On Thursday, January 16, 2025, the UCI ANTrepreneur Center’s collaboration with the student organization Sustainable and Just Future at UCI (SJF at UCI) launched the SJF Repair Center. Located at the ANTrepreneur Center, the SJF Repair Center offers students the space and tools they need to repair clothing, create new pieces, and embrace sustainability in style!
The new SJF Repair Center at the ANTrepreneur Center
To commemorate the launch and ribbon cutting of the Repair Center, ANTrepreneur Center Director Ryan Foland sat down with three SJF student leaders, Andi Hayes, Addie Aubley, and Brennan Kraus, to learn more about SJF at UCI, its mission, the vision behind the Repair Center.
Ryan: Ahoy; thank you for meeting with me! I’m excited to kick off this interview and learn more about SJF at UCI and the Repair Center. Can you start us out by introducing yourselves?
Andi: Sure! My name is Andi Hayes and I’m a fourth-year Environmental Science and Policy major aiming to change the paradigm that businesses need to operate at odds with ecological health. In my junior year, I founded SJF at UCI—the first chapter of Sustainable & Just Future—where I serve as Director of Programming. I’ve worked as an ESG, circular economy, and infrastructure researcher for Songbird Capital LLC. I was previously a Marketing Assistant for Earth Microbial, and am currently a Sustainability Project Manager and Brand Strategist for Recurvence.
Addie: My name is Addie Aubley, and I’m a fourth-year Environmental Science and Policy and Earth System Science double major with a specialization in Geographic Information Systems (GIS). I am Vice President of SJF at UCI. I currently work for the Climate Urban Sustainability Program (CUSP) conducting research under the supervision of Professor Richard Matthew focussing on community environmental solutions. I also volunteer at the Newport Back Bay Science center as an aquatic monitorer and interned with the UCI Center for Environmental Biology last year, focusing on conservation, restoration, and education efforts in Orange County.
Brennan: My name is Brennan Kraus, and I’m also a fourth-year Environmental Science and Policy major, minoring in Global Sustainability and specializing in Geographic Information Systems (GIS). I’m passionate about merging hands-on ecological research with advanced technological methodologies to tackle the intricate challenges of climate change. In addition to serving as Co-Vice President of SJF at UCI, I am also interning for OC Habitats doing ecological restoration and monitoring work and work for BioFutura, working to quantify the intrinsic monetary value of natural resources. I’ve also spent time working for UCI Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Irvine Councilmember Kathleen Treseder to enhance sustainable initiatives in the city.
Ryan: Awesome, thanks for being here! So what inspired your club to focus on sustainability and equitable solutions?
Andi: Sustainability encompasses the environment, social conditions, and economic conditions, which are core to society’s ability to thrive. We believe it’s a lens to look at all of our problems and an aspect of problem-solving that should be integrated into every discipline, whether it’s computer science, engineering, or business. We’re also at a point where awareness of social and environmental issues is at an all-time high, and people are looking for solutions. We want to provide a beacon of hope at a time when people are anxious about the state of the world and unsure if they can do anything about it. Yes, there are things that we can do. The solutions are out there. We just need to educate and mobilize.
Ryan: Who or what inspires your team to tackle social and environmental challenges through innovative solutions?
Brennan: The support we receive from each other and our UCI community inspires us! When we look to implement tangible change as individuals, the task can seem daunting. However, being at UCI, surrounded by people and organizations that want to help us thrive, is how true action is made. With the help of the ANTrepreneur Center, the Sustainability Resource Center, and my fellow team at SJF at UCI, bringing this mission to reality is made much easier.
Ryan: How did you come up with the idea for the Repair Center, and why do you believe it’s essential at UCI?
Addie: Last year, our first year as a club, we hosted the Sustainable and Just Summit at UCI. During the event, we organized a solutions incubator where student teams developed solutions for the club to pursue during the 2024-2025 school year. One of the solutions presented was the creation of a public-use ‘repair cafe.’ During this Fall quarter, we hosted a repair event in partnership with the UCI Fashion Sneakers Club, and it had a huge turnout! Establishing a permanent center for students to fix clothing became a necessary priority for our team.
Ryan: What specific services will the Repair Center provide to students, and how will it encourage sustainability?
Brennan: The Repair Center equips students with the tools and skills needed to repair and upcycle their clothing, fostering a circular economy on campus. With resources like sewing machines, hand-sewing kits, and various textile repair tools, the Center enables students to rejuvenate their garments and bring them new life. Beyond individual repair sessions, we will host workshops and events where students can learn valuable repair skills, promoting sustainability through practical hands-on education and reducing textile waste.
Ryan: What can students expect when visiting the Repair Center, and what equipment and resources will be available to help them repair and upcycle their items? Do students need to know how to sew or will the club members help to teach the skills needed to repair clothes?
Andi: The Repair Center will have three sewing machines, each at a different level of complexity, as well as thread, chalk, needles, scissors, pins clips, measuring tapes, scrap fabric, and basically everything you need to get started on a sewing project. When you enter the Repair Center space you’ll see a few QR links to the sign-in form, our webpage, and a playlist to walk you through the basics of using the tools. We’ll also host in-depth repair skill workshops to teach students how to make the most of this free resource.
Ryan: Can you share more about the workshops that you might hold?
Brennan: On top of being able to visit the center to repair items in their free time, we wanted to provide a space for students to come learn specific skills and techniques so they can tackle any sewing problem or project they have! We plan to host workshops on everything from the basics of hand and machine sewing to up-cycling techniques such as bleach dying, re-sewing, screenprinting, and repair skills like mending holes, adding patches, adjusting hem, and much more. The idea here is to provide a resource for students to fix their problems and learn skills that they can use even after they leave UCI.
Ryan: Why was the ANTrepreneur Center chosen as the home for this project?
Andi: The ANTrepreneur Center is one of those places that is so encouraging and forward-thinking that it inspires you to pursue your visions to make an impact on the world. We believe the ANTrepreneur Center was the perfect place to pitch our idea because they’ve demonstrated their interest in sustainability through their living lab internship program, recycling, and composting initiatives, and sustainable business competitions. Additionally, founders who can integrate sustainability into their business models while making a profit will be extremely valuable to the world, so why not get UCI students thinking about how to do so? Finally, the Center has shown its commitment to providing students with resources to enact their ideas and creativity through the maker space, and we thought that the Repair Center would be a great complement to that mission and the existing resources.
Ryan: How do you see the Repair Center impacting UCI’s culture and sustainability practices in the long-run?
Andi: When I was studying abroad in New Zealand, I saw firsthand how much of a culture shift there can be towards sustainability when it’s embedded in the resources on campus. There’s already a huge culture around second-hand clothing and thrifting, yet our generation lacks the skills to tailor and mend their clothes. We think the Repair Center will help close the loop in the apparel industry by showing how cool it is to fix what you love instead of throwing it away. If we can make repair skills and tools more accessible, turning to a sewing machine instead of the trash will be a no-brainer. As a whole, we hope to inspire what’s called a ‘Circular Economy’, an economy not based on endless extraction but where society preserves the value in their items for as long as possible by emphasizing quality and repair.
Ryan: What message do you want to share with students about their role in fostering a sustainable and just future?
Addie: It’s easy to feel discouraged by environmental and sustainability challenges, especially when tackling large problems. But even small solutions can make a huge impact. Our generation is being forced to face a wide range of issues, but by surrounding yourself with a team of passionate, like-minded individuals, you can achieve a lot of meaningful change.
Ryan: What are your hopes for the SJF Repair Center’s legacy at UCI?
Addie: Our goal is to use the Center as a platform to promote sustainability by extending the life cycles of our items. We hope the SJF Repair Center’s legacy extends far beyond our time at this school, continuing to grow from the foundation we’ve established. The Center has the potential to evolve beyond clothing repairs to offer resources for bike, tech, and other types of repairs as well. Beyond repairs, we hope that this Center continues the discourse surrounding human waste and excessive consumption.
To learn more about the SJF at UCI and keep up with their latest news and events, visit the new SJF website or follow them on Instagram. Check out the SJF Repair Center at the ANTrepreneur Center to explore the tools and resources the SJF team mentioned above.
Visit the ANTrepreneur Center website to learn more about programming, speaker series, Micro-Internships, funding, and more. You can also learn more about the Center’s collaborations with Blackstone LaunchPad, Tech Coast Angels, Tech Coast Venture Network, OC Startup Council, and SoCal Celebrates Entrepreneurship. Keep up with the Center’s latest news by following them on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.