ReGen Designs: Turning Waste Into a Wardrobe
NAME | Sarah
GRADE | 11
LOCATION | Immokalee, Florida
Sarah, an 11th grader from Immokalee, Florida, is creating ReGen Designs, an upcycling program for clothes that will engage teenagers in creating upcycled accessories and clothes and spread awareness about the harms of fast fashion. Sarah wants to encourage participants to create and upcycle items with cultural meaning, like items for quinceañeras or Haitian holidays.
Sarah has always had an interest in fashion, but when she discovered the harms of fast fashion and fashion waste, she became inspired to spread awareness to peers and community members while also providing an alternative: upcycling and creating your own items! She wants to create ReGen Designs within the Boys and Girls Club of Immokalee and has already met with leaders from the organization to develop her project.
ReGen Designs: Turning Waste Into a Wardrobe
NAME | Sarah
GRADE | 11
LOCATION | Immokalee, Florida
Sarah, an 11th grader from Immokalee, Florida, is creating ReGen Designs, an upcycling program for clothes that will engage teenagers in creating upcycled accessories and clothes and spread awareness about the harms of fast fashion. Sarah wants to encourage participants to create and upcycle items with cultural meaning, like items for quinceañeras or Haitian holidays.
Sarah has always had an interest in fashion, but when she discovered the harms of fast fashion and fashion waste, she became inspired to spread awareness to peers and community members while also providing an alternative: upcycling and creating your own items! She wants to create ReGen Designs within the Boys and Girls Club of Immokalee and has already met with leaders from the organization to develop her project.
Ever since I was a child, I've always taken an interest in fashion. Whether I was sketching outfits or strutting through my driveway in fashionable fits, fashion has been an expressive outlet for long as I can remember. However, despite my passion for fashion, there was an underlying issue I hadn't noticed before: fashion waste. In high school, many teenagers are interested in purchases from fast fashion companies, such as Shein. However, after reading a study titled, "Making Fashion Sustainable: Waste and Collective Responsibility", I discovered that 73% of clothing ends in landfills & less than 1% is recycled. It was shocking to see an outlet I loved so much be the cause of a dreadful issue. Also, teens have little to no awareness of environmental issues, especially waste. According to 4-H, only 54% of teens feel their communities are taking an active part in saving the environment. Also, in Immokalee, there is a lack of resources, and many children in the community resort to fast-fashion brands due to cost.
To educate teenagers on fashion waste, I'm launching an upcycling fashion program called ReGen Designs. Specifically, I've developed plans to create this program within the local Boys and Girls Club. After witnessing an influencer create a Black History Month dress from old fabric, I thought: why not encourage teens to upcycle & honor their heritage? My idea is to meet either once a week or every other week to create upcycled accessories and (simple) apparel. Specifically, I would like for students to include personal aspects through these creations. For example, since my town is a prominently Hispanic and Black area, students can upcycle mariachis for quinceneras or even upcycle tignons for Haitian holidays. I've already met with a BGC Youth Coordinator, and we've established three steps. First, advertise this initiative to Club members through posters and video advertisements. Second, display signs for BGC staff to donate old clothing (jeans, shirts, bowties, etc). Lastly, set a budget for the crafting materials needed to create our designs. The goal I set was to initiate the program by March.
Currently, I've spoken to Boys and Girls Club coordinators who are in charge of youth activities and extracurriculars. Both of these adults have attended meetings with me about this initiative. In addition, both have spoken to the Lead Program Director at the Boys and Girls Club. In addition to adults, I've spoken to high school members of the Boys and Girls Club, and they are on board with the program/club. Even though I haven't established leadership positions yet, it is in progress. To encourage non-team members to pay attention to fashion waste, I would like to make creative videos and visuals on fashion waste. Since most teens are active on social media, I would also promote my initiative on platforms like Instagram.