@AllisonTheLabel

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I first learned to sew when I was in elementary school. I would sew clothes for my dolls and stuffed animals, and continued sewing sporadically throughout my childhood. When the COVID pandemic hit in 2020, I decided to devote all of my hours quarantining indoors to designing, sewing, and modeling a collection of clothes. I spent hours on pinterest getting inspiration, sketching designs, finding fabric and materials online, and then creating my own pieces. Over the course of winter break this year, I decided to create a second collection with a slightly different approach.

With social media, fashion trends come in and out of style practically overnight, making fast fashion all the rage. Low quality clothing is mass-produced outside of the US, making it affordable for young people to purchase trendy pieces that they will likely only wear a few times. Fast fashion, however, has many downsides. It creates a high-pressure, unstable environment for garment workers, who are often extremely underpaid as companies compete for the lowest prices. Additionally, it has enormous consequences for the environment–the production of fast fashion requires billions of cubic meters of water, creates a heavy carbon footprint, and pollutes waterways, to name a few examples. And, because the pieces are not designed for longevity, tens of thousands of tons of clothing are dumped into landfills every year.

Inspired by my goal to avoid fast fashion, I designed a collection of clothing using solely recycled materials over winter break this year. I thrifted, took old clothes from friends and family, and used scraps from old projects to create unique pieces that were sustainably produced. I was very creative with how I used the materials, most of which I turned into something completely different from their original form. For example, I used five pairs of jeans, hardware from an old belt, and grommets to create a patchwork denim top. I also used men’s adidas basketball shorts to create a striped bikini top and matching skirt with cargo pockets. I also worked with dresses to create one two-piece set and one three-piece set. I have included photos of some of my work, but you can find more on my Instagram @allisonthelabel

Above are photos of my latest collection, and below are photos of one of the first pieces I made:

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