Mom of 3 Sarah Tyau is one of many who are helping to break our addiction with ‘fast fashion,’ where retailers have to constantly tempt customers with endless ‘new’ fashions to sell products. She has transformed hundreds of pieces of old clothing, from oversized shirts to wedding dresses, turning them into stylish outfits for her and her daughters, who love getting involved.
Sarah began recycling old clothes soon after the birth of her first daughter. What began as a way to save some money became a philosophy for life: “Look good, feel good, do good.” She has transformed hundreds of pieces of old clothing, from oversized shirts to wedding dresses, turning them into stylish outfits for her and her daughters, who love getting involved.
“I have been meaning to teach them how to sew, we are supposed to start a sewing series on YouTube together where I teach them how to refashion, but they’re also so busy in their own lives, we haven’t gotten a chance to yet,” Sarah told Bored Panda. “But they have a strong sense of fashion in their young age and have very good taste so I think they’ll take over what I do one day and be better than me!”
“Being a stay at home mom to 3 kids, time is very limited so I haven’t refined my skills as much as I want to but I want to take classes soon,” she said. “So my skills are actually very basic. Actually, quite a few skills are needed in refashioning since you keep the buttonholes, darts, zippers, and it’s mostly just straight stitching. My vision makes up for my skills though, it takes me 15-30 seconds to envision the piece to something I’d want it to transform into.”
With 135k followers on Instagram, people are clearly enjoying Sarah’s work. She also has a Youtube channel where she shares hints and tips on technique and design, so you too can start refashioning your old clothes and reduce your impact. “My advice to limit your impact is to buy more timeless, classic pieces and mix it with a few trendy pieces here and there,” she told us. “This way you don’t throw away as many clothes and are not always having to buy constantly in order to stay on trend. Also throw a clothing swap exchange with your neighbors, friends, or other groups.”
“What used to be only 2 fashion seasons of spring/summer and fall/winter is now at 52 micro-seasons. Clothes, just like any other materialistic things, don’t buy you lasting happiness but only a fleeting moment of excitement. So if you base your happiness or self-worth and identity on what clothes you wear, you’ll never be happy or content because the fashion industry will always tell you what you bought a month ago is now out of trend so you must buy this newly released item in order to stay relevant or happy. So instead of putting so much importance on what you wear or how expensive or what designer brand you’re wearing, focus on being kind, having integrity and morals and you’ll always be in fashion!”
Look at her stunning work!
Sarah Tyau starts recycling old clothes soon after the birth of her first daughter
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