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USF students model their views

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By CLOE CABRERA

ccabrera@tampatrib.com

Published: November 14, 2009

TAMPA - When Ellen Mueller asked University of South Florida students to share just how fanatical they are about sustainability, she was surprised by their answers.

"There was really a very broad response," said Mueller, a second-year master of fine arts degree candidate at USF. "I expected the academic community to be a little more liberal, but some were conservative, some were liberal, some were unsure how they felt."

She used students' opinions to inspire a collection of recycled and/or sustainable fashions that will hit the runway tonight during "Sustainability, Fanaticism, and Fashion at USF!"

Funded in part by a USF Graduate Student Challenge Grant, the show will feature 30 outfits designed by Mueller and Phil McCollam, a design instructor at USF's St. Petersburg campus.

The outfits are made from recycled fabrics and organic or fair-trade cloth. They include T-shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts, jackets, polo shirts, hats and totes. Nine USF students will model the collection.

Mueller launched her online survey for USF students in April. It ended last month, with 200 people responding.

Students were asked to agree or disagree with 40 statements such as "Human beings have already caused irreparable damage to the planet as a whole." (Sixty-one percent of respondents agreed.)

Mueller entered words from the statements most agreed with - including "irreparable," "damage" and "human being" - into Google Image Search to find visual representations of those words. She and McCollam printed the designs on materials purchased from zazzle.com.

They researched popular college clothing before creating the pieces so their collection would reflect what students like. It took three weeks to create the collection.

Mueller hopes there's enough interest in the line to prompt the USF bookstore to pick up some of the pieces.

The clothing line will be for sale after the fashion show at EllenMueller .com/fashion. Prices range from $10 for a hat or tote to $46 for a jacket.

IF YOU GO

WHAT: Sustainability, Fanaticism, and Fashion at USF! is a fashion show featuring clothing designed with sustainability in mind and featuring images that reflect student opinions

WHEN: 8 tonight

WHERE: Marshall Student Center, Room 2100 A on the University of South Florida campus, 4202 E. Fowler Ave., Tampa

ADMISSION: Free

Reporter Cloe Cabrera can be reached at (813) 259-7656 or ccabrera@tampatrib.com

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