Many students have ways of showing their passions to the world. University of New Mexico sophomore, Trinity Miller-Aragon, expressed her passion for sustainability through her clothing line, Eco Aesthetic.
The apparel industry currently accounts for around 5 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, and documentaries like "The True Cost" are shedding light on the environmental and ethical issues with our current model of buying clothing.
Miller-Aragon, a sophomore studying economics and sustainability said she is taking action by producing her own line of sustainable and ethically-made clothing.
Eco Aesthetic's t-shirts and tote bags, sold at a booth at last week's Sustainability Fair, are made out of 100 percent hemp cotton, made in the U.S. and feature designs by another UNM student, Eryn Bathke.
"Hemp farming uses much less water than traditional cotton farming, and our t-shirts are made with 100 percent hemp," Miller-Aragon said. "We manufacture with Royal Apparel, who makes their shirts ethically and sustainably."
The ethical and sustainable clothing movement not only takes the environmental impact of textile production into account, but also the labor used to produce the clothing. Much of the clothing we wear today is outsourced and produced in sweatshops abroad.
The Eco Aesthetic is also committed to ethical labor practices, which includes ensuring that the people who make clothing are being treated fairly, in addition to the more traditional ideas associated with sustainable practices that consider environmental impact.
In addition to producing with a sustainable and ethical manufacturer, Miller-Aragon also said that the Eco Aesthetic is committed to sourcing locally, which means significantly lower emissions than that of goods sourced abroad.
Miller-Aragon said working with other young people in the industry is important to her, which is why she enlisted Bathke to design Eco Aesthetic's two current selections. Currently being sold at various pop-up stores, Eco Aesthetic is also taking online orders. You can check out Eco Aesthetic on their website or on Instagram @eco_aesthetic.
Sophia Sambrano is a freelance reporter with the Daily Lobo. She can be contacted by email at culture@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @sambsoph
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