EcoChic is an app and initiative that empowers students to build a more sustainable wardrobe — one outfit, one decision and one community event at a time. Designed to gamify learning about sustainable fashion, EcoChic uses short, engaging educational videos, interactive quizzes and rewards from partnered sustainable fashion brands locally to help students make informed choices about their clothing consumption.
Clothing sustainability is something that has recently captivated me because I realized it sits at the intersection of self-expression and responsibility. What we wear says something about who we are, and I think we should wear that with pride, knowing our choices don't come at the cost of people or the planet. The fashion industry is one of the largest polluters globally, but the solutions don't need to feel impossible. By helping people reframe how they view fashion and teaching them to make better choices, EcoChic encourages users to reduce, reuse and repurpose without sacrificing style.
The spark for EcoChic came from a late-night brainstorm about how fast fashion has become one of the most pressing environmental issues of our generation and how little awareness there is around it. While trying to learn how to be more sustainable in the realm of fashion, I realized we needed to make learning about sustainability approachable, fun and actually rewarding. That's when the idea of an app clicked: why not meet students on platforms they're on already and build an experience to educate and empower them at the same time?
For U of A students, EcoChic is more than just an app; it's a community. Through pop-up vintage markets, clothing drives and quiz-based challenges with real rewards (like coupons to local thrift shops and vintage curators), we're creating spaces where students can engage, learn and contribute to change. At our first EcoChic market, we collected ten full bags of donated clothing and raised awareness about fast fashion while hosting local performers and supporting sustainable vendors. It was proof that students want to be part of the solution — they just need the right platform.
EcoChic is gearing up to launch on April 15, but none of this happened overnight. The biggest challenge? Pushing past the doubt. When you're building something from scratch, it's easy to second-guess whether anyone will care or show up. There were moments when I wasn't sure if this idea had legs, but I was lucky to have a support system that kept me grounded.
I can't stress this enough: if you're a student with an idea, no matter how big, small or messy it feels, go to U of A's eHUB Entrepreneurship Centre. Two people who played a massive role in that journey are Peter Keith, centre director, and Dr. Tony Briggs, executive director. Peter, with his experience in building a purpose-driven business, and Tony, with his unwavering belief in student entrepreneurs, were both instrumental mentors. It's a space where you're encouraged to experiment, to dream and to fail forward. They believed in EcoChic even when I wasn't sure I did, and that made all the difference.
Additionally, my experience with was a huge factor in the traction EcoChic has gained so far. Being an Enactus UAB project helped me build an amazing team, gave me the resources to get started and allowed me to pitch this amazing idea on a regional and national stage at the Enactus Canada Expositions. If you have an idea that tackles Enactus Canada's triple-bottom-line mandate of the planet, people and profit, I would be happy to connect you with the team!
If I could give one piece of advice to other students? Start before you're ready. You don't need to have all the answers. You just need to care about the problem and be willing to learn along the way. There are people and programs here at the U of A, like eHub, that will help you take your first step.
EcoChic is still growing, and this is just the beginning. But if there's one thing I've learned, when you bring together purpose, creativity and community, big things can happen!
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