‘Throwing out your clothes is a waste’: Contest focuses on sustainable fashion

A student design contest coming up features the push to create clothes you can recycle. CTV’s Bob Bellacicco explains.

According to the website Made in Canada, only 1 per cent of clothing is recycled into new clothing and about 87 per cent of fibers used for clothing end up in landfills or incinerated.

Elaine Chatwood, coordinator of the fashion design technician program at St. Clair College, is hoping to help address the problem.

She has created a Canada-wide competition for high school students.

“Most of the industry is moving to sustainable business models as much as possible so we started to see it in the industry, so we wanted to build it into our curriculum.” Chatwood told CTV News.

The goal of sustainable fashion is to keep a garment in circular use for as long as possible.

“Throwing out your clothes is a waste,” said Sophia Pare, a Walkerville high school student participating in the contest.

She and others are tasked with creating an outfit using upcycled garments, fabric, and found items.

“I hope they learn that we should think of sustainability right from the beginning,” she said.

“Right from the design perspective, what we’re picking with fabrics, picking out more organic, natural fabrics or fabrics that are recycled,” said Chatwood.

Pare enjoys finding things at local thrift shops to flip into new fashion.

“I like to take old sheets that I find at the thrift store and use them as fabric for my clothes,” she said.

She has been experimenting with upcycled clothing for years and is excited to create a design for the competition.

“I’m going to take an old pair of jeans and I’m going to cinch them in and then I’m going to make bellbottoms but I’m going to use the extra fabric from a sheet that I find. I hope it’s patterned,” Pare explained.

She’ll also create a matching top.

“Whenever you’re done with your clothes, you put them in a bag, you sell them off to Goodwill. It’s just a cycle that can replenish itself,’ she said. “Just because you don’t want something doesn’t mean someone else can’t use it or can’t make it into something.”

According to Made in Canada, it takes more than 3,700 litres of water to make a pair of jeans from growing cotton to delivery in store.

Chatwood says upcycling to a thrift store can help save landfills.

“Looking at buying better quality, better fabrics, more natural fabrics or recycled fibers and they will cost a little bit more, but you’ve got to think about cost per wear,” she said.

The designs submitted will be fully wearable and runway ready. The top three will be selected by the St. Clair College faculty and showcased at the college’s Atelier Fashion Show in April.

Submissions are due March 2, 2026.