Interning with ‘Zero Waste’ clothing label teaches studio art major value of material while completing high profile projects

The summer before her senior year studio art major Andrea Arts ’20 interned as an APEX Fellow at Zero Waste Daniel in Brooklyn, New York, is a clothing label designed by Daniel Silverstein that produces garments made entirely from locally sourced textile waste. Assisting in all aspects of production at the small company, Arts learned about running a storefront, sourcing fabric, and communicating with organizations and had the opportunity to assist in producing garments for exciting projects including repurposing an old racing suit for Nissan’s Formula E racing team and constructing a red-carpet gown worn to the Tony Awards by the drag queen Pattie Gonia.

“I learned the importance of seeing value in materials. Even the smallest scraps can be turned into something beautiful, if only somebody takes the time to re-imagine them as something other than waste,” said Arts. “Additionally, I learned that being a business committed to environmental justice means not only holding yourself accountable for personal actions, but also challenging the larger economic systems that perpetuate destructive practices and ideologies.”

Posted in Experiential Learning on August 2, 2019.