the uniform project

Have you guys seen the Uniform Project? Wherein Brooklyn-based designer Sheena Matheiken wears the same dress each and every day for an entire year (yup, the dress is that one up there ^)? It's meant to show the viability of sustainable fashion, while also being a fundraiser for the Akanksha Foundation, which supports education in India. The concept? Amazing. In reality? I'm not sold.

Why, you ask? Well, truth be told, the project doesn't seem all that sustainable to me. Is it more sustainable than the average person's habits? Absolutely. Sheena has seven dresses (and they're reversible!), one for each day of the week, and if we all had only seven articles of clothing in our wardrobes, the world would probably be a better place. But she's allowed to accessorize the dress - who wouldn't want to? - and this is where things go a bit awry.

After browsing through every one of the daily photos since the project's inception in May, I've noticed that very rarely is an accessory repeated. The project's manifesto states that the accoutrements are generally thrifted or procured from places like Ebay and Etsy, which is great. But how many people do you know who own enough socks, leggings, shoes, and other beautiful things that they could change them up continually for several months and almost never wear the same thing twice? And how many of you would call this sustainable? I would be much more impressed with the whole thing if it really were an exercise in sustainability - remixing a small pool of options in inventive and unorthodox ways for an extended period of time. That said, Sheena looks great every day, and her creativity is inspiring. Here's to hoping that by the end of the Uniform Project next May, it's followers will be motivated to live life a little bit closer to the earth.