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The Importance of Reuse in Fashion - an interview with Katessia Robertson from The Clothing Cycle

Where are you from? I grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana. How long have you been in Denver and what do you love about it? I moved to Denver in 2021 for graduate school. I love the community in Denver and the mountains are a plus. Tell us about your background. How did you get into sewing/up cycling? My background is interesting, I got my bachelor's in psychology and my master's in social work with a concentration in ecological justice. I never would have thought that I would be a full-time business owner. When I was in graduate school, I kept finding myself focusing on the social and environmental impacts of the fashion industry. With the egregious amount that the fashion industry produces, there is A LOT of waste. It seemed natural in my mind to repurpose materials that we already have to create new, unique clothing that can be loved for longer. I thrifted a sewing machine in 2021 and started teaching myself how to adapt clothing that already exists in 2023. Why did you start The Clothing Cycle? I technically started The Clothing Cycle from my dorm room my senior year of undergrad. I was just selling clothes on Depop at that point. Once I learned more about the harms fashion industry, regenerative design, and grassroots organizing; I decided to shift the business model to source from in-person clothing swap events. What are you dreaming about for this year? This year, I am dreaming of more creative collaborations and doing upcycling workshops for the community! Are there any clothing brands/ designers that you appreciate? The fashion designers and community in Ghana have always been a huge inspiration for me. Their community has been dealing with textile waste from the United States for over 30 years, and seeing how creative and collaborative they are inspired a lot of what The Clothing Cycle is today. Which event that you helped to produce are you particularly proud of? My first fashion show was in November of 2023 with Women in Sustainability. We did a panel about sustainable fashion that I was able to moderate, and it was really amazing. What do you see in the future for fashion? Less production of new materials, repair of what we already have. What's your favorite gift to give? This may seem cliche, but I really do love finding people a piece of secondhand clothing that they love and that fits them well. What's your super power? I would say my super power is building community and faking it until I make it. You give a lot to the community. How have you been supported? The thing about community is, they support you as well! People come to help with sorting, help hang clothes at the swaps, and we upcycle together! I would not be where I am today without community support. Anything else you'd like to share? We are doing another fashion show! 2/22 from 6-9pm at Blossom House. Follow us on instagram, join our email list, or add our community event calendar to your calendar at linkpop.com/theclothingcycle. Join us every third Sunday at Off the Bottle for a clothing swap along with upcycled clothing and curated vintage

Create a Sustainable Yard with Resource Central

Resource Central Lawn Removal and Replacement Program Replace your lawn for a beautiful, waterwise outdoor space. By replacing your grass for waterwise plants, you’ll use less water outdoors while supporting pollinators (and spending less time maintaining that yard). It’s an easy way to create a stunning environment that benefits both our communities and the environment. May thru September, they offer lawn removal for $2.50/ square foot. They have teamed up with water utilities in Colorado to offer discount removal at $1.00/ square foot. The maximum removal is 200 square feet. Check with your water provider to see if they offer this discount. The application process for discount removal begins in January or February of each year. Mark your calendars and check their website for more information. https://resourcecentral.org/lawn/faqs/ After you schedule lawn removal or remove your lawn yourself, take it further and order a garden in a box. Garden in a Box Garden In A Box is a professionally designed low-water perennial garden kit. Plants come in pots and are ready to plant in your yard. Gardens for spring planting go on sale in early March for pick up in May or June. Gardens for late summer planting go on sale in mid-June for pick up in August or September. https://resourcecentral.org/gardens/how-it-works/ Residential Sprinkler Evaluations You may be using more water on your yard then you need to.They will perform a visual inspection of all zones, making minor adjustments where they can and marking down any larger issues. They will then test certain zones to measure how much water the sprinklers put out and how evenly that water is distributed. By the end of the appointment, they will have an efficient watering schedule based off your specific system. https://resourcecentral.org/sprinklers/residential/ Upcoming Virtual Seminars on Zoom Ask a Master Gardener: Summer Troubleshooting, July 16 The summer season can bring unique gardening challenges, such as weeds, pests, and plant troubles. Join this seminar to have all your summer gardening questions answered personally by a Master Gardener! Creating a Fire-Resilient Landscape: Defensible Space & Design Principles, July 24 This presentation will give an overview of defensible space and how to incorporate firewise principles to create an aesthetically pleasing landscape design. We will discuss native, low-water, and pollinator-friendly fire-resilient plants, as well as fire-resilient materials. Water on the Front Range/ Agua en el Front Range, August 8 (English/ Espanol) Water is a limited resource throughout much of the West. This talk will help you understand where water comes from, how it’s used, and how landscape management practices can contribute to water conservation. Topics covered will include soils, managing runoff, irrigation efficiency, and the basics of choosing waterwise plants. El agua es un recurso limitado en gran parte de Occidente. Esta charla le ayudará a comprender de dónde viene el agua, cómo se utiliza, y cómo las prácticas de gestión del paisaje pueden contribuir a la conservación del agua. Los temas cubiertos incluyen suelos, manejo de escorrentía, eficiencia del riego, y los conceptos básicos para elegir plantas waterwise (plantas que ahorren agua). Perennials and Fall Planting, August 14 Join Alison O’Connor for a list of some of her favorite perennials and tips on how to plant, care for, and maintain these beauties. Register for a seminar at https://resourcecentral.org/seminars/

Interview with Sherae from Scentcerae

When did you begin ScentCerae? After living in Asia for 7 years seeing how millions of people can live without waste, I learned to translate ingredients of everyday products and I learned to formulate natural products that wouldn't harm the environment. When I returned stateside, I was surprised nothing had changed. I wasn't able to find products not packaged in single use plastic so I started the business Scent Cerae. Is there anything you chose not to include in the Raspberry Sunbase and why? I knew I wanted a mineral sunscreen and not chemical sunscreen that can be filled with harmful chemicals that seep into skin blocking pores and causing acne. I wanted full spectrum protection from both UVA and UVB rays and zinc oxide has non-nano particles that won't penetrate the bloodstream or block pores. Formulating with zinc oxide can be tricky though. It doesn't play well with other ingredients and always wants to stick to itself. We use a high-pressure machine called a homogenizer to break up the zinc particles once it has been infused in the red raspberry seed oil. The yummy raspberry scent and gorgeous pink color are what everyone really loves about Sun Base. How has your business evolved over time? The same 3 product lines I started with are still my top sellers so that is pretty cool. I now have 9 product lines and 170 skus Do you have any goals for the coming year? My goal for the coming year is to get into REI local and launch a product I've been working on for 3 years now called Hair Chalk (a natural way to dye gray hairs in between color treatments without harmful chemicals and plastics) What have you learned since you started your business? I know the future of a zero-waste lifestyle is in the hands of the younger generation and I've always known I wouldn't see the impact I want to make in my lifetime but I will keep trying to make a difference. There are so many more options now than there were when I started and that makes me happy to see this movement is growing. What have you changed this year to align yourself more with your values of living a low waste lifestyle? Not sure I have changed anything this year that I wasn't already doing before. Reducing single use items is the most important change to make I think anytime you can re-use a container or just bringing your own water bottle everywhere you go so you don't resort to using plastic water bottles helps cut down waste more than you know. I love that customers can bring in their own jars to Off the Bottle Refill Shop and fill them. It's a great thing you are doing and I'm happy to be apart of it. Do you have any tips for traveling low waste? You don't need as much as you think you need when you travel. I use my Hair Rocks solid shampoo rock to wash my hair, shave my legs, and clean my clothes. That's one product rather than taking a bunch of products that can serve the same purpose.