From forgotten clothes to treasures: sustainable fashion at university

Editorial/Ginés Miñano

Rey Juan Carlos University will be running a project during March and April focused on collecting used clothing for creative and sustainable reuse. The initiative invites the university community to donate unwanted garments, which can be dropped off on March 16, 17, and 18 at the Madrid-Vicálvaro campus.

As part of the process, each donor will have the option to attach a tag to their garment, where they can share their story or leave a message for whoever buys it later. In exchange for each donation, donors will receive tokens (digital currency units) that can be used to participate in various activities related to the project.

According to María Pilar Laguna Sánchez, the event organizer, “the collection includes all types of clothing, from those in good condition to more worn items that would usually be left out of the reuse circuit. Items that don't find a market afterward will be donated to the Moda-Re initiative, thus reinforcing the project's social commitment.”

Laguna Sánchez also explains that “the project will involve students from the URJC Design degree program, who will be responsible for transforming the collected garments into new pieces through redesign and reuse processes. This creative work aims to highlight the potential of circular fashion and the ability to generate value from existing materials.” The result of this process will be presented at the 'ECO-Social Fashion Show,' which will take place on April 9th ​​at the Madrid-Vicálvaro campus. According to Laguna Sánchez, the event aims to “generate both an ecological and social impact, integrating different stakeholders involved in raising eco-social awareness.”

 The initiative is driven by various entities, including the Faculty of Economics and Business Sciences of the URJC, College of Economists of Madrid and the URJC Education Observatoryalong with other collaborating organizations. A raffle will also be held during the parade, which can be entered using the tokens obtained during the collection phase.

The following day, April 10, the designed pieces will be available to the public at a market and auction open to both university members and anyone interested. The event will take place between 11:00 AM and 20:00 PM. With this initiative, URJC reinforces its commitment to sustainability, promoting the reuse of clothing, reducing fast fashion consumption, and creating participatory spaces that integrate creativity, environmental awareness, and social responsibility.