![Students Highlight Impact of ‘Fast Fashion’]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1553551280/wcusdorg/fdgontr7srdv4eseynwr/032519.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1553551280/wcusdorg/fdgontr7srdv4eseynwr/032519.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1553551280/wcusdorg/fdgontr7srdv4eseynwr/032519.jpg","width":800}])
Surrounded by bright and trendy clothes, four Mt. SAC Early College Academy students highlighted a darker side of the fashion industry during the Academy’s Environmental Issues Fair on March 15.
Kelen Trieu, Trennian Moralde, Brittany Gutierrez, and Kenny Martinez earned second place at the fair for their research on the toxic textile dyes used in “fast fashion,” inexpensive clothing produced rapidly by mass-market retailers.
“I learned a lot about a different side of the fashion industry, especially what brands to avoid purchasing if I want to be ecofriendly,” Moralde said. “Now, I'm interested in reusing clothing materials that I already own or that I find at thrift stores."
Their project – which consisted of a public service announcement, brochure, research paper, data analysis, art project and exhibit – also highlighted the dangerous working conditions in garment factories, projections on rising water use in the fashion industry and both the local and global impact of these practices.
The fair showcases the rigorous, interdisciplinary curriculum students engage in at Mt. SAC Early College Academy as they work toward a high school diploma and earn up to two years of transferrable college credit simultaneously.
The Academy is accepting 2019-20 enrollment applications for sophomores and waitlist applications for freshmen from Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside and Orange counties. Visit the Academy website to apply.