ECO FASHION
A business that helps the environment by upcycling, hoping to prove that sustainable fashion can be accessible.
The impact we have had and what inspired us
Fast fashion is an ever growing fire. Poor communities are being exploited by big businesses, and children’s childhoods are being destroyed all for the cause of “cheap clothes”. Because of this, our business is an alternative to fast fashion companies. With older pieces of clothing we have upcycled to make clothing items that people love and fit their personal style/trends. We have given people a more accessible and cheaper way to be sustainable so people can start realizing that sustainable fashion is in fact possible.
What our business has done
Our goal in this project was to upcycle clothes to make sustainable pieces that people love.
TREND RESEARCH
A big part of having a successful clothing business is staying on trend, so our first step was to do some research on the current trends that we have implemented in our business.
Trend Research
-The color brown
-The color sage green
-The color bubblegum pink
-Platform flip flops for spring/summer
-Hawaiian tropical hibiscus print (mainly in dresses, tops, and mini skirts)
-Black mini skirts
-Ruched mini skirts
-Long flowy midi skirts
-Slip/lace silk dresses
-Satin midi skirts
-
Trend research part 2
-Floral bikinis
-Animal print (Zebra print jeans, cheetah print tops, cow print everything)
-Fluffy bags (mainly fluffy tote bags)
-Brown shoes (Air jordans (mid 1), converse, painted AF1)
-Corset tops
-Baby tees (mainly have a print on them)
-Low waisted jeans (Brown corduroy or blue jeans)
-Mini shoulder bags
-Pearl necklaces
-Big retro sunglasses with colored lenses (mainly orange or blue)
Trend research part 3
-Crochet everything (tops, dresses, bags, skirts)
-Sweater vests (mainly argyle print)
-Baggy jeans with a small top
-Tank tops with lace trim
-Platform sandals/boots
-Matching sets (mini skirt and tank top)
-Loads of rings on both hands (silver and gold are both in)
-Clay rings
-Halter tops
-Tight mini dresses
O U R V I S I O N
B O A R D
Our next step was to create a vision board for some inspiration to see how our pieces would turn out!
STARTER PIECES
Our next step was to create a set of starter pieces using simple sewing techniques so people could know what are business was and we could start taking in others clothing!
Mesh Pattern Top
Mesh pattern top
How it was made: Harper took a mesh top and using a stencil cut out the shirt to the measurement of a halter top. She then sewed in the raw edges and she was done!
What went well: The material of the shirt ended up being perfect and the sentil fit perfectly!
What didn't go well: For the first few rounds of sewing I had to learn new techniques so this shirt was sort of a practice run and therefore not very sturdy.
What I learned from this: I learned that in the future I need to double stitch so my sewing doesn't unravel.
Made by: Harper
Fiddlers
Creek
Baby Tee
Fiddlers baby tee
How it was made: Harper took a oversized weirdly fitting tee and using basic sewing techniques and cropping sewed the shirt to be a tight-fitting, cropped baby tee.
What went well: The color of the shirt ended up looking amazing and it fits perfectly and stretched to my measurements!
What didn't go well: Again, the shirt was sort of a practice run and therefore not very sturdy meaning the stitch started to unravel.
What I am taking away from this: Again, I learned that in the future I need to double stitch so my sewing doesn't unravel.
Made by: Harper
Yellow Button up
Yellow button up
How it was made: Harper took a vintage cardigan and cutt of the sleeves and its length and then sewed in the raw edges.
What went well: The measurements ended up being perfect and the ends don't unravel!
What didn't go well: The shirt fit a bit odd and was a bit too loose.
What I am taking away from this: I now know how important it is to always cute a shirt down to exact measurements not just eyeball it.
Made by: Harper
ADVERTISING
Our next step was to advertise our pre made pieces and start our business!
A little about our advertisement
The first thing we did is advertise our business and depop site through multiple different social media platforms. The first is tik tok. Using the hashtags #fyp, #foryou, #style, etc., we tried to create a viral video that would attract people to our site. Next is pinterest. Unlike depop, it is quite hard for a photo to go viral on pinterest so we intended to put out as many photos of our pieces as possible in hopes that one will attract attention. We made an instagram so people can have ideas on how to style the pieces they bought but also so people know we are a real and legit business. We ended up making some sales and growing awareness of out business!
Depop
Here is all the information regarding our depop!
Name- Eco Fashion
Bio- Upcycled handmade items made to create a more sustainable fashion industry. Feel free to message us with any questions!
Profile photo- A photo of harper and I showcasing our two dresses so buyers know we are real people we wear our own items.
Our plan for how to promote our items
Popular hashtags on depop- #y2k, #pintresttrends, #indie, #early2000s, #pintrestgirl, #trendy
CREATING
Once the business was made, it was time to create!
A little about our creation process
Fashion has always been a fun thing for us. We love experimenting with different patterns and different ways of styling things, and we also love to thrift. Sometimes it can be hard to the perfect piece while thrifting, so that’s where our idea came in. We wanted to personalize items for people while also being sustainable. When we received an order or a piece from a customer, we would upcycle it to their vision using many elements and give it back to them, then we would calculate how much would go back into the business and what profit goes to charity.
SOME OF OUR FAVORITE PIECES
Green jacket
Before After
How the green jacket was made
How it was made: I dyed a knit sweater and some soft fabric to make a green House of Sunny inspired cardigan.
What went well: The dye turned out perfect.
What didn't go well: The sewing was very hard, and hot glue can unstick.
What we won't be using in the future:
Hot glue.
Brown Converse with
Pink soles
How the brown converse were made
How it was made: I dyed my converse brown by taping up the parts I didn't want to be dyed, the logo and the top of the soles, and then I let it sit in brown dye with a pink tint for 30 minutes.
What went well: The soles turned out the perfect pink
What didn't go well: The brown dye did not apply evenly
What we won't be using in the future: I will add more vinegar to my dye mix in the future
Blue mini satin
dress with pink
lace trim
Blue mini satin dress with pink lace trim
How it was made: I cut and sewed a sain dress to make it a mini dress and then I added lace trim to the top.
What went well: The fit of the dress turned out to be perfect
What didn't go well: The lace at the top of the dress has a hard time not folding over.
What we won't be using in the future: I will be using a more sturdy lace instead of a flimsy one.
Red mini skirt and lace tank top set
Red mini skirt and lace tank top set
How it was made: I took a white long satin dress and dyed it to be red and then I hemed it to my personal measurements and cut out both the skirt and the top. After that I added the lace trip to both the skirt and the top.
What went well: The dying of the dress turned out to be perfect.
What didn't go well: The material on the dress is cheap and is sheer
What we won't be using in the future: I will not use sheer or cheap materialis.
Conclusion
This was a project that took a lot of time and effort. We enjoyed helping people enhance their style and using a creative aspect that was completely new to us. In the end we learned a ton and made something we are proud of. Thank you!