Stitching sustainability: St. Mike’s student researcher creates her own ‘slow fashion’

When she was a junior in high school, Art & Design major Chloe Brown, ’27,  picked up a needle and thread and taught herself how to hand-stitch clothing. A year later, Brown convinced her parents to gift her a sewing machine for her birthday. 

Since then, her passion for clothing design has only grown, including creating her own collection of clothing with second-hand and recycled materials over the past few months.

Growing up as a figure skater surrounded by intricate, glittery costumes, often tailored by children’s mothers, Brown found herself always drawn to the creation of clothing. 

“I’ve always fiddled with clothes,” Brown said. “I don’t know if there was a moment for me, it’s just always been there.”

Chloe Brown ’27 stands among the clothing she created as part of a grant-funded summer research project. (Photo by Sophie Burt ’26)

This summer, Brown’s lifelong passion took shape in the form of a research project that challenged both herself and her audience to answer the question: Can clothing be both environmentally responsible and stylish? Her research, which will continue into the academic year, is being funded through the Patrick ’61 and Marcelle Leahy Institute for the Environment.

Creating ‘slow fashion’

As her mentor, Art & Design Professor Jordan Douglas was not surprised when Brown explained her idea to him.

“I’ve seen the way that she creates, and throughout my courses, and I’ve kind of overseen her creative projects; she’s had a really strong interest in fashion,” Douglas said. “My first reaction was, of course, I’d be happy to mentor you.”

A student checks out a dress designed by Chloe Brown ’27, which she produced as part of a grant-funded summer research project. (Photo by Sophie Burt ’26)

This summer, Brown spent eight weeks creating a “slow fashion” clothing line consisting of pieces designed and made with second-hand materials. Her final collection was showcased at the McCarthy Art Gallery at Saint Michael’s College on Aug. 28. 

This project was inspired by more than just her passion for sewing. For Brown, fashion is her opportunity to enter the conversations about climate change and garment waste. 

“I’ve always been interested in protecting the environment,” Brown said. “As a female college student, you realize how little you actually wear your clothes [before disposing of them].”

Before beginning her hands-on project, Brown spent weeks conducting a literature review to better understand the waste that clothing causes and the impact it has on the environment. 

“It’s everywhere,” Brown said. “Everyone wears clothes. It’s something that everyone’s doing, and everyone’s contributing to the problem, just in different ways.”

For Brown, sourcing sustainable materials proved to be the most difficult part of this project. While she planned on relying on local second-hand stores, the options surrounding St. Mike’s were limited. 

“I don’t know why, but the section was so small. Pretty much most of the materials were unusable,” Brown said. “It would not be good as a clothing material, so it’s better just to stay as it is and hopefully be able to reuse it, or it’s destroyed.”

Douglas admired her persistence despite these struggles.

 “It was an eight-week course, and so I think she had to kind of pace herself, acquire materials, come up with ideas, and experiment,” Douglas said. “See what worked, see what didn’t work. She had to undo things occasionally. One challenge was just finding enough materials she could be as inventive as she wanted to be.” 

McCarthy Art Gallery visitors examine clothes designed by Chloe Brown during the opening reception of an exhibition that she and other Art & Design student researchers were featured in on Aug. 28, 2025. (Photo by Sophie Burt ’26)

‘Show up for Mother Earth’

When creating her garments, Brown wanted to find a balance between function and fun. She also had to consider whether each piece would act as a standalone or something that could be worn in many different ways. 

For Brown, the concept of sustainability isn’t just about sourcing environmentally responsible clothing options, but also about buying clothes you will wear for a long time. 

“I’m getting stuff that’s solely for me, not influenced by other people, especially if it’s new,” Brown said. “I usually try going for cotton. It’s easier to repurpose materials that are either 100% polyester or 100% cotton.”

Throughout her eight-week experience, Brown was also challenged to create pieces that could be worn by those with different body types. 

“Women’s bodies, everyone looks so different,” she said. “Designing for a majority of people is really hard.” 

Chloe Brown ’27, left, speaks with Art History Professor Terryl Kinder about her clothing creations she produced as part of a grant-funded summer research project. Art from other student researchers surrounded them in the McCarthy Art Gallery during the exhibit opening on Aug. 28, 2025. (Photo by Sophie Burt ’26)

At her showcase in the McCarthy Art Gallery, visitors got to see one-of-a-kind sustainable pieces. She hopes her clothing will excite other women as much as creating them has excited her – and that they will be inspired to wear the pieces for a long time.

Brown hopes that her audience will take away the very important message that when it comes to living sustainably, every choice matters. 

“Show up for Mother Earth in any way that you can,” she said. “Everything you do has an environmental impact. People just aren’t really aware of how big it is.”