Photo Above: EcoFest fashion show winners.
[The Cobb Courier often highlights the work of student journalists from Kennesaw State University. This is Willah-Sinclair Johnson‘s first article for the Courier]
By Willah-Sinclair Johnson
Ecologie’s Super Sweet 16 EcoFest brought hundreds of fashion enthusiasts to Town Center at Cobb Sunday to shop for vintage clothing, custom-built home decor, homemade art, and handcrafted jewelry.
“[EcoFest] is a sustainable way for us to find clothing that is unique to each of our own styles, but also just a way to interact with a lot of our own peers and people in our age group who have a common interest, whether it’s fashion, specific styles, or whatever,” said Preston Brantly, a senior at Kennesaw State University and first-place winner of the EcoFest fashion show. “I think it’s just a nice way to build a sense of community.”
Most clothing items at EcoFest are secondhand and are specifically hand-picked by small business owners. August Lawson and his wife Amanda Lawson hosted their new, up-and-coming vintage store and screenprinting shop, Dept Market, at EcoFest for the first time.
The couple said they were inspired by vintage stores in their area, such as 2W Thrift Store in South Fulton. Earlier this year, the Lawsons bought 1,000lbs of clothing for $4,000, kickstarting their small business.
August and Amanda Lawson standing in front of their booth, Dept Market, at EcoFest.
The Lawsons run their company primarily online on Depop, a website where users can buy and sell secondhand fashion, but they are currently working to establish a storefront in the garage of their house in Mableton, Georgia. The couple currently has 144 sold items online.
The company’s logo, a white rabbit, encompasses the couple’s motives of “diving into the unknown, taking risks, self-discovery, and embracing rigidity and uncomfortableness.” Rabbits have been special to August Lawson since he was young.
“I’ve always been drawn to them,” he said. “We’re really all about following the white rabbit, you know; the mystery, and taking risks, and figuring out who you are.”
Stephanie Cote is a Cobb County resident and huge supporter of Ecologie Vintage. She runs Sylph & Syren, founded six years ago. She single-handedly designs, creates, packages, and ships jewelry, accessories and home decor made using acrylic and a laser cutter.
Stephanie Cote with her booth, Sylph & Syren.
Ever since she was young, Cote said she has been fascinated with Japanese culture, having attended various anime conventions and “nerd events” throughout the Southeast. Her artwork is inspired by Japanese street fashion and Japan’s Kawaii culture.
Like Ecologie, Cote is passionate about sustainability. She prioritizes recycling, taking the acrylic scraps of her projects to recycling centers to be repurposed.
“With my process of making jewelry, there’s a lot of potential plastic waste,” Cote said. “I don’t throw anything away. Everything gets saved. It’s important to me that I don’t put a lot of plastic trash back into the environment.”
EcoFest is a vintage market and festival hosted biannually by Ecologie Resale & Vintage, a small, family-run clothing business located in Kennesaw, Georgia. The company values sustainable fashion and eco-friendly practices by promoting wardrobe recycling.
“EcoFest is important because it brings people together,” said fashion TikToker Trey Morse. “There’s a lot of really nice vendors who can provide some really cool clothes for people, and I think it’s a cool vibe.”
Willah-Sinclair Johnson, 20, is a Sophomore at Kennesaw State University, majoring in Journalism & Emerging Media. She enjoys anything creative, from writing to photography to visual arts. In her free time, she likes to play soccer and watch movies.