On the 23rd of October, Clementina Martinez-Masarweh, known as the Sustainable Latina @dnathreds on Instagram, visited our Introduction to Environmental Communication (EH/ENG 001) class! Clementina is a first-generation Mexican-American filmmaker, slow-fashion designer, and public speaker with over 20 years of experience in the fashion industry. Born and raised in Merced, Clementina brought her knowledge and passion for the environment, human rights, and fashion to our classroom.
Before Clementina began her guest lecture, EH 001 professor Dr. Bristin Jones screened two of Clementina’s documentaries for the class of over a hundred students. The film "Upcyclers: Fashion’s Climate Frontliners,” shares the value of upcycling through interviews with designers and artists around the world. The film “Ropa Nunca Muere: Clothes Lasts Forever” shares the value of bringing cultural awareness to the fashion industry and how Clementina’s cultural background has inspired her upcycling career.
During her visit, Clementina shared her career trajectory in the fashion industry and why she switched to a career in sustainable fashion after witnessing the environmental issues caused by fast fashion. Clementina explained that the fashion industry has minimal policy regulating it and that there’s little science behind the toxins in fabric used to make clothing.
For the second half of the class, students participated in their very own upcycling activity. Clementina and Professor Jones led a swapping workshop where students each brought in one item of clothing and swapped it for another item. Those who wanted to upcycle their clothing used fabric markers, paint, and stencils to make the second-hand item their own. This clothes swapping activity served as a launch for the Bobcat Swap and Shop, the new pop-up second hand store on campus designed by EH 001 students.
If you’re interested in learning more about Clementina, check out her Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dnathreds
To learn more about the Bobcat Swap and Shop and how you can participate, check out their website and Instagram:
