Sustainable Fashion: Visible Mending & Upcycling

Join Robin Schweitzer and learn beautiful visible mending and embroidery techniques to extend the life of damaged garments or thrift store finds. Use colors, thread, and fabric patches to turn your garment into wearable art. Let's get inspired by the Japanese worldview of wabi-sabi, which encourages seeing the beauty in imperfection. Why it matters: The overproduction and overconsumption of cheaply made clothing causes harm to the planet and its inhabitants. We can be conscious consumers by: buying fewer clothes, taking better care of the garments we have, and reusing, repairing, repurposing, recycling, and upcycling used clothing. Fashion can be much more sustainable and ethical if we trade in the "take-make-waste" system into a more circular and regenerative one! Bring along a garment that needs a little TLC and transform it into a fabulous new item you'll be proud to wear! (For example: a plain denim jacket with worn elbows or old pair of jeans with tattered knees, or a plain-Jane thrift store sweater, tee or sweatshirt. Nothing to bring? No worries! We will have a small bin of thrift store finds available for you to find your project, too!) All other supplies will be provided. Light refreshments will be served.

The daughter of a Mexican mother and American father, Robin Schweitzer grew up in the Bronx. After a successful 38-year career in the fashion industry, Robin founded the HOOP in New York City. Born out of her childhood summers in Mexico City stitching alongside her grandmother, mother, aunts and cousins, the HOOP serves as an untethered hangout of curious creatives to fastidiously learn stitching, fiber craft, and life lessons, too.