The Uniform Project is the brainchild of Sheena Matheiken, creative director for a New York web design company. Matheiken grew up and was educated in Kerla, in India where uniforms are compulsory at most public schools. Even at such a young age she noticed the way kids personalised their uniform to rebel against the imposed conformity. The boys would roll up their pants to expose their sneakers while the girls would adorn themselves with bangles, bindis and extravagant hairdos.
The idea behind the project is this: Each day for an entire year Sheena will compose an outfit based around the same dress. (Well, one of seven identical dresses- she has one for each day of the week). The remaining pieces for each outfit will come from her wardrobe, eBay, Etsy, vintage boutiques and thrift stores. She will also be collaborating with local artists to create pieces for her to wear and will be accepting donations of accessories from designers or people looking to clear out their closets.
The project aims to raise money for the Akanksha Foundation, a grassroots non-profit organisation which was founded in 1990 in Mumbai. Akanksha aims to match the Indian government’s education spending on each child living in the slums. So far Matheiken has raised over USD$5000.
Matheiken with the help of friend and designer, Eliza Starbuck, created the dress which would form the basis of her outfit every day for one whole year. They redesigned one of her favourite dresses, making it suitable to wear both ways. So far she has worn it on its own, layered over pants, jeans, dresses and skirts, as a tunic and as an outer garment.
Looking through the outfits she has created over the past two-and-a-half moths has made me realise how little creativity most people (myself included) exercise when choosing what to wear each day. Even within the constraints of having to wear the same item of clothing daily Matheiken possesses style worthy of the pages of any self-respecting fashion blog or magazine.
This Year’s Model: 1 Dress, 365 Days
12 JulThe idea behind the project is this: Each day for an entire year Sheena will compose an outfit based around the same dress. (Well, one of seven identical dresses- she has one for each day of the week). The remaining pieces for each outfit will come from her wardrobe, eBay, Etsy, vintage boutiques and thrift stores. She will also be collaborating with local artists to create pieces for her to wear and will be accepting donations of accessories from designers or people looking to clear out their closets.
The project aims to raise money for the Akanksha Foundation, a grassroots non-profit organisation which was founded in 1990 in Mumbai. Akanksha aims to match the Indian government’s education spending on each child living in the slums. So far Matheiken has raised over USD$5000.
Matheiken with the help of friend and designer, Eliza Starbuck, created the dress which would form the basis of her outfit every day for one whole year. They redesigned one of her favourite dresses, making it suitable to wear both ways. So far she has worn it on its own, layered over pants, jeans, dresses and skirts, as a tunic and as an outer garment.
Looking through the outfits she has created over the past two-and-a-half moths has made me realise how little creativity most people (myself included) exercise when choosing what to wear each day. Even within the constraints of having to wear the same item of clothing daily Matheiken possesses style worthy of the pages of any self-respecting fashion blog or magazine.