Stitch Buffalo, “Zero Waste”

Waste has worth.

Stitch Buffalo’s exhibition Zero Waste explores how discarded textiles can be transformed into vibrant works of art by combining sustainable practices—repair, reuse, recycle, or share—with artistic creativity. 

Textile waste and clothing production continue to have a major impact on the environment. The fast fashion industry remains one of the largest consumers and polluters of water—and a major contributor to carbon emissions each year. Much of this environmental impact is connected to the linear economy of the industry: make, use, and then discard.

Each work in Zero Waste was created from reclaimed materials by Stitch Buffalo refugee and immigrant artists and volunteers: highlighting the challenge—and reward—of turning textiles with varied histories, conditions, and qualities into everyday clothing and art.

This exhibition is made up of three sections that demonstrate the intersection of sustainability and artistry through a variety of mediums and forms. 

Reverence is an installation of large, hand-dyed feltloom fabrics suspended from the ceiling. Envisioned as the central ‘island’ of the exhibition, the colors of the fabric connect to and encourage respect for the environment: blue for water, gold for sunlight, and brown for the earth. Surrounding each fabric are hand-embroidered three-dimensional earths created by refugee women from all around the world, reflecting on the collective responsibility of sustainability. 

Make Something features a diverse mix of expressive art made by Stitch Buffalo volunteers, many of whom are talented creatives with vast experience in the textile and fiber arts. Volunteers were given a bag of assorted materials (fabric, yarn, thread, sewing notions, and more) from Stitch Buffalo’s creative reuse shop, Second Stitch, to create their work. Every piece emphasizes the creative potential of textile waste—which visitors can explore by using the provided materials in the maker space to create original works of art. 

Crafting Clothing highlights the artistic detail, skill, and tradition of techniques that give each garment a unique character and story. In contrast to mass-produced fast fashion, these works emphasize the art of making and the value of human touch. This emphasis on the humans behind each work reflects a core mission of Stitch Buffalo: to honor the heritage, lived experiences, and history of its artists. 

Beyond material, Zero Waste encourages viewers to consider the zero waste lifestyle and its role in building and supporting community. By following sustainable practices, it is necessary to always pause and consider how present actions or beliefs might affect other people: both those around you and those unseen. Sustainability is thus more broadly an approach and outlook on life that recognizes the value in every material and every person. That everyone one of us has something important to contribute to ourselves, to our families, to our communities, and to our world. 

Zero Waste reminds us that every stitch, every fabric, and every person always has more stories to tell.