Last Thursday, March 5th, Room 9 was buzzing with more than just the usual student energy. As part of our Sustainability Week, we hosted a panel discussion: “Fashion and the Circular Economy.=” : bringing together four industry experts from the sustainable fashion world to help us figure out how we can move from a “take-make-waste” culture to something more sustainable that protects the planet.
Stories in the Stitching
The event kicked off with a personal touch. Each speaker was asked to bring in a single garment that held special meaning for them.
Deirdre Macken, the legendary owner of Lucy’s Lounge in Temple Bar, shared stories from her 44 years in the vintage trade, showcasing a bodice and skirt that had been up-cycled by the talented team at Lucy’s Lounge, from suit fabric. Priced and labelled to show the number of hours that went in to making the garment, this really demonstrated the true value and uniqueness of upcycled items.
Miriam Keegan (Sew Sustainable) showed us a dress that she had made using check fabric, and how a hanker-chief hemline is a design that minimises fabric waste. Miriam focused on how intentional design can slow down the fashion cycle.
Paula Marie Kilgarriff brought along a funky “leather style” green leopard print jacket that she has owned since she was 16, proving that fashion trends really do come around again!
Linear vs. Circular: What’s the Big Deal?
The core message of of the discussion was the shift from a Linear Economy (buy it, wear it once, bin it) to a Circular Economy (keeping clothes in use for as long as possible). Maeve O’Sullivan, the college’s new Sustainability Officer, who organised and chaired the discussion, presented some pretty startling statistics about textile waste in Ireland—did you know that less than 10% of clothing is actually recycled and that in Ireland, we are 2nd in the EU in terms of the no. of kilos of clothes consumed per capita per year, a silver medal that we really don’t want to be winning! The panel broke down the 5 Rs we should all live by:
Reduce (Buy less!) | Reuse (Thrift and swap!) | Recycle (The last resort) | Repurpose (Upcycle that old tee) and Regenerate (Support brands that give back to the Earth)
Budget-Friendly Tips for Students
We know, we know—being a student usually means a tight budget. So, How can we be sustainable when we’re broke?
Shop your own wardrobe first | 
Master basic repair skills (shoutout to Miriam’s sewing tips!) | Stick to vintage and charity shops like Oxfam, the Rathmines Pop-Up Thrift Shop or Lucy’s Lounge
A Huge Thanks to Our Guests
- Miriam Keegan: Educator and founder of Sew Sustainable.
- Paula Marie Kilgarriff: Circular Fashion Tech expert and TU Dublin lecturer.
- Deirdre Macken: The vintage icon behind Lucy’s Lounge.