freelance designer making one-of a-kind pieces for specific occasions and has developed her own line of vintage inspired aprons called Mama Ella Aprons.

A Dean’s list honouree at UCFV Fashion design and Merchandising program, Ingrid is now an instructor in the Fashion Design and Merchandising Program at the Centre for Arts and Technology in Kelowna, BC, concentrating on History of Fashion, pattern making and industrial sewing courses. She is also currently a technical designer and product developer with clients that range from Nooks Design (Children’s wear) to Mac & Jill Apparel (Outdoor garments).

Ingrid has a passion for Fashion Sustainability that is the driving force behind her focus, which translates to all areas of her work.