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This semester, a group of 20 Fashion Merchandising and Design (FMD) students developed a large-scale textile mural for World Ocean Day, in collaboration with The Salvation Army and SeaWorld San Diego. The mural was unveiled on June 8 in front of a large crowd at SeaWorld’s Dolphin Amphitheatre, which is where the mural is now displayed to be seen by the millions of visitors to SeaWorld.  

“We’re so excited to present this beautiful mural created by the incredibly talented team of students from California State University, Long Beach,” said Jackie Plaza, SeaWorld San Diego Vice President of Marketing and Sales. “With the support of the Salvation Army, we are proud to share this mural in hopes of raising awareness around both ocean pollution and ocean conservation. This mural shines a light on the urgent issue of ocean pollution and reminds us how we can all play a role in protecting our oceans. Displayed here at Dolphin Stadium, it highlights the millions of tons of textile waste generated each year, much of which ultimately ends up in our oceans.”

Over the course of three months, the students --- along with the help of four FMD professors -- designed and constructed the 18-by-8 foot mural installation which features marine animals and coral. The mural was rendered using 100 percent recycled materials, much of it consisting of denim. The reclaimed fabrics were primarily donated clothing from MD��ý���’s partners at The Salvation Army. 

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“With Salvation Army’s intention to keep unsold textiles out of the waste stream, we’ve worked with MD��ý��� Fashion Design department to upcycle a bunch of our unused textiles into a masterful work of art,” said Atticus Firey, Director of Strategic Projects and Sustainability for The Salvation Army.

“There were a lot of long hours spent together sewing, problem solving, collaborating and learning how to work together on this very large-scale project,” said FMD Professor Jacquelyn Morell. “Starting as a mood board, a pile of denim and discarded clothes, and a very large vision, this project explores what sustainable design truly looks like in practice.”   

Ivan Ramirez, a Fashion Design student, who just graduated this semester, led a team of 20 students and roughly 2,000 hours of work to hand-stitch the 18-by-8-foot mural. 

“You’re going to see the mural, and you’re not even going to think of garments anymore – it’s literally remade, and re-imagined,” said Ramirez, who also talked about using different bikini straps to make some of the coral elements. 

Every Friday during the semester, FMD students would gather from morning to evening creating the World Ocean Day Mural which now stands to be admired by visitors to SeaWorld San Diego.

Yoonah Kang, another Fashion Merchandising and Design student and also an international student from South Korea, said it was difficult at times to work on the project while studying for finals, but was proud to see the end result. 

“We believe education inspires meaningful change. This mural delivers a powerful message about sustainability and reinforces the importance of reusing and recycling to reduce waste and help protect our planet,” said Jackie Plaza. 

Go Beach!

WATCH: CBS San Diego 8 Covers MD��ý��� Mural Unveiling