Monday, March 28, 2011

good deeds ~ be sustainably fashionable

hey remember this gal?  


if not, please let me share with you one of my favorite things that ever happened in blogland.  the uniform project was started by sheena matheiken, a regular working girl who pledged to spend an entire year wearing one little black dress, while still creating a unique look each day, and without buying anything new.  the point in doing this was not to draw attention to herself, but to the fact that we can be sustainably responsible, and still look really great!  she also used the challenge as a fundraiser for the akanksha foundation, a non-profit dedicated to bringing education to children living in the slums of india.

in the end, she was able to raise over $100,000 for the kids!!  i absolutely loved checking out her outfit each morning and i think she was rather successful at pulling off unique looks with so little.  i've included a few of my favorites in this post, but you can also check out all the other outfits here.


sheena ended her challenge in april 2010, but the uniform project is not over.  it has become a platform where anyone can take part and raise money for a good cause.  the mission statement reads: 
"Use fashion as a vehicle to make acts of charity more inspired and playful, 
enabling individuals to rise as role models of style, sustainability and social consciousness."  
i love this!  if you want to participate, you can submit a worthy cause to the uniform project and they'll send you a dress, or a pattern to make the dress, at a discounted rate.  from there you have 1 month {no you do not have to commit to a full year like sheena did} to participate in the challenge and raise money for your cause.

you can also support the people who are already participating, by donating a few dollars to the charity of the month.  right now, donations are going to charity water, but in a few days, there will be a new month, a new challenger, and a new charity, so make sure to check it out on friday!



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of course, you don't have to participate in the uniform project in order to help the world through fashion.

we spend an enormous amount of money on materialistic goods, yet there are so many people suffering and starving in the world.  maybe if the next time you see a cute shirt or dress you can choose to spend that $30-$60 on a good cause instead.  i mean, don't you already have so many cute shirts & dresses in your closet that your husband can't fit his suit in there? {yup, that question was meant specifically for me.}

and if you want to find a nice challenge for yourself that isn't quite as intense as the uniform project, how about the 30 for 30 remix challenge?  i just discovered this over on scenic glory {lindsay is chronicling her wardrobe remix on her blog}.  the rules are as follows:


what a cool way to get creative and sustainably responsible with what you already have! this is such an amazing idea and i love how accessible it is for all of us.  i know i've felt inspired seeing these remix posts popping up around blogland {especially right now while i'm unemployed and don't have money for shopping}, how about you?

are you participating in anything like this?  
if not, do you think you could survive it?



ps - if you know of a good cause you would like to see featured here, please email me at fillyourwell{at}gmail{dot}com.


26 comments:

  1. Wow, what a great idea! ever since moving to Boston and being on a tighter student budget, I think i subconsciously started to do this. I stayed away from the latest trends and instead invested on more versatile pieces of clothing so that I could wear the same top on various occasions!

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  2. I think I may only have 30 items in my closet to begin with, considering it's been quite some time since I've bought any new clothing. Projects like these are such wonderful adventures, but I worry if I participated, I'd put much too much time into planning my outfit every day, and as a grad student, I don't have time like that.

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  3. I would love to do something like this! Work, and the cold weather might make it a little difficult right now, but over the summer I definitely could. What a great idea.

    xo,

    Sarah

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  4. I can totally do this! I need to stop spending in general so this would also be very good for me. You always think of everything- thanks for sharing!

    Your blog should read "Kimbirdy: making the world a better place, one post at a time."

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  5. oh, i love this. Both ideas are wonderful. I really want to the remix.
    You're the best kim
    peace

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  6. Ohhhh, I love this idea that Sheena had (and she looks stunning in all of these photographs. Great looks she pulls off!).

    Buying clothes has never been too much a weakness for me. I tend to get something when I feel I need it (and would much rather spend my money on concert tickets) BUT there are times when I definitely splurge and don't need to. I'm trying to work on that myself.

    Hope your week is off to a great start!

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  7. That's amazing! I love all the looks she created for that one little black dress.

    And I also love how you always find these amazing good deeds to share with us.

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  8. I love this idea - I would totally want to participate! My clothes have been rotating between the same few pieces anyway...I'm definitely going to look into this! :) I love that you posted about this, Kim! :)

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  9. I love the idea - think she pulled it of in great style. Could I do it - dunno but I will give it some thought - that's for sure. Thanks for the usual great posts Kimbirdy. Xox

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  10. What a great post, Kim! I DO remember this girl and thinking she was/is so cool! I think it's been over 30 days since I bought something new, ha! I love ideas like this and I'm so glad she raised so much money, I had no idea!

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  11. I love the uniform project, how inspiring!!

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  12. this young woman is so stylish and inspiring! love what she did.

    there is so much more we can all do. i know i can try harder. we live in a BUY BUY BUY culture, which has many pros and cons. it is good to keep the economy going, but it is also good to make do with what one has and help others. i don't mean to sound preachy -- i think i am just typing this to remind ME to keep myself in check a bit more. :]

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  13. I could easily do this - I basically wear the same 30 items of clothes anyway. And I hardly ever go shopping. I love that she was able to raise so much money though!

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  14. Wow! I have not heard of this! It sounds amazing :) I would like to try it, but I don;t think I have the time or energy to do it right now. Though I have always wondered if I could!

    Rachael

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  15. i think i only rotate 20 items of clothing... plus today i stayed in my pjs... does that count ? :)

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  16. I remember reading about this, she did a wonderful job!! It was such a good idea :) I've actually set myself a challenge to only buy second hand clothing or clothes made in Australia with Australian material for a year..six months through already! It's actually so much easier than I imagined, and saves so much money!

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  17. What a really great idea! I hope she washed the dress frequently ;) but she looks awesome!

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  18. I love this idea. I will have to postpone though till post-wedding as I feel like time is disappearing ever increasingly, but what a challenge.

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  19. I know of the 30 for 30 challenge and think it's high time I got my act together and try it out. I'll plan to do so this year...thanks for kicking my butt into gear!

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  20. sweet!!! This is exactly what I didn't know I was looking for. I might be going on a trip soon to see my folks {in Africa} and the first thing I thought was, 'I need to go shopping' then I thought of the people they know there that have so little and seem to be satisfied with what little they have. The basics. Not at all concerned with the next new thing, the 'it' item.

    I have a joke line I say to myself when I'm pleased with myself after a purchase, 'NOW I'm happy.' because really, things don't make me happy, the weigh me down.

    dear Kimbirdy, I love your take on life.

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  21. What a great idea! I haven't seen her, but I should have.
    I could do the challenge - I don't buy many clothes (instead I buy a few more expensive things, like Rag & Bone stuff)...

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  22. I think I could manage this challenge. At least the no shopping part... i am rather proud of my lack of clothes shopping this year, although that may also be due to the lack of $$$ in my bank account! ;)

    wonderful idea though, let us know if you go through with it!

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  23. this is totally a cool idea ! I've seen quite a number of bloggers doing their 30 for 30 remix challenge but hers is a bit different which is by wearing a black dress for entire year !!! how cool was that!!!?? great !

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  24. I LOVE this! What a great idea!! I don't know that I'm as stylish as the young lady in these photos, but I'd give it a go! Are you going to participating in one of these? If you do, I can't wait to see the pics!!

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  25. Sometimes, I miss out on awesome posts because I only have 10 minutes to glance at my Dashboard. It's Wednesday now and I really need to catch up!

    This is the BEST IDEA for me at this very moment. I shall participate and not buy a single item for 30 days and remix what I have.. I can probably start going through my spring stuff and wear those soon.

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