{"id":52384,"date":"2023-08-17T11:46:22","date_gmt":"2023-08-17T15:46:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/textiles.ncsu.edu\/?p=52384"},"modified":"2023-08-17T11:46:27","modified_gmt":"2023-08-17T15:46:27","slug":"earning-a-masters-to-make-the-fashion-industry-more-sustainable","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/textiles.ncsu.edu\/news\/2023\/08\/earning-a-masters-to-make-the-fashion-industry-more-sustainable\/","title":{"rendered":"Earning a Master\u2019s to Make the Fashion Industry More Sustainable\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n
By Meredith Jeffers \u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Maddy Lyon wanted a change. <\/p>\n\n\n\n After earning her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Fashion Design from Syracuse University in 2017, Lyon spent the next four-and-a-half years working as a designer in the apparel industry. She had long been interested in sustainability efforts in the industry, such as waste mitigation and the clothing life cycle, so she found herself restless to do more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI was getting antsy with my textile design job and feeling stuck career-wise,\u201d Lyon says. \u201cI wanted to be able to work within sustainability in the apparel industry, but I didn\u2019t feel like I had the technical background.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n This drive, combined with her desire to take courses in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and pursue her own research interests, led her to the Wilson College of Textiles<\/a>. She took one online course before deciding to move across the country and enroll in the Master of Science in Textiles<\/a> program. Her prior background in the apparel industry as a designer for major companies such as Kohl\u2019s gives her a keen insight into the ways the apparel industry operates \u2014 and how to make a change within it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI draw inspiration from nature in my own design work. I think that has led me to have a strong affinity for working with upcycled materialsI love the natural environment. I love working with natural dyes, and I love working with upcycled textiles,\u201d she says. \u201cThe materials that clothes are made from are very durable, but we throw them away. I think there are so many missed opportunities for reuse, reworking and recycling.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Even in her spare time, Lyon experiments with design techniques like upcycling. She brings a new look to the practice of traditional needlepoint by using plastic bags for thread. This started as an exploration of how old, colorful, newspaper bags could be upcycled into functional art and sewn onto apparel as an applique. To Maddy, upcycling materials such as plastic bags and adding value to the material is an integral piece of circularity and sustainability. <\/p>\n\n\n\nChange through sustainability<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n