Cheramie in Apparel Merchandising Selected as Net Impact Wear It Wise Global Campaign Leader

U of A Photo Services

Lance Cheramie, an instructor in the apparel merchandising and product development program, earned his Ph.D. in public policy with specialization in sustainability.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – University of Arkansas apparel instructor Lance Cheramie is on a global committee studying sustainability in the fashion industry.

Charemie is an apparel merchandising and product development instructor in the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Science's School of Human Environmental Sciences, and has been selected to Net Impact's 25-person world-wide cohort to address sustainability in the global fashion industry.

The cohort will focus on the social, economic and environmental impacts of the fashion industry around the world. The group is part of Net Impact's Wear it Wise program, which has the goal of inspiring young people to reflect on the full life-cycle of their apparel choices in order to create lasting consumer behavior change.

"It's an honor and a privilege to be selected by Net Impact to be part of their global Wear it Wise campaign," said Cheramie. "In my role as a leader, my goal is to educate individuals on how they can be sustainable consumers. The events that I'm organizing, such as the PechaKucha, on-campus film screening, immersive fashion experience and others, are meant to resonate with the NWA community, campus community and the world."

Cheramie's events are all in Northwest Arkansas and apparel-related, and intended to draw attention to sustainability in the apparel and textile industries.

The first finalized is the Fashion Industry PechaKucha on April 3 at 7 p.m. at Crystal Bridges Museum. It's in conjunction with the Arkansas Arts & Fashion Forum education series and NWA Fashion Week.

A PechaKucha is a presentation style in which 20 slides are shown for 20 seconds each, leading to a fast-paced, concise delivery. Scheduled presenters are Cheramie, Shaul Cohen with Jordache, Zach Freeze of Walmart and Alyssa Bird with Regenerous Designs.

Cohen will address sustainability from a manufacturing perspective, Freeze from a retailing point of view, Bird from design and product development, and Cheramie from the educational side.

Net Impact's Wear it Wise leaders were chosen based on academic field, career interests and demonstrated leadership experience. Applicants with a strong ideology of sustainability and clear plans on how to execute those ideas received stronger consideration. Cheramie earned his Ph.D. in public policy with a sustainability specialization from the U of A in 2018.

Net Impact is a nonprofit membership organization for students and professionals interested in programs and networking events on topics such as corporate social responsibility, social entrepreneurship, nonprofit management, international development and environmental sustainability. Programs help leaders in sustainability broaden their thinking, build networks and scales their impact beyond individual actions. NI has more than 300 chapters in nearly 40 countries.

About the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences: Bumpers College provides life-changing opportunities to position and prepare graduates who will be leaders in the businesses associated with foods, family, the environment, agriculture, sustainability and human quality of life; and who will be first-choice candidates of employers looking for leaders, innovators, policy makers and entrepreneurs. The college is named for Dale Bumpers, former Arkansas governor and longtime U.S. senator who made the state prominent in national and international agriculture.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among only 2.7 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.