Marketing student plays her part in the fight against fast fashion
Sustainable Fashion Scotland (SFS) have provided GCU students with the perfect opportunity to develop their knowledge and networking skills at a recent event.
Student’s from GCU’s Department of Fashion, Marketing, Tourism and Events joined designers, activists and independent Scottish brands to celebrate two years of Sustainable Fashion Scotland.
The event was held on the 16th of March in Edinburgh’s Pleasance Cabaret Bar.
We spoke with third year International Marketing student Sara Mascia to find out more:
How did this opportunity with SFS come about?
I got an email saying about the event and it basically offered me the chance to volunteer at it; I’m really passionate about fashion, especially the sustainability side of it. I’m actually planning on writing my dissertation on it, so felt it would be interesting to go along and meet like-minded people.
Tell me more about your interest in sustainable fashion?
“I’ve always enjoyed clothes in general since a very young age. I had previously thought the only way to get into the fashion industry was through design, which I wasn’t really keen on doing. I decided to do marketing and realised that there were opportunities to explore my interest in fashion through that, which has opened my eyes to it as a future career.
Also, the fashion industry is looked at very negatively when it comes to climate change, due to fast fashion. I think there’s a real opportunity for my generation to change that, with sustainable fashion being the clear way forward.”
What was your involvement in preparation for the event?
A lot of students from the GCU’s Department of Fashion, Marketing, Tourism and Events signed up to volunteer – it was a really nice mix of people. The girls who were organising the event, the founders of Sustainable Fashion Scotland, put together a Zoom meeting for everyone and they asked us what sort of role we wanted to take on. I was involved in the marketing side of things and we held weekly meetings in small groups to discuss what we’d been working on. I would speak about things like what sort of social media posts I’d put up and how we’d reach our target audience.
The event was originally to celebrate two years of Sustainable Fashion Scotland, and it was the first in-person event since Covid-19. They also launched the second edition of their magazine on the day, so everyone was really excited!
So, how did it go on the day?
On the day, there were probably about 100 people that attended. They were able to enjoy a number of panel talks and also a clothes swap - it was really cool. There was also a bar and music, so it was a nice vibe.
The panel talks were really interesting; there were a lot of people from different Scottish organisations who were talking about sustainable fashion and innovation within their sector.
You were obviously involved in the marketing side of things pre-event, what was your role on the day?
All the volunteers switched roles throughout the day. At one point, I was sitting at the door and welcoming visitors to the event with a free drink coupon. A lot of it was walking round and talking to people, making sure they knew about the different activities that were on offer to them. Quite a few people had questions about Sustainable Fashion Scotland and just fashion in general. Everyone was really friendly and there were a lot of people getting each other’s Instagram and LinkedIn details.
How beneficial was it being involved in this event at this point in your career?
I really liked the networking aspect of the event – there was even a specific time slot for it!
This allowed me to learn a lot about the Scottish fashion culture; I was really surprised to find out about the amount of small organisations there are that focus on sustainable fashion.
All the volunteers were lovely and I made so many friends that I’m still in touch with - it was just really nice.
By Ross Clark
Got an SHLS or GSBS story? Email Ross.Clark@gcu.ac.uk or connect with me on Twitter