Tuesday 14 July 2009

The Uniform Project

I quite liked working at the supermarket when I was a student. Mostly because we got to eat the cheese off the deli. But also because we had a uniform and I didn’t have to think about what to wear everyday.
Now I work in an office and I’ve made up a kinda uniform out of pretty skirts and t shirts so getting dressed half asleep isn’t too much of a chore.
But what about having one dress and then reinventing that dress every day for a year?

This is what Sheena Matheiken has pledged to do.
Starting May 2009, she has pledged to wear one dress for one year as an exercise in sustainable fashion. Here’s how it works: There are 7 identical dresses, one for each day of the week. Every day she will reinvent the dress with layers, accessories and all kinds of accouterments, the majority of which will be vintage, hand-made, or hand-me-down goodies. Think of it as wearing a daily uniform with enough creative license to make it look like she just crawled out of the Marquis de Sade's boudoir.

The Uniform Project is also a year-long fundraiser for the
Akanksha Foundation, a grassroots movement that is revolutionizing education in India. At the end of the year, all contributions will go toward Akanksha’s School Project to fund uniforms and other educational expenses for children living in Indian slums.

The photos go up daily on The Uniform Project, and I’m amazed at the variety of outfits she has managed to put together over the last 2 ½ months.
I look forward to seeing what else she can come up with. Good luck Sheena.

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