sustainability at umass and the students behind it
All images courtesy of UMass SSFA
At UMass Amherst, a community dedicated to promoting sustainable alternatives for creative mediums has absolutely blossomed.Introducing SSFA: Students for Sustainable Fashion & Art, originally founded by Ayanna Nangle and Noelle Sicoli. Now the reins have been passed on to devan judson and helena Wong, the current co-presidents of umass ssfa. Read about them and their work below in this exciting Q&A conducted by daphne bryant.
Q1: First off, as co-presidents of SSFA I would love to know more about both of you. Can you tell our readers a little bit about what attracted you to SSFA and who you are as creatives?
Helena Wong: I started thrifting about 7 years ago in high school and had a huge interest in fashion going into college. At first, I used to buy clothes at the mall, but my mom never let me get anything if it wasn’t on sale. This made me turn to thrifting; I just wanted cute clothes at an affordable price. However, as I thrifted more and more I started to find my personal style. I could experiment with more unique pieces. It felt really cool to have pieces that I knew no one else at school would have. This feeling showed me how powerful fashion can be. I realized that when I wore a good outfit, I became a more confident, cooler version of myself. On top of a good outfit, I adore creative hair and makeup as well. I love to style my hair in braids and updos along with cool hair accessories to match my outfit. Also, I love the use of graphic eyeliner and creative eyeshadow looks. I would describe my personal style as alternative, grunge, and Y2K. My favorite items to thrift are vintage 2000s clothing that could never be replicated in the fast fashion world. When I came to college, I wanted to meet people who love fashion and thrifting like me. This is the main reason why I joined SSFA. Through this club, I’ve discovered sustainable art and met many cool people who also love thrifting. I was able to express my love for painting, graphic design, and moodboards through SSFA’s workshops. Some of my favorite events as a general body member were the second-hand photoshoot and Valentine’s Day Thrift pop-up. Not only did SSFA have really fun events, but they also had the most amazing people. Ayana and Noelle, the club’s co-founders, were the most welcoming, sweet people that really made the club what it is today. It became a great place to meet cool people and talk about fashion, art, sustainability, and more.
Devan Judson: I started thrifting around the same time, while I was in high school. I was bored of my clothes and wanted to change up my wardrobe. Going to the mall always felt so expensive and I never really found anything that I loved. I didn’t feel like I had a personal style so I turned to thrifting to start exploring fashion. As a kid I would always do and wear whatever I wanted, without fear of judgment from others. Growing up I became more self-conscious and I think I sacrificed a bit of my individuality trying to “ fit-in”. Thrifting clothing has been a way to express myself that makes my inner child so happy and it just allows me to be creative. My passion for sustainability grew through my love of second-hand fashion. So much of what we buy will be here long after we are, and we can reuse so much of what has already been produced. I love giving objects a second life, knowing that they would otherwise unnecessarily end up in landfill. SSFA is dedicated to promoting sustainability on campus in a number of ways and that is why I love the club so much. The club is all my favorite things combined: art, fashion, sustainability, and community. The people involved in SSFA were truly a selling point. I have made friendships I value deeply and found my place on campus. As for who I am as a creative, I love secondhand fashion and hope to find success in the industry in the future. I went to a vocational high school and graduated with a cosmetology license. I dye my own hair pink and it makes my ten year old self absolutely ecstatic because I was never allowed. My range of hobbies is vast: I’ve crocheted, painted, sewed, embroidered, baked, and plenty more. I love to collage using old magazines and scraps I’ve collected here and there. My favorite past times recently though have been making Pinterest boards and painting designs on purses/wallets.
“So much of what we buy will be here long after we are, and we can reuse so much of what has already been produced."
Q2: In your own words, how would you describe the UMass Students for Sustainable Fashion & Art, both as an organization and a community.
Helena: I would describe SSFA as an inclusive, welcoming space to shop, create art, get involved and meet cool people. We try to do many different events as a club that give people the opportunity to participate in SSFA activities. As a club, we put on thrift pop-ups, sustainable art workshops, general body meetings, clothing swaps, clothing drives, photoshoots, and much more. We aim to have a variety of events for our club members so there is something for everyone! Whether it’s people who love art, fashion, sustainability, upcycling, we want everyone to feel excited for our events. SSFA’s club structure is very laid-back and inclusive. We do not charge a club membership fee nor are there any mandatory meetings. We just want people to come as they are, when they can, and have a good time and hang out.
Q3: I did some digging and found out this club was founded in the fall of 2022. When did you two join as E-board members and how has the organization evolved since you arrived?
Devan: I saw SSFA around campus doing pop-ups that year when they first started, and loved the idea behind the club. When the school year started last fall (2023), I decided to go to the first meeting, just to check it out and see if it might be something I could get involved in on campus. Everyone there and on e-board seemed so cool and down to earth. I knew I wanted to get more involved and to contribute more time and effort. I applied for one of the open e-board positions and became Assistant Membership Director. Joining the e-board happened sort of unexpectedly considering I had only attended one meeting and didn’t know anyone yet, but I’m so happy I did. The club has evolved in a number of ways since I came on, and I think a lot of that is due to the fact we are still so new on campus. This is only our third year as a club so we are still establishing our presence and deciding what we will be to the Student Body. We are still going through a lot of trial and error when it comes to planning and decision making. As a newer group we’re still trying to attract more members, with more people comes more ideas and perspectives to help us evolve. To stay motivated last year we set an Instagram goal and that has carried over to this year. Another club on campus hosts farmers markets, and through vending at these we’ve been able to reach a larger portion of the student body. We are working towards creating an environment for members that feels like a real community on campus. We truly are learning as we go and doing our best to create a space that students want to be a part of. Last year we had a lot of “ firsts”. I’m excited to keep doing what we have been with the intention of connecting with even more students. Not only that but we plan to improve on how we’ve done clothing drives in the past, so we can give back to the larger community surrounding us.
Helena: I have been involved with SSFA since the very beginning of the club. I attended some of SSFA’s first ever pop ups and general body meetings. However, I did not join as an e-board member until Fall 2023. At first, I was the club’s photographer and videographer. My role was to capture pictures at SSFA’s events and lead the creative direction for the club’s photoshoots. We have done photoshoots with head-to-toe sustainable outfits, as well as photoshoot collaborations with the UMass Amherst Store. Like Devan mentioned, SSFA is such a new presence on campus so we have been able to grow a lot as a club. The biggest development of SSFA has been an increased variety of activities and events, like the Spring Vintage Bash! This event was such a success last year after a lot of trial and error! We were able to host a variety of vintage, second-hand, and handmade items vendors from Boston and surrounding areas. This really allowed us to make cute, fashionable second-hand clothing available to the UMass community at a large scale. We hope to have another one this year, making it an annual event.
Q4: What is your favorite thing about heading the club?
Devan: I really enjoy being in the club, I always leave the meetings happy. Even though the work of running the club can be stressful at times I love doing it. When I found SSFA I was looking for a way to connect with more people on campus to make new friends. Everyone was so welcoming, I immediately felt like part of the group. I’ve made a lot of friends that I not only respect but also admire for their creativity and character. I especially have loved working with Helena as co-presidents. I’m thankful that we both were chosen to head the club together, she has been an amazing partner throughout. Going into the position I was nervous about the responsibility/workload, but working with Helena has been a breeze. I feel like we do a great job of sharing the weight and not only helping each other out when needed, but sensing where the other’s head is at. It feels like such a relief to have someone doing this with me that is so like minded in their vision for the club and process for accomplishing things. I think we balance each other out and I’m really happy with how we’ve handled things coming into the roles. She is such a great person and becoming better friends with her, and everyone on e-board, has definitely been my favorite part so far.
Helena: Mine is making sure our members feel included in our club. Despite SSFA being a very time consuming commitment, it is worth it when we see our general body members show up for our events and have a good time. My favorite part of the club has to be planning the clothing swaps. We love that everyone gets to bring a piece of clothing they love home, for free! It’s such a community-based experience and so sustainable. As for our e-board, I am so happy to be heading such an amazing group of people with Devan. We all take our roles seriously and contribute when we are needed. It’s such a great experience observing how all our creative minds come together and work so well. I am also blessed to have Devan to head the club with. It’s very obvious that we both have lots of respect for one another and really love SSFA, which makes working together easy. It’s been a pleasure getting to know Devan in our Co-President roles, but also as a person. We’ve gotten so much closer because of SSFA, and that makes our jobs a lot easier!
Q5: SSFA has been known to throw clothing swaps, pop-ups and markets; what is this experience and process like?
Devan: All of our events are planned and carried out by the two of us and the SSFA e-board. There are eleven of us total right now, which is the most we’ve had so far, and we meet every week alternating between in person and virtual. When planning any event we first have to decide what we want to do and pick a date. SSFA doesn’t have a set meeting type so we need to figure out if we’re having a general meeting, a workshop, a pop-up, or another event type. Clothing swaps and workshops are easier to plan than our pop-ups, due to campus restrictions. For clothing swaps and workshops we can use classrooms that don’t require reservations. The next step is to market the event, starting with Instagram. Most of the time Helena or I will make a post to start getting the word out with the help of our marketing managers. On top of that, our marketing team makes a newsletter that goes out on Sunday nights. Not everyone in the club is on Instagram, which is why the newsletter is sent via email, which all students have. Depending on the scale of the event we also make flyers to post around campus.
Clothing swaps are the most simple to plan. We try to come up with new games or activities to offer alongside the main event. For example we’ve done Build-A-Fit Workshop games at past clothing swaps. E-board sends in photos of clothing pieces and accessories found on Depop and we compile them into a super fun dress up competition for members to play, sometimes for a prize.
Markets happen in a few ways, but most typically we vend at the school farmers market. We table every single week as long as this market is running, which is through the fall and late spring semester. I actually keep all of our supplies in my car; we have two racks, a table, a tri-fold sign, and multiple bags just for the club’s setup, not including the clothing. I’ll get to the market about forty five minutes before the start and other e-board members will help me unload. We set up the table and racks and vend from start to finish of the event. We sell our own clothes as the SSFA closet and each donate ten percent of our profits to the club. This is where the club makes most of its funds; each market is technically a fundraiser.
Q6: SSFA has also executed gorgeous photoshoots! What’s been your favorite photoshoot so far and why?
Devan: My favorite we’ve done so far is the picnic one we shot in a field near campus. I also loved the fall shoot because it featured the school’s clothes in a setting where I may not have otherwise pictured them. We took the apparel out of a school setting and placed them somewhere natural and romantic. The photos combined with the editing came out so dreamy and ethereal. The subtle touch of adding the bows to customize the clothing in this shoot doesn’t go unnoticed to me, it’s all in the details. The fun in thrifting for me is that you get to reimagine clothes in new ways, and I think this photoshoot did that.
Helena: I agree with Devan! The picnic photoshoot with the UMass Store was definitely my favorite as well. It was also very fun to be a part of. It was so difficult at first to get the pictures because we had to climb through long grass and muddy parts of the field to get the perfect landscape. However, it was all worth it in the end as we sat down and ate our set (the picnic spread).
Q7: What would your advice be for someone looking to transition into a more sustainable lifestyle?
Helena: My biggest advice for someone looking to be more sustainable is approaching it one step at a time. It can get really overwhelming to analyze your habits and belongings and realize how not sustainable it can be. This should not discourage you! I feel that it is very hard to be sustainable in our current market. Whether that is clothing, art, food, and more, you can not beat yourself up for what you have already done and bought. The best thing you can do is ask“ How can I start being more sustainable?” Whether it’s thrifting clothes rather than buying them new, or investing in a sustainable alternative for a product, it is one less item that is polluting the environment. These little changes should be considered big wins. Here are some of the easiest ways to be more sustainable: reusable water bottles, reusable grocery bags, eating less meat, buying second-hand fashion, and so much more!
Q8: Finally, where do you see UMass SSFA in the next five years? What are your hopes and goals for this club?
Devan: In the next five years I hope the club continues to grow on campus and form a longstanding community for students. I would love for SSFA to be well known by everyone on campus; I want us to be a UMass staple. It means a lot when other clubs recognize us and the work we’re doing so I hope we can facilitate many collaborations in the coming years. Lastly, in the future I’d love for the club to be able to expand our activities. We currently have one large event in the spring semester but I’d love to be able to do this both semesters. I’m also really wanting to put on a second-hand fashion show next year, which would hopefully become an annual thing.
Helena: I hope for SSFA to become a well-known community around campus. Like Devan said, I want SSFA to be a staple at UMass! Our main goals would be extending sustainability to people who aren’t usually a part of this community. This could be achieved through collaborations, bigger events, and more! I would love for the Vintage Bash to become an annual event that students and staff look forward to! This becoming our staple for the club would be an amazing achievement.
