Schwarzenegger Prize for Research
Research Symposium Winners
Katherine Van Winkle - Green Out Your Closet
2016 RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM, FIRST PRIZE
Title: Green Out Your Closet Project Summary Main Issue Learning Outcomes Student Contribution Abstract The mission of Green Out Your Closet (GOYC) is to empower consumers with information and provide them with innovative, transparent and sustainable fashion choices. GOYC disrupts the traditional shopping experience by emphasizing that production practices and materials used are just as important as the finished product. The project aim is not to rebuke or blame users for their participation in an unsustainable practice. Instead it creates an exciting and engaging experience using image recognition technologies, interactivity, and an upbeat tone to inspire users to make a change. GOYC exists in several different media platforms including an interactive full-length mirror, a website, and a mobile app. The mirror allows users to view themselves and the content simultaneously, creating a personal connection between users and the information. The mobile app and website expand this experience to a broader audience. All three platforms work together to ultimately create more conscious consumers.
By: Katherine Van Winkle
http://www.greenoutyourcloset.com
Green Out Your Closet uses digital media experiences to bring awareness to issues of pollution and exploitation within the fashion industry. Additionally, GOYC uses image recognition technologies to help users find innovative, transparent, responsible fashion choices that fit with their existing style.
The goal of this project was to redesign the shopping experience in a way that a product's materials and production methods were highlighted just as much as as it's appearance, price, or brand. The hope was that by creating a fun, enjoyable experience users would be more engaged with the difficult topic of sustainability. This was an individual project and I was the sole contributor.
Through this project I have developed skills in user experience design as well as enhanced my technical skills in web technologies such as html, css, and javascript. Additionally I developed a better sense of what sustainability means and why it is important to be conscious of the impact of my purchases.
This was an individual project and I was the sole contributor.
Most western consumers would be surprised to learn that the fashion industry is one of the largest polluters in the world, second only to oil. The prominence of cheap, low quality, disposable clothing has produced an unsustainable culture of overconsumption and negative environmental impact. For the vast majority of major clothing brands, there is little to no information available about their products’ environmental and socioeconomic repercussions.