Photo Shutterstock/Catherine Zibo Green is the New Black, the Future of Fashion is the full title of the event, organised by StartHub Wageningen in Plus Ultra II on Thursday evening. Students and other interested parties can discover what Wageningen has to offer in terms of sustainable fashion. Eleven start-ups, businesses and organisations share what they are working on.
The term “black” in the title refers to black dye. ‘The most frequently used, but also the most polluting dye in the fashion industry,’ says Maaike Jansen (StartHub Wageningen). ‘We aim to make the industry greener by using bio-based materials, recycling and upcycling clothing into new products.’
Upcycling
An excellent example of the latter is something she witnessed at the Salvation Army in Wageningen, Jansen says. ‘In their Upcycling café, they received several ties, for which they had no use. They sewed them together to make an apron which they sold. Upcycling is: turning a product into something with a new value.’
We want to show students that they can take action
Maaike Jansen, StartHub Wageningen
Green is the New Black is StartHub’s biggest event this year. Jansen says it fits within the strategy to become the Dutch centre for sustainable entrepreneurship. ‘We want to show students that they can take action. There are plenty of local initiatives in the domain of sustainable fashion that you can join or which can inspire you to start your own business.’
Vinted
The information market is preceded by interviews with two leading figures in the sustainable fashion industry. An exemplary success story is that of Sjuul Berden, who co-founded United Wardrobe as a WUR student. The small business became extremely successful and was bought by Vinted. Berden literally returns to the roots of the enterprise on the campus.
The other guest is Dieuwertje de Wagenaar, co-founder of WUR’s Circular Fashion Lab. She discusses the sustainable dress Louise Fresco wore during the Dies Natalis of 2018, among other topics. The dress is on loan from the WUR Library Special Collections for this occasion.
The event in Plus Ultra II starts at seven p.m. and continues until nine p.m. Entry is free, including drinks. Registration is compulsory; there is room for ninety guests.
