July 7, 2025
“When I was young – before I really cared about what other people thought of me — I would wear absolutely anything and everything,” says Aliyah Carrion, a recent graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill and founder of the Sustainable Strut.
Carrion’s love for fashion, combined with a childhood growing up on the Rhode Island coast, laid the foundation for her sustainability-driven work at UNC. Her journey, characterized by grief and personal growth, culminated in the annual sustainability-centered fashion show, which challenged the norms of fast fashion and celebrated the campus community.
Carrion’s upbringing in the “Ocean State,” involvement in environmental clubs and even her time working at a local Warren coffee shop, which she considered “the epicenter of the town,” reflected an early commitment to community and environmental activism. Values she would carry with her far beyond Rhode Island.
Fashion to Carrion was a sort of ever-changing vessel – either used for self-expression or assimilation. “You’re going to leave the house like that?” her mom might ask. “Yep,” her younger self would reply, “because I know nobody else would be wearing it.”
However, as most children progress through the stages of adolescence, fashion becomes a tool for fitting in, and the sense of individuality it provides slowly fades away.
Once she started college, Carrion was still figuring out where she fit, either in terms of her style, values, education or sense of purpose. Like most people’s freshman year, it was a period of quiet confusion and self-questioning.
Then, during her sophomore year, Carrion lost her niece. Grief doesn’t always announce itself, but when it comes into an individual’s life, it has a way of reshaping your priorities and identity. Carrion found herself questioning her path at UNC and what made her fulfilled. Amid this uncertainty and struggling with grief, she found an unexpected outlet thrifting with her friends. “I would put together these really cool, obscure outfits that were a bit of a change from my style the past couple of years,” Carrion says.
As she pieced together these playful and unconventional thrifted looks, she slowly began to rediscover herself through her style. Just like she did when she was younger.
As Carrion began to rediscover her love for fashion, she also began to learn more about the fashion industry and the inequities that come with it. The industry’s rapid production of garments fueled by constantly shifting trends has led to widespread labor exploitation and products that harm people on a daily basis. Carrion highlighted how most fast-fashion items are made from cheap fabrics that often cause irritation due to the chemicals used in their production.
When worn on the body these chemicals sink into the skin and when thrown away, they don’t just disappear. “There’s a beginning, a middle and kind of an end. But at every stage of the cycle, there’s some form of environmental degradation.”
The more she learned, the more she recognized how fast fashion thrived on college campuses, where the pressure to constantly reinvent yourself was everywhere. With fast fashion and its high accessibility – especially for college students who face transportation and financial barriers – it’s extremely easy for individuals to buy clothes to portray the image they want in the snap of a finger.
Carrion wanted her peers to think about their purchasing choices more critically. So, she created the Sustainable Strut during her involvement in UNC’s Undergraduate Student Government’s Department of Environmental Affairs. The show wasn’t just a presentation of sustainable fashion, but a space for community, reflection and empowerment. Even for those who come to the showcase for fun or fashion, there’s a deeper message about a collective uplift, a cause that Carrion firmly believes in.
“Support the local businesses, vendors, clothing makers and restaurants,” she urges. “There’s so much power in grassroots and individual movements.”
It’s easy for people to get comfortable making purchasing decisions without thinking about the repercussions. Especially college students who are preoccupied with classes and buffing up their resumes. But through the Sustainable Strut, it’s evident that small shifts in awareness could bring intentionality back into daily decisions.
The fashion show is also a powerful reminder that innovation and entrepreneurship go hand-in-hand with sustainability. After all, climate advocates and entrepreneurs share a common instinct: to think on their feet and design solutions for a better world.
The Sustainable Strut is more than just an event — it’s a legacy Carrion has built, one that honors her niece, the values she holds closest to her heart and a reminder that sustainability is the future. As she puts it herself, “If we do not start thinking about things through a greener context, little things we take for granted will be gone.”
Learn more about Aliyah Carrion and the Sustainable Strut here.
Author: Rose Kurian