Fashion Comes Full Circle: Local Students Create Circular Fashion at Berkeley College with Support from The Allstate Foundation College Service Grant
Monday, May 5, 2025
Senior Director, Communications and External Relations
973-200-1099
KME@BerkeleyCollege.edu
Photo Caption: Joseph Morales, Kendra Tejeda, and Illia But, students at the High School of Fashion Industries, walk the runway during a fashion show featuring upcycled looks from a weeklong Circular Fashion Bootcamp, which focused on garment repair, wearable art, and youth empowerment. The project, entirely planned and led by Berkeley College Fashion Merchandising and Management students, was funded by a 2024-2025 College Service Grant from The Allstate Foundation.
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See the Photos: Click here to see more photos from the Circular Fashion Bootcamp and Fashion Show at Berkeley College.
While many local teens spent their spring break relaxing, a group of high school students chose a different path – combining creativity and skill development with the goal of amplifying knowledge of circular fashion among their families and communities.
On Thursday, April 17, 2025, students from New York and New Jersey presented a fashion show featuring upcycled looks from a weeklong Circular Fashion Bootcamp, which focused on garment repair, wearable art, and youth empowerment. The project was entirely planned and led by Berkeley College Fashion Merchandising and Management students. The students applied a youth-led service grant from The Allstate Foundation to cover the costs.
Circular fashion is a system that reduces the need to produce new materials and clothing items by repairing, reusing, and redesigning existing garments – reducing waste in the environment and protecting natural resources. As a service initiative, circular fashion creates jobs in a new economy and empowers youth to share their skills and creativity within their communities.
“We talk about circularity as keeping materials and products in use. But the most important part is education for a circular, sustainable, just, and equitable future,” said Andrea Kennedy, Lead Faculty, Fashion Merchandising and Management, Berkeley College Larry L. Luing School of Business®. “Nothing is going to move the needle as much as all of these students and their beautiful outfits that show the possibilities of the circular economy, which we hope they will share within their own communities.”
Spring Break Well Spent
Photo Caption: (Left) Zulimar Villarreal and Santiago Delarosa, students at the High School of Fashion Industries, prepare upcycled garments during the Circular Fashion Bootcamp, which focused on garment repair, wearable art, and youth empowerment. (Right) Vadell Wilson, who will graduate from Berkeley College in May with an Associate’s degree in Fashion Merchandising and Management, served as a student mentor during the workshop.
Students from the High School of Fashion Industries, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis High School, and East Rockaway High School in New York City, as well as West Orange High School in New Jersey, repaired, redesigned, and remade garments from donated and damaged items while learning and perfecting skills including sewing, wood blocking, silk screening, embellishing, and more.
Zulimar Villarreal and Santiago Delarosa of the Bronx, NY, said elevating their sewing and garment repair skills was the perfect way to spend their spring break.
“I would rather be here doing something that I actually enjoy,” said Villarreal, who was putting the finishing touches on an upcycled denim skirt. “I believe clothes should help people feel confident and beautiful.”
“Most people stick to the trends,” Delarosa said. “But everyone should be able to express themselves through fashion.”
Joseph Morales of the Bronx, NY, shared how he selected items from a Berkeley College clothing drive to create a show-stopping jacket and skirt that concluded the fashion show.
“My background is in art,” said Morales, who aspires to create his own fashion line. “A lot of brands don’t use color, and I wanted to do something vibrant. I want my drawings to come to life.”
High school student Kendra Tejeda created and modeled a skirt made entirely of denim waistbands. She said she connected the skirt with an eyelet-closure technique she learned in the program.
“Anything I want from a website I can make myself now,” said Tejeda, a self-taught seamstress. “I love to dabble in making things, and I am seeing how the trend in sustainable fashion is really helping the planet. I also want to learn the business of fashion because I know business and design go hand in hand.”
Photo Caption: (Left) Andrea Kennedy, Lead Faculty, Fashion Merchandising and Management, Berkeley College Larry L. Luing School of Business®, introduces the fashion show featuring upcycled looks from a weeklong Circular Fashion Bootcamp, which focused on garment repair, wearable art, and youth empowerment. (Right) Berkeley College students, faculty, and administrators join high school students on the runway at the conclusion of the fashion show.
Mentoring the Next Generation
Vadell Wilson of Brooklyn, NY, who will graduate from Berkeley College in May with an Associate’s degree in Fashion Merchandising and Management, served as a student mentor during the workshop.
“I love your drive and I think all of your personalities shined through during this workshop,” Wilson told the high school students at the conclusion of the bootcamp. “You have really bright futures. You are going to take these skills with you and pass them on. That is what circular is all about – keeping it in the ecosystem.”
“You are the generation after us,” said Shallisa Ebanks of Jamaica in Queens, NY. “You need to pass this knowledge on to the generation after you. That is the way change is actually made in fashion.”
“This show is more than just a display of garments – it is a testament to what can be achieved when passion meets purpose,” said Diane Recinos, EdD, President of Berkeley College. “Every piece you see on this runway is not only beautiful, but carries a story of transformation, reuse, and mindful innovation.”
“At Berkeley College, we work together to make sure our students are learning more than just what is in the classroom,” said Patricia Greer, JD, Provost, Berkeley College. “Experiential learning is at the forefront.”
Professional hair and makeup for the fashion show were provided by Odilis Trinidad and Signature Beauty Collective of New York Fashion Week. Several fashion professionals attended the show, which was introduced by members of the Berkeley College Fashion Club, who had created designs inspired by Earth Day.
About Berkeley College
Berkeley College, founded in 1931, is a career-focused institution accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education that offers students Master’s, Bachelor’s, and Associate’s degree and Certificate programs in more than 20 career fields. The College also offers Continuing Education programs to enhance career credentials.
Berkeley College has campuses in New York City and in Newark, Woodbridge, and Woodland Park, NJ, with more than 4,000 students enrolled. In addition, Berkeley College Online® serves a global population. U.S. News & World Report has named Berkeley College among the Best Colleges for Online Bachelor’s Programs and among the Best Online Bachelor’s Programs for Veterans for 12 consecutive years. Berkeley College is also ranked among the Best Regional Colleges/Universities in the North in the 2025 edition of the U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges survey. The website address is https://BerkeleyCollege.edu.
The mission of Berkeley College is to empower each student to achieve lifelong success.
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