A Summer In Quarantine

After finding out my internship at Urban Outfitters was cancelled, I had no idea what do to with myself. The world seemed to have turned upside-down over night. I had an entire, unstructured summer ahead of me full of doubt and uncertainty.

However, after a few days, I realized I was surrounded by a plethora of opportunities. My room was full to the brim with art supplies. This was the perfect chance to work on projects I had put to the back of my mind.

I've always had a passion for clothes: waking up and deciding what to wear never fails to be the most exciting part of my day. But I wanted to go beyond that and customize my clothes more to my liking. I wanted clothes that felt more a part of me.

What started as a small project transformed my summer. I generated interest on my social media and had commissioned work lined up for months. I explored sustainable alternatives to traditional consumption and developed a passion for up-cyling.

I am extremely privileged to have been in a position where I was able to create work in a time of great turmoil. By no means should a quarantine come with the expectation of being your most productive self and I consider myself fortunate to have had the space to explore and develop these projects.

Custom Stitches

After posting about a hoodie I had added stitching to for fun, a few friends reached out to me and asked if they could have their own. Soon after that, more people were reaching out to me asking for custom hoodies until I was entirely booked for the summer.

Each hoodie is hand embroidered and personalized. This was an insightful venture where I learned first hand basic principles of freelance work.

ボロジャケット

boro jacket

One of my goals this past summer was to be a more conscious consumer. I made a promise to myself to buy significantly less clothing. So, I started making my own.

This jacket is made from recycled jeans, all of which were either going to be donated or thrown away.

This patchwork style mimics the traditional Japanese boro, which means "ragged" or "tattered." Historically, boro was born out of a necessity to patch and rework textiles and fabrics in order to extend its use.

Although not entirely a necessity anymore, the philosophy of boro remains relevant today more than ever: something new can be made out of something that already exists, and there is undeniable beauty in the ragged and torn.

2006

I spent all of quarantine in the house I grew up in. On days when I itched for something to do, I would flip through old journals that I had written in, one of which I wrote when I was 7 years old.

Drawing and writing have both been fundamental to my growth and were the first creative outlets I found comfort in. As a way to pay homage to the initial stages of that growth, I preserved some of the drawings on a hoodie.

Pending Projects...

Projects I am currently sewing, destroying, mending, and altering :)