Meet Aja!
“Fashion is something I’ve wanted to do since I was a little kid. I would steal my mom’s fashion magazines and stay up late reading them!”
-Aja (@illusions_couture)
Can you describe your process for selecting Goodwill items for this piece?
I wanted my first garment to have super long sleeves. I had no idea what the material I wanted to use, and then I saw the main button up I used for my garment and knew that it was the shirt I wanted to use. My goal was to create a high fashion business look.
What was your process for altering this piece?
First, I started by deciding which shirt I wanted to keep whole and make the center. I had four men’s button-up shirts all in a neutral color scheme. I chose the largest one.
Then, I cut off the sleeves of the other shirts and hand-stitched them together. I cut the top part of the shirts off and was left with the bottom half. Next, I cut those in half vertically to have two sides which I machine stitched together. That allowed me to have a really long strip of fabric that I could gather and make ruffles along the bottom of the shirt. This added length and made it into a dress.
What was your inspiration for the finished piece?
I was inspired by bizarre and exaggerated silhouettes, as well as objects in nature. I also just wanted to do something crazy out of the box to show who I am as a designer.
“At the end of the day, you have to wear (and do!) what makes you happy!” -Aja Buffaloe
