The sound of the sewing machine whirs as the needle pierces through the marked fabric of the cloth. Over winter break, the chill outside makes senior Olivia Messina stay inside her house and bundle up by the machine. Faint classical music is playing in the background as Messina sits down, carefully concentrating on her craft. Making her own prom dress for the spring dance.
So as she sketched out her design, she soon realized how much trial and error it is to make her own clothes. When Messina first started sewing, she wanted to practice a more sustainable lifestyle. Bettering the environment and finding ways to reduce, reuse, and recycle effectively. One thread at a time.
“I think that style is something that goes hand in hand with self-discovery, since as people learn more about themselves in high school, they choose how they want to express themselves and how they want others to perceive them. I enjoy using my old clothes as materials for upcycling into new clothes, since I want to practice living more sustainably.” Messina said.
Many students find ways to express themselves through clothing. Shopping secondhand or buying fabric to create something unique. Messina believes making sustainable clothes is a great way to help the environment and save a little more money as well.
According to Goodwill Environmental Industry, “Both thrifting and making your own clothes are significantly better for saving money and the environment than buying fast fashion, as they reduce resource consumption, waste, and pollution, with DIY offering control over materials and thrifting extending garment life, though combining methods (sewing from thrifted fabric) is often the most sustainable approach.”
“Four years ago, I really got into buying second-hand and going through the bins. The stuff I find is not just clothes you can find anywhere else, too. It’s a great way to help the environment, and it’s a much cheaper option for me since I’m saving money for college,” senior Anthony Fuentes said.
Fuentes, much like Messina, also tries to improve the Earth by shopping second-hand and living sustainably. He shops nearby at all the local thrift stores like Goodwill, Hillcrest Hope Thrift Store, Savers and Plato’s Closet. He enjoys looking through and finding special pieces of clothing that really show his distinct style and personality. Also trying to protect the planet.
“I got into fashion once I realized how it can be used to aid self-expression, since we are visual creatures and our perceptions of people depend on what they wear. I love where everyone chooses authenticity and genuine self-expression, rather than copying what everyone else does,” Messina said.
Students wanting to learn how to sew and know more about fashion, but not knowing how or where to start, could always take an elective class at the school about fashion. A lot of students enroll in the class and find it very helpful in the long run, learning how to make more than just their own clothes, but also other objects that they could use now in everyday life.
“I took the class in my junior year, and I learned how to make shorts, an apron, and a booklet. The class was really fun, and I was able to learn a lot,” senior Abigail Dority said.
If interested in making clothes, consider taking the fundamentals of fashion classes offered by Marla Badalucco. In there, students learn more about clothing and how to sew, a useful life skill to learn. For more information, talk to the counselors about signing up.
