social equity – HELEN TREJO

Fashion Research Inspired by the current Border Crisis

With current calls for warm clothing donations to the asylum seekers reaching the San Diego-Mexico border, I became interested in learning about the availability of affordable clothing retailers throughout Southern California. The fast fashion model of accelerated clothing production and consumption has made clothing more accessible and lower priced. In this short research, I sought…

Injustice for Potential Refugees reaching the Mexican-American Border

My heart goes out to the thousands of minors and families coming to the U.S. from Central America in search of safer livelihoods. My parents escaped the turmoil and violence of El Salvador during the horrific Civil War in the 1980s. Today, they comment that the violence in El Salvador with the influx of MS-13 gang members deported…

Call for support: Jullien Gordon to Speak at alma mater Los Angeles High School

We would like your support to bring an inspiring educational and leadership speaker, Jullien Gordon to our alma mater, Downtown Magnets High School, May 2015. He is a renown speaker that engages with students and budding entrepreneurs nationwide during speaking tours and TedTalks. In 2007, Jullien received two Masters degrees from Stanford University—his MBA and Masters in…

Fashion Academia

In the midst of finishing my Master’s thesis and keeping up with coursework, I have been looking at Academic positions currently available in the field of Apparel/ Fashion/ Textiles. This is a snapshot of the positions currently available and posted in the International Textile and Apparel Association website: Compared to other fields, this is a long…

Fiber Farm Community Supported Ag

I recently became a virtual farmer in support of Sweet Tree Hill Farm in Virginia. The farm has Shetland sheep, angora rabbits, and cashmere goats. I was excited to learn where the the funds I provided would go. They helped pay for 1 month’s worth of hay for the fiber animals. I’m glad I can contribute in…

Past, Present, and Future: Salvadorean Textiles and Clothing

The claim that there are no indigenous people in El Salvador led to wonder about what makes someone “indigenous.” Census information conveys that Lenca and Nahua (Pipil) indigenous people make up about 10% of the population in El Salvador. It is assumed that the indigenous population is much larger, but underreported based on the narrow…

Preservation of Voices, Culture, and Land

With population growth, there is greater need for basic resources. Energy is a basic resource that is a part of our everyday lives. In Los Angeles, I experienced a few black outs, but electricity returned within 3 hours. In Davis California, I experienced one and remember using a flashlight so that I could do my…

Grazing Across Lands and Among Species!

I am in great anticipation for the Ithaca Spring and Summer. The Fall was so beautiful and my first Winter in the east coast was not as bad as I expected. I was very excited to see a pair of Canadian geese grazing this afternoon. I was so excited, it reminded me of a visit…

“Natural” and “Artificial” Boundaries

Lately boundaries have been more noticeable. Everyday I walk down a hill towards the Ithaca commons and see signage “Downtown Ithaca.” This makes the division between the residential area I live in and the downtown area obvious. While walking down the hill everyday, I also always see the Six Mile Creek below. This Creek leads…