Tonight, those who choose to enter Ackerman Grand Ballroom will “This is an issue that is not talked about at all, but it This, she said, is one of the main reasons she decided to Admission to the event is free, but donations are encouraged, as T-shirts will also be sold at the event to raise funds for this The theme of the show is “Revolution,” giving “We chose this theme because we wanted something that is “However, we’re not trying to make it Valenzuela has participated in the club’s annual fashion “This year I will be both dancing and designing,” he Bajrami, now in her fourth year in the club, points out that “We have photographers, videographers, models, dancers, Other key roles include marketing and financial “I think it’s an amazing opportunity for students to “I do a lot of club shows and underground artist shows, Valenzuela points out that UCLA does not have a fashion major, By encouraging student designers to come together in creating “Lots of clothes nowadays are overpriced,” he said. Through advocating creativity and originality within their But such a strong stance against sweatshops was not necessarily “When we made it sweatshop-free, it made it hard to fund The organization has since received little financial help from “With something like fashion, it’s hard do convince Rothstein supports these efforts, from both the artists’ “I hate the whole conformist thing ““ how people just But the show is reinforcing more than just a cultural “Every big label is using sweatshops in other countries, “Organizations like (The Garment Worker Center) are very
experience a revolution. Created by and for UCLA students, this
revolution is a multimedia event produced by UCLA Fashion and
Student Trends, a campus organization that provides students with
the opportunity to take on different roles as they work together to
create, among other things, a completely sweatshop-free fashion
show.
is really prevalent in L.A.,” said Shaggy Bajrami, the club
president and head organizer of tonight’s event, about the
organization’s anti-sweatshop stance. “We have a huge
immigrant population and a lot of sweatshops, and there is no
fashion geared at (a sweatshop-free) career at all.”
dedicate this year’s entire show to only student
designers.
all proceeds benefit the Garment Worker Center, an employment
center that hires immigrant workers at legal paying rates and
advocates for worker rights within the garment industry.
organization.
student designers the freedom to choose from an array of concepts
for their respective clothing lines.
relevant to the present day,” said Aaron Valenzuela, vice
president of the club and budget director for the fashion show.
political,” he said. “It can be a revolution in any
form possible. It can be personal, political, visual, whatever you
want.”
show for the last two years as a model and dancer, but wanted to
take on more responsibility this year.
said, and that is in addition to his administrative duties.
there are several ways to be involved with the show other than
being a designer.
stage designers and lighting designers,” she said, outlining
various production duties she oversees.
responsibilities, as the logistics of the show are also planned by
the club.
get behind the scenes,” said Evey Rothstein, a UCLA alumna
and one of the designers at this year’s show.
and UCLA is one of the most professional ones that I’m
involved with,” she said of the show’s organizational
committee. I wish I had known about (the club) when I was there. I
was an anthropology major, and designing was just something I did
on my own.”
and that this is one of the few outlets for student designers on
campus.
the show, the creative and activist elements of the event can truly
come together.
“But this will show people that we do have the capability to
make our own clothes.”
clothing lines, designers can also take action to steer buyers away
from mass-produced clothing made in sweatshops.
an easy one to take.
the show,” said Bajrami, who was part of this decision when
it was initially implemented for last year’s show.
“Three of the companies we used to use had sweatshops, so we
couldn’t allow them to participate.”
UCLA.
UCLA that it’s important,” Bajrami said. “But
everyone involved works really hard to fund the show. Still, we
will need to finish paying for the cost of the show even after
it’s over.”
and activists’ standpoints.
buy what’s in the store window of Urban Outfitters,”
she said. “The theme of “˜Revolution’ encourages
people to do their own thing and trust themselves to be different
with how they dress.”
message.
and the way they treat workers is terrible,” Rothstein
said.
important because so many companies are producing overseas. We need
this organization to grow so it can oversee what’s going on.
And the more we support it, the better job it can do.”
