I was ecstatic when I first heard about the Ortablu uniform competition. Fashion is often labeled as a materialistic and shallow industry and this competition allows us to take a piece of fabric and make a difference in someone’s life from across the globe. As an aspiring designer, my goal is to strike a balance between my passion for the environment and my love for fashion design. Through my experience traveling to a third world country and my research on the culture of Sierra Leone, I developed a concept that was both functional and fun.

The students and families of Sierra Leone deal with the harsh realities of civil war and limited access to bare necessities on a daily basis, which we often take for granted. These uniforms
can be worn several different ways to relieve the financial burden of buying separates for many families sending their children to school. These uniforms can be hand washed, are made from a durable fabric, have adjustable sleeve and pant lengths for comfort and sun protection and are designed to expand with adolescent growth spurts. I also wanted these students to have fun in styling how they wore their uniforms, but still abided by the school dress code. The final design element of these uniforms is a patch (a heart for the girls and a football for the boys) hidden inside a pocket of each garment as a little reminder of childhood. As many of these children have faced issues that force them to grow up too soon.

– Angelique Matthews