1. Please provide a brief description of your STEP Signature Project. Write two or three sentences describing the main activities your STEP Signature Project entailed.
In my STEP project I learned how to sew in a “learn how to sew in a weekend” class and then took private sewing lessons to work on a collection of upcycled clothes. My project was themed around upcycling and supporting slow fashion. In addition, I learned some astonishing facts about the harm fast fashion does on the environment. To showcase my project, I modeled the upcycled clothes and I made a YouTube video to highlight my project.
2. What about your understanding of yourself, your assumptions, or your view of the world changed/transformed while completing your STEP Signature Project? Write one or two paragraphs to describe the change or transformation that took place.
Two huge transformations occurred while completing my STEP project- of me and my view of the world.
Now, I can look at old clothes and think, “Oh, this just needs a couple tweaks, but it has so much potential”. So, I would say it definitely brought out my creative side that was not being used before. Secondly, learning how to sew has been a huge goal of mine for a long time. I even asked for a sewing machine before I knew about this project and before I knew how to sew. Becoming a better sewer makes me so proud of myself and shows that I can accomplish anything I put my attention and time into.
This project also transformed my view of the world. I think the fashion industry has been slipping past us. They have been creating huge damage and harm and most people don’t think twice about it. It is so normal to buy clothes that are made in sweat shops in horrible conditions and in countries that have little to no environmental regulations on pollution. I learned that more privileged people need to check their consumption-especially if they can afford to.
3. What events, interactions, relationships, or activities during your STEP Signature Project led to the change/transformation that you discussed in #2, and how did those affect you? Write three or four paragraphs describing the key aspects of your experiences completing your STEP Signature Project that led to this change/transformation.
My interactions with Dru Thompson, who was my sewing mentor helped me reach my goal of learning how to sew. I learned all the fundamentals of sewing in her Weekend Warrior class, in which I made a shirt from fabric over two days. I learned how to read and use a pattern, which is extremely useful for sewing from scratch. I learned how to use my machine and other techniques that are useful for completing a sewing project, including hand stitching. In my individual private lessons with Dru, she helped my dreams of upcycling become reality. I learned about the design process and looked at other peoples’ upcycling projects on Pinterest. I pinned my favorite looks. I got to express my unique style by thrifting for clothing with patterns and textures I thought were especially cool. Dru helped me put my ideas into physicality by giving me very thorough instructions and by checking my work. Dru’s creativeness has definitely rubbed off on me. My interactions with Dru has definitely made me a more creative and inventive person.
Additionally, my research on the environmental destruction from the fast industry has made me question the way we are socialized. I don’t understand how things that are so horrible, can be overlooked and normalized. Everyone knows about fast fashion. We are so removed from the entire process because we aren’t living in the countries that get all of the pollutants dumped into their water and chemicals released into their air. The cheapness of these items do not account for the amount of damage they cause to the Earth.
Another unexpected change that happened to me in my STEP project is I gained a friend. In my Weekend Warrior class in Cleveland, there were three other girls in the class, that all came from different backgrounds than me. Ra, one of the girls, and I went out to lunch to Siam Café in Cleveland during our lunch break. We got to chat and get to know each other. I was nervous to go to the class alone, but by getting over my fears, I got to learn the valuable skill of sewing and also got to make a new friend-which is awesome.
4. Why is this change/transformation significant or valuable for your life? Write one or two paragraphs discussing why this change or development matters and/or relates to your academic, personal, and/or professional goals and future plans.
This change and transformation has helped me so much. As mentioned earlier, by accomplishing this goal it has raised my confidence in myself. Everyone has doubts in themselves, but once you accomplish something really cool, it is a really good feeling.This confidence will definitely help me when I face my next hard task.
The skills I learned by also learning how to sew will also help me in my professional career. The whole project of upcycling and transforming things has made me more creative and a stronger problem solver. These are great qualities that I can talk about on resumes and this story could even be used in a personal statement and interviews. By keeping up with my skills of sewing, this also improves my hand coordination. I have a dream job of being an oral surgeon, so my skills of learning how to hand stitch can also help me to suture very well/give me a head start on my practice of suturing.
I am an Environmental Public Health major, so this project very much coordinates with my major and my passion for bettering the health of people and the environment. It was very fun to research some environmental problems and actively advocate for people to make more sustainable choices by supporting slow fashion.
OSU game day outfit
Outfit upcycled from grey nike sweatpants and an old t-shirt
link to YouTube video: https://youtu.be/c6L-upkm5pU