When I first heard about Ortablu contest, I immediately thought about my twelve years going to school in Vietnam wearing my uniform daily; I felt inspired and personally connected to the project.
I wanted to create an outfit that can function well in the hot, dusty or muddy environment. Also, children are always energetic and active so the uniform must be not only comfortable but also flexible and durable. Since a uniform may be something expensive and fancy for people in Sierra Leona, I want the children can use the uniform for a long time despite of their growth; I want them to feel good in the uniform going to church or even to wedding.
With these criteria in mind, I designed two sets of uniform. They all have some same characteristics: large neck hole to pull out; sleeves are open at underarm for the sweat; the hems of all tops and girl’s bottoms are longer than normal, blind stitched and adjustable; the hems of boy’s bottoms are rolled up to outside and can be lengthen or shorten; there are many pockets; collars and welt pockets are made with the wrong side of the fabric; waistlines are designed to be adjustable and pants are large and armholes have topstitch and lining to be more durable.
Set 1 is a combination of shirt and pants for both boy and girl. The shape of the neckline is designed based on the traditional clothes of Africa countries. The boy’s pants have a belt connected to the front part and the girl’s pants have two bands connected to the back that can be tied together.
Set 2 is a combination of shirt and pants for boy and dress for girl. The tops all have center front seam that can be open to enlarge the neckline. The waistlines of the two are all designed with elastic bands underneath and bands with buttons over. The bands with button will help with the short life of elastic band and they can be adjustable by adjusting the button.

Overall, the look I created is formal and suitable for the age of the children. I pushed my design to function at its best. I hope to see them being produced for the children in Sierra Leona