Activist Group- ReFashion NYC & Housing Work

Refashion NYC is a program focusing on recycling and reusing donated clothe in the New York City. Because every year NYC residents throw away approximately 195,000 tons of clothes, towels, blankets, curtains, shoes, handbags, belts, and other textiles and apparel, which can indirectly result in pollution to the environment. Therefore, refashion- a program up-cycling products that are sourced from donation, is a solution to make the earth a better environment. Because production and consumption in fashion pollutes the environment, for instance, the harmful dyes which is extremely toxic for the marine lives on the planet. Therefore, I decided to choose ethical fashion related groups for my research. It is a key for making a change on earth.

Clothing and accessories donated through refashionNYC are sorted out at the Housing Works warehouse in Queens.  Then have many thrift shop store for resell. I visited Housing Works Thrift Shop that is located at 143 W 17th St.

I entered the store and noticed there are not only apparel, but also furnitures, books, and artworks.

I interview one of the worker whose name is Monic. She was very open-minded and helpful for answering my questions about this organization.

I know that Housing works has a partnership with refashion NYC, in such receiving donated clothe and resell… What does Housing works do to make an impact on the sustainable systems regarding the issues of materials?

Because our organization is supported by the people who donate so we are for the people. Our cloth are second hand however high quality. We try to select as much as objects that are able to reuse for resell. We are low priced, therefore, providing the access for everyone. There is defiantly less wastes being produced in the fashion just by re-wearing the cloth here you know?

What are some of the impacts that Housing Works have made in society?

People that are under privilege, if it’s not housing works, a lot of people who have HIVs or AIDs, they would not be able to have a place to live to eat, they would not be able to have cloth to wear, or even medical treatment. Housing works help people like me. I am a HIVs positive with a criminal backgrounds, people like me wound not be able to have job. They gave us change with open arms and allow us to turn our lives around. It made my soul brighter again.

What are the successes? 

We have different projects going on to help people to get a easier access to cheaper but good quality clothe. For example, the Super Tuesday. We do a big discount for people especially minority group such as senior citizens. Everyone has the access to fashion through housing works. We are not a fast fashion H&M. We are recycling the cloth from people to the people. We have a lot of generous people who donates top brand apparel. It is good for people who do not have money and want to dress fancy. We give them the right to dress what they fit in and what they want. By doing these, we made biggest successes in saving garments from dumping into the land. Our every mission is for the people

 

What are the biggest challenges that the organization is facing? 

The biggest challenges that we are facing is the stigma meaning that we have a lot people with in the government such as mayor who does not accommodate or welcome us because of the disease. Not only that, we need funding for certain things that might impacts us. We had a hard time. We protest on the street for just to be heard. They also say about housing works that we are the last choice, because there are much more and bigger organizations, however they are unlike housing works provide all these things for us such as housing, food, job training services, and health care.

What are the future goals in terms of using sustainable fashion to improve the environment or help the people?  

Our goal is to end homelessness and to let people who have aids or homeless to expand theirselves that normal people may have.

 

After the interview, I realized there are many people who need help in the world or even just in the Manhattan. I realized how a sustainable refashion organization have such big impacts on the earth environment as well as society. We as the people who live in the earth society, we need to learn to love one another and more importantly our mother earth. I hope I can go deeper on this issue in the future career. I really enjoyed meeting Monic on the Monday afternoon. It was an eyeopening.

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