Fashion and Justice, a student organization, is building a community on campus by advocating for prevalent issues in the fashion industry.

Fashion and Justice was founded in 2023 and offers a space for students to learn more about justice issues related to fashion. The club won the “Outstanding Commitment to Diversity Award” at the student organization awards last spring.

Jessica Kuennen, president of Fashion and Justice and a senior majoring in apparel, merchandising and design with a minor in sustainability, said Fashion and Justice’s goal is to educate students about injustices that have taken place in fashion.

“I think the overall goal is to educate students, but it’s also to question norms, question the ideals of big companies and really help people who are feeling injustice,” Kuennen said.

The club also watches documentaries about injustices in fashion revolving around racism, sexism, the queer community and the history of certain clothing products.

Fashion and Justice goes on field trips as an organization, said Sophia Strathearn, vice president of Fashion and Justice and a junior majoring in apparel, merchandising and design with a minor in fashion, culture, history and social justice.

“Last spring, we did a trip to the Meskwaki Cultural Center, and there we learned about indigenous textiles specific to their tribe,” Strathearn said.

The most recent issue Fashion and Justice advocates against is prison labor, which is when prisoners make apparel for outside companies while receiving minimal wages.

“We did a letter campaign that was directed to an Iowa apparel company and laid out different facts about the injustice that was taking place, just like racism within the industrial complex,” Strathearn said. “We had a list of questions that we wanted them to answer and get them to think about why they’re using prison labor.”

Members of Fashion and Justice also said the club is trying to plan a field trip to an Iowa prison to see prisoners’ living conditions.

“Our biggest factor with exploring that venue is focusing on human rights,” Kuennen said. “People should be paid fairly. Everyone is human and they should be treated that way.”

Although Fashion and Justice covers serious issues, Strathearn said the club also wants to learn more about untold stories in the fashion industry.

“Another trip that we’re thinking of for the future is visiting a gay rodeo in Kansas City,” Strathearn said. “They’ll have gay cowboys that wear drag, a big part of queer culture that people don’t know about and that’s a part of fashion.”

Kuennen and Strathearn both said they were passionate about justice issues in the fashion world before becoming members of Fashion and Justice. One of the main reasons they joined Fashion and Justice is because of the lack of content for injustices in fashion that are being taught at Iowa State.

“I just really want more of this content to be taught in classes, or I want more nuanced and more social justice-oriented content for students because it’s really important. I think because I’m not getting that in a lot of my classes, I want to create a space where we can learn that on our own,” Strathearn said.

Kuennen said that she joined Fashion and Justice because she wanted a community and club to help people struggling.

“I grew up in a really small town with close-minded opinions, and it felt like I was one of two people who had different views—views of respecting women, respecting cultures, respecting people’s love—and it feels nice to be in a club that has the same views and wants to learn about it,” Kuennen said.

The club also advocates for fashion sustainability and eliminating pollution in the apparel production process.

Kuennen said when she came to Iowa State, sustainability was talked about in some of her classes, and she just wanted to learn more about it. Fashion and Justice gave her an outlet to do so.

Strathearn said it is important to learn about issues in the fashion industry, not just for people going into the industry but also for consumers paying for the product.

Fashion and Justice holds meetings once a month. A typical meeting includes an introduction for new and previous members of the club, going over its agenda and voting on possible activities for the organization to partake in.

To learn more about Fashion and Justice and upcoming meetings, contact Jessica Kuennen.