How to Design Your Own Clothes

"When I was young I loved making things from anything. When you’re young, you’re much more open minded to just create whereas as you get older and you become more of a social being, you’re much more conscious of the parameters that might be in place, you’re maybe concerned about what other people are doing, probably more self conscious. So I really think it’s important to teach people to create their own clothes at a young age, not only because it’s a lot easier than it looks, but it just means that they have that skill to go forward into life with because we don’t really learn how to make clothes at school. That means that you’re already a young adult before you might even think about going into that industry or doing it for yourself. I also think that creating your own clothes has a wealth of holistic benefits. In terms of mental health it can be extremely therapeutic, and when you make your own clothes you can make stuff that suits your personality. There is the issue of sustainability, and creating your own cool thing is brilliant for the environment. And also, socially, when we understand better that every piece of clothing that we purchase has been made by someone, we become conscious that if we’re purchasing clothing which costs a really small amount of money, then it means the person making it probably didn’t get paid a living wage."