Overview:
When reflecting on what we wanted to achieve during this incredible journey, our first idea was to think of a way to incorporate our interests in fashion, design, photography with our strong care for the planet. We thought it would be exciting to push ourselves to learn how to make clothing, practice designs, sew, paint, and anything we could think of. We thought it would be a challenge but one we wanted to take on, using all up cycled clothing. This means looking through our old clothing, thrifting, finding clothing that isn’t of use, and changing it. With our strong interest in fashion and a strong drive for sustainability, we want to push ourselves to create a brand of all sustainable/ upcycled clothing. We want to push ourselves to create clothing good enough to sell, so we can donate the money to an organization that we resonate with. Our goal is to then practice our interest in photography by setting up modeling shoots in our homes / outdoors modeling the clothing we made. This will push our creativity to come up with a theme for all the shoots and make it look professional enough to sell. This project builds off our interests in design but challenges us to learn how to design in a more professional manner. We will be pushed to learn more about design, sewing, photography, and sustainability. We hope to learn more about all of these things that we already take interest in. The buckets we are planning to fill up are service: donating the money to an organization/ donating clothing, add that doesn’t sell. Creative; this project will push our creativity and many ways, the physical design, finding clothing to completely upcycle and change, and then the photography shoots. The last bucket we are filling is experience: this project is a great way to learn and get a better experience with design, photography, and everything else we hope to encounter on this journey.

Measure of Success:
From the effort and drive we know we will be putting into this project, we hope to feel accomplished at the end, knowing that we’ve done something real with a passion for fashion that’s been there for a while. I don’t think we’ll feel accomplished unless every piece is made with the same amount and care and energy. Throughout the project, there will be many steps to reach our final goal to donate the profits, but each step is its own measure of success. From the start to the end, each item of clothing will be the first indication of our success with this project and from there, each sale. Knowing that the profits will be going towards NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness), our personal care and connection to mental health awareness will definitely be fueling our work. Reaching the point of donating at the end will be such an accomplishing feeling. In the end, we hope to walk away from this not wanting to stop.