When throwing away old clothes, few think about how much space is getting taken up in the landfill, how much money is being wasted, or even what it is doing to earth’s resources.
Senior JaNita Sharp is determined to make that change. “Growing up,” she stated, “I’ve always always gotten hand-me-downs and things from my relatives. Then one day, I realized that everything could be cute if you style it right!”
So, from that day on, Sharp has assembled and reassembled items in her closet so as to never wear the same outfit twice. “I see it as self-expression and sometimes even art! ” she explains. “It takes creativity and confidence–just like self-expression and art do.” Adding, Sharps confides, “It also gave me something to focus on when times were rough, and I soon realized how passionate I was about it.”
It was from her passion that her mission took shape. “I also made it my mission to prove that you don’t need new clothes to dress how you want.” Thus, she became determined to stop feeding the fashion industry with the constant barrage of new items pushed on customers. “It’s way easier to stop supporting fast fashion than people make it out to be,” she confides. What’s her secret? “Just ask your family members for their old clothes, go thrifting, go to garage sales, or make it yourself!”
Sharp is among a growing number of people adopting this philosophy. According to the website simplerecycling.com, “recycling decreases the need for chemicals used in manufacturing new textiles and the new pollution caused by the manufacturing process.” A way to repurpose existing clothing is to donate them to a local charity or community cause. But, don’t donate clothing that is in poor condition, as it will waste people’s time when it comes to sorting out what is actually usable.
Sharp loves to explore the thrift stores, searching for used items that she can piece together to create a new style that is entirely her own. “I’ve always felt different and sort of separated from others,” Sharp admits, “and then I realized that I was allowed to show how I felt on the inside and on the outside.” Anyone who knows Sharp knows just exactly how true this is.
Although a British site, buisnesswaste.co.uk, states that 5% of landfill space is taken up by textile waste, and about 10% of microplastics that enter the ocean every year are from textiles, those figures reflect what is happening in the United States, as well. In fact, the average U.S. citizen throws away 70 pounds of clothing annually, according to the website
The The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that the average person throws away even more–81 pounds of clothing per year–which adds up to 3.8 billion pounds of unnecessary waste dumped into the nation’s landfills. But, when making clothing out of recycled materials, it not only helps save energy and unnecessary water consumption but also helps save precious landfill space.
Sharp’s aim is to help stop that waste–even making a profession out of it. “I would love to style people. Whether it’s for a photoshoot, special event, or everyday, I would enjoy putting looks together for other people or even helping with costuming for films.”
For now, Sharp is content to focus on the moment–what she can do in her own life and what she can do for the world around her. “I have lots of things I want to do in the future,” Sharp admits. “The well being of the environment and us as humans is something I would love to be more educated on.”
JaNita Sharp will have a lifetime to explore these avenues. No matter what the future holds, however, one can be sure that she will do it “in style.”
