Every fashion enthusiast knows that Fifth Avenue is one of the best places to go shopping. But here at The New School, Fifth Avenue is more than that — it’s a runway. From statement bags to standout shoes, Fashion on Fifth is here to give you weekly, front row access to some of The New School’s chicest looks. This week, we’re maintaining clothing sustainability in a seasonal environment.

September 22, the first day of fall, ushered us into a new season and a new opportunity for fashion. The leaves are changing color, it’s hard to escape pumpkin spice, and of course, it’s finally time for layers! When I think of fall fashion, I think of knitwear, long coats, beanies, and ugly sweaters. Or are ugly sweaters saved for winter? In my opinion, fall fashion is the most comfortable seasonal attire because the clothing keeps you cozy, you don’t need to wear anything heavy yet, and I’ve noticed that my long-sleeve shirts and pants are the easiest to move around in. 

When it comes to clothing essentials, it can be challenging to transition into different seasons, especially if you live in a place with the traditional four seasons, like New York City. You might be asking yourself, “Do I need to purchase more knee-high socks to keep my legs warm?” or “How many more long sleeves do I need for this month?” One needs to have a closet filled with options that can accommodate the weather.

But, accommodating the seasons also means being sustainable. With the ongoing awareness of overconsumption, fast-fashion, and the relationship between how fashion is polluting the environment, many are aiming to make more sustainable choices. These might include wandering at the local vintage store, thrifting new outfits, or even making your own accessories to match the season. In this week’s Fashion on Fifth, we explore how students are transitioning their wardrobes as the weather becomes colder while still maintaining a sense of style and sustainability. 

Aanya Sachdeva she/her — @aanyanyc 

Second-year Parsons School of Design fashion design student 

Aanya says that sustainability plays a major role in her outfits: “A lot of my pieces are handmade or upcycled by me to rework to make them more my style.” She maintains sustainability by layering clothing and works to rewear summer clothes as fall pieces, such as layering tank tops. Aanya is motivated to keep every sweater or jacket in her closet for “a long time” because “a part of sustainability is keeping our pieces for a long time and taking good care of them.” As a fashion student, another strategy Aanya is experimenting with when it comes to clothing sustainability is creating new knitwear and fabrics by cutting up and recycling old clothing and materials she finds. Aanya discovers that the more she experiments, the more she learns about herself as a fashion designer.  

Thalía Ysatis Any pronouns — @thaliaysatis

Fourth-year Parsons integrated design student 

Now that fall is approaching, Thalía’s inspiration for this cozy season is what they describe as a more “mature and preppy” look, but they have also been experimenting with wearing a consistent color palette and staying cohesive. As a New Yorker, Thalía says that they’ve been thrifting for most of their life. They claim that “going to an actual department store or a brand store to buy something just feels wrong.” Thalía works at Buffalo Exchange, a resale and vintage store, and their outfit is mostly from her workplace, including her rubber Wellies and versatile red sweater. Working at Buffalo Exchange has been an adventure for Thalía to experiment with their style with new pieces brought in at the store. They have maintained clothing sustainability throughout their life by investing in pre-loved fashion instead of buying new pieces.

Sora Dudak she/her — @soradudak

First-year Parsons fashion design student 

Sora has accomplished two very exciting moments in her life this semester: starting her first year studying fashion and signing to a modeling agency. According to Sora, her agency assigns her looks and aims to go for more “elegant clothing,” similar to the luxury styles of the French fashion house Celine. Sora has been feeling good, enjoying the outfits and feels that she discovered a new side of her fashion personality. Sora wants to dress comfortably for the amount of classes she has, but still wants to exude an air of chic. Thrifting and maintaining sustainability means a lot to Sora both personally and academically. Major parts of Sora’s outfit that were thrifted include her jacket, jeans from Milan, and a top from her home country, the Czech Republic. Coming to New York, Sora has been exploring various thrift stores and enjoying finding treasures she can use and wear. Especially as a fashion student, she believes that “it is important to stay sustainable and to find sustainable ways to make stuff and reuse and recycle.”

Kashvi Shervegar she/her — @kashvishervegar 

Third-year Parsons communication design student 

Kashvi’s outfit radiates fall, especially with her color set of burgundy, black, and brown, and an artsy tote-bag that adds a touch of dark academia. She describes her style as personal, saying that her technique is to “mix together what I have.” When asked what this mix is, she told me it includes “certain things that I thrift, or things that I get from hand-me-downs.” Kashvi has been doing her signature mix-and-match technique all throughout her childhood because she finds it resourceful. She continues to incorporate sustainability into her fashion by mixing whatever she can put together for the day, and thrifting new pieces from time to time. Moving to the United States for school, Kashvi mentioned that the weather adjustment is very drastic because in India, the seasons are not too distinct. It was a challenge to find new fall/winter clothes ASAP, but instead of shopping for new pieces, Kashvi received many hand-me-downs from her mother and her mother’s friends. 

Darcie Wu she/her — @darciepu6 

Third-year Parsons illustration student 

I love anything sparkly, and Darcie’s mix of dark and metallic colors immediately drew my attention. As a kid, Darcie admired her mother’s avant-garde clothing, and would always be “taking her stuff.” Darcie also finds herself looking for more items through thrifting. She finds herself contributing to building a more sustainable community by wearing the same clothes as the seasons change, layering and customizing her outfits to match the weather. “If I like something, I’m just going to wear it all the time, so I’ll find a way to wear it, no matter how hot or cold or rainy,” Darcie explains. 

Taking care of our planet and practicing a fashionable yet sustainable lifestyle is important to this week’s interviewees. From pushing for positive change to wanting to make a difference in the fashion industry, it’s all about the golden trio — reuse, reduce, recycle! While being resourceful and being flexible with what you have in any season, how will you fall-cycle your wardrobe?