UGA student reshapes sustainable fashion from the ground up
When Leynie Hester first stumbled across the environmental impacts of fast fashion in high school, it sparked more than just concern, it sparked a calling. Her interest in the second-hand clothing market gave her an outlet to explore the potential for a career in fashion.
“I loved thrifting and that kind of brought me into the sustainable market scene,” said Hester, now a junior at the University of Georgia. “It was kind of like my access point into really considering doing fashion as my full-time career.”
Today, Hester is majoring in fashion merchandising and design with a certificate in sustainability—an academic path that perfectly reflects her values. But she has also taken those values beyond the classroom with her small business, ANSL Vintage, which stands for A New Sustainable Life. It is a curated vintage shop which gives “pre-loved clothing” a second life and promotes sustainable fashion in a hands-on, creative way.
“It’s important to keep clothes in the local loop and stay out of the secondhand waste stream,” she explained.
The fashion industry is one of the world’s top polluters, responsible for about 10% of global carbon emissions and significant water waste. Fast fashion, with its low-quality production and rapid turnover, contributes heavily to this toll, which is why sustainable fashion is so important to Hester—not just as a niche trend, but as a necessary shift.
“Fast fashion has taken over our campuses. Girls buy a dress for one event, and then never wear it again,” she says.
On campus, Hester is active in organizations like Fair Fashion UGA, the Fashion Design Student Association, where she frequently advocates for conscious consumer choices and ethical design practices. As sustainability coordinator for Delta Zeta, her leadership and advocacy are a model for students who want to blend style with sustainability. She hosted clothing swaps so her fellow organization members could give new life to their clothes. Hester strives to make a difference that is both personal and collective. Her message is clear: sustainability is accessible, and anyone can be part of the solution.
“We as consumers can strive for better quality clothing and ask for transparency in how it’s made,” she explained.
As she looks ahead to a career in fashion, Hester wants to infiltrate the workforce with the message of sustainability.
“I’m going to graduate, get into the industry, and go in with sustainability at the forefront of my mind wherever I go,” she said. “I want to incorporate sustainability in every design decision that I’m making.”
With passion, purpose, and a closet full of vintage finds, Leynie Hester is following her purpose and fulfilling her dream, one sustainable step at a time.
One of the best ways to explore UGA’s student-run secondhand clothing scene is by visiting the Fair Fashion Spring Market, happening April 27 from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Starlite Showroom in downtown Athens.
For those interested in getting involved in student organizations like Fair Fashion, visit the UGA Involvement Network. Registration for fall sorority recruitment opens on May 1.
