Here at the Office of Sustainability, we love the start of a new semester because that means we get to meet totally cool new NYU students who are interested in sustainability! We’d like to personally introduce you to one of our eco-minded students on campus.
With Fashion Week attracting fashionistas from all corners of the world, Paryssa G. Khazaie, Liberal Studies ’22, is a breath of fresh air as sustainable and ethical fashion are at her core. Paryssa proudly announced that she wears about 4 pairs of pants and 5 shirts – totaling about 10 outfits! At her high school in Chicago she joined a club called Green Team, which encouraged their school cafeteria to start composting. Two people each day helped run the compost project. Paryssa explained, “it smelled bad but I enjoyed it!” She didn’t stop there. Paryssa started a club called Ethical Choice which focused more on the environmental impacts of apparel. Using Fashion Revolution as a guide, she taught her peers to move away from fast fashion and to more sustainable apparel resources. Her movie/clothing nights not only featured fashion documentaries such as The True Cost but brought nearly 25 students to discuss their clothing and swap unwanted apparel. Ethical Choice started out with 5 students but quickly grew to around 25. Paryssa has not only created conversations and inspired people to make conscious clothing purchases but she has also greened out her closet! She took clothes she couldn’t donate and cut them to use as display fabrics or to sew into a dress.
We asked Paryssa what she looks for when making a fashion purchase.
This is her shopping model:
- Don’t buy something just because it’s on sale.
- Ask yourself: Can I wear it a lot– what is the quality of this item?
- Buys something when she truly feel that “these are your clothes”
- Look at the label to see what your clothes are made of
She told us, “The first step to take if people want to get involved would be to pay more attention to what your impact is for everything–be more mindful. Don’t just take care for yourself but the place you live, the place that keeps you alive.” As sweater season quickly approaches, she aspires to start a sustainable fashion club here at NYU.
Case closed. Our news students are finding socially conscious and sustainable ways to live their lives and do what they love to do. Please don’t be shy – the Office of Sustainability wants to hear from you! No matter what you study, tell us about your sustainability goals right here at NYU!