Contestant Dossiers
Please review all contestant dossiers before proceeding to contestant scoring. All dossiers appear below in alphabetical order by the contestants’ last names. Please only consider materials from these dossiers in the judging process; do not consider any other materials you may have seen regarding the Wear We Are Going contest or its contestants (for example, do not consider material in social media posts from the contest organizers or from the contest finalists).
Contestant #1
Tona Beck
Personal Introduction
I am a newbie fashion designer starting out and finding my own place in the world. I have participated in two wearable art contests. I had won one award and got an honorable mention for Teen Stylin at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. I also participated in the Eileen Fisher fashion leadership program. I am hoping in the future I will be able to create a Avant Garde sustainable fashion brand.
Initial Design Concept
My design is an Avant Garde statement piece. I was inspired by the Japanese feudal mens pants style and semi plunging neckline for the top with a sustainable twist. Anybody can wear this garment. Since COVID our bodies have fluctuated in sizes and we have had to get rid of many clothes that don’t fit anymore. This garment is specifically made to be functional no matter what size the wearer may be. Beauty is ever changing and we should always empower people for who they are. This garment is adjustable, interchangeable, and reversible. The bodice straps and pants are adjustable. Both shoulders will have drawstrings so you can adjust the width of the straps.The bodice will tie in the back. The pants are adjustable around the waist with ribbon. The pants will also have three rows of holes on each side so the leg has adjustable sizing by tying ribbons that come with the garment. The holes will be made by using a button hole sewing stitch. This piece is also reversible as well so depending on what you are feeling that day you can still look fabulous.
The fabric will be organic linen that will be naturally dyed. There will be two different dyeing methods for this look. One is using elderberries to get a red hue. Then the second method is using carob pods to attain a dark grayish black hue. The top and bottom of this piece is also detachable so that you can mix and match your look. Linen is a biodegradable fabric so it won’t pollute the earth as it will decompose over time. For creating this design I will be sourcing my fabrics from Swatchon, a sustainable fabrics website. For the ingredients for dyeing I would purchase them locally. This design was created to be sustainable,fashionable, size inclusive!
Initial Materials
Organic Linen, Carob Pods, Elder Berries, Thread
Initial Design Sketches, Renderings, & Mood Boards
Final Design
Design Perspectives
Design Detail Closeups
Design in Motion
Contestant #2
Andrea Diodati
Personal Introduction
Andrea Diodati is an award winning fashion designer, assistant professor and Reiki Master. Presently, Diodati is exploring the relationship between spirituality, fashion and sustainability.
Initial Design Concept
Let’s celebrate the embodiment of beauty, resilience and adaptation in the Divine Feminine for all genders. This dress, sketched on a non-binary individual, is made for movement, symbolic of the Divine Feminine’s fluidity and freedom. I’ve incorporated healing earth elements like twigs, rose quartz and citrine stones. The fabric is deadstock 100% silk crepe de chine and chiffon. Once the wearer is finished with the dress, they can return it to be upcycled or have a burial ritual to honor its lifecycle. By treasuring our garments as sacred, we respect the many resources and environmental stresses they incur.
Initial Materials
deadstock silk crepe de chine and silk chiffon, twigs, rose quartz and citrine stones, natural dyes, silk thread, hook and eye, hemp twine, metal skirt hook
Initial Design Sketches, Renderings, & Mood Boards
Final Design
Design Perspectives
Design Detail Closeups
Design in Motion
Contestant #3
Lindsay Jacobs
Personal Introduction
My name is Lindsay Jacobs. I am from the bay area. I had been homeschooling for 7 years and I just finished a semester of dual enrollment at SBCC. I have taken nine precollege classes through the Fashion Institute of Technology and fell in love with the professors and community. I will be applying to FIT in New York City, for fashion design this coming fall. I love to be creative and express myself in my art. I have been sewing since I was 11 and sketching, painting, making jewelry, baking/cooking for as long as I can remember!
Initial Design Concept
My look Nature’s Villa, is inspired by the beauty surrounding us on earth. It captures the essence of the outdoors, its neutral tones and lightweight fabrics add to its earthy feel. Along with a few pops of color, inspired by foliage. Nature truly is our very own villa, in and of itself. My design utilizes and works with nature, instead of against it. In this day and age, the fashion industry contributes a large amount of pollution and detrimental harm to our earth, adding to the current climate change issues. It’s our job as fashion designers, and humans on this earth, to do everything we can to try and heal our earth. Implementing sustainability into my fashion designs has become very important to me as I have continued to learn about the harms of fast fashion and what I can do to prevent this in my own designs. I have chosen to use nature as my inspiration. I truly get the most inspired outdoors. I designed a blouse using 100% organic Egyptian cotton shirting. This is an eco-friendly fabric, certified by the BCI. It is also an OEKO-TEX certified fabric, made from raw materials, minimizing harm for the environment and human health. This lightweight material is perfect for summer weather. The halter top neckline has an adjustable tie and it is perfect for long-term use. Most people tend to change sizes in the bust line throughout their lifetime. The adjustable tie allows room for growth, or if needed, the opposite. In addition it is perfect for any mother who is breastfeeding. I will use a 100% sustainable zipper, made of organic cotton and recycled brass. I designed a two-toned 100% organic cotton twill pant. It is eco-friendly and sustainable because of its dyeing and finishing process. It is an OEKO-TEX certified fabric as well. This durable fabric is perfect for longevity. I added latticework novelty netting to the inseam of the pant, to add a unique touch to an every-day twill pant. This can be dressed up with heels, or dressed down for an afternoon in the park. I will use organic elastic that is biodegradable for the waistline, with an adjustable tie-belt. This allows for comfort and room for adjusting the size, as our bodies naturally change throughout our lifetime. Not only can one look chic and feel sexy in this new outfit, but they would be implementing sustainability. Utilizing manufacturing processes that decrease our carbon footprint, using recycled materials and processes that use less water, can all contribute to a greener lifestyle. We have to be more cautious of the impact we have on this earth. This is why I chose materials that embody this mindset and put it into action. As a designer not only should we be thinking about functionality and appearance of our designs, but we should be ethically aware. Many textile processes are inhumane for animals, the environment and humans. I designed this look with functionality, style, comfort and most importantly, sustainability in mind.
Initial Materials
100% Organic cotton twill, 100% Egyptian cotton, Latticework Novelty Net, organic biodegradable elastic, organic cotton & recycled brass zipper (100% sustainable)
Initial Design Sketches, Renderings, & Mood Boards
Final Design
Design Perspectives
Design Detail Closeups
Design in Motion
Contestant #4
Mahdiyyah Abdullah Muhammad
Personal Introduction
Mahdiyyah is a self-taught Fabric Alchemist, Designer, and all around creative with a skill for transforming old, discarded clothing into completely new forms and one of a kind garments made only once. Her prior research about the healing properties that certain fabrics possess, drive her to create intentionally crafted clothing for the wearer.
Initial Design Concept
Fabric Alchemy: Mother Nature-Found on Earth. Through the use of Fabric Alchemy, a pile of old, discarded cotton t shirts selected from Goodwill can be transformed into an up cycled, wearable work of art with the ability to heal, all thanks to nature and the resourcefulness of restoration. The idea is to educate, inspire, and heal. Given the fact that naturally occurring fabrics like linen, wool, and cotton carry a higher vibrational frequency than that of man-made materials such as polyester, discarded cotton t shirts are selected from goodwill to make the old new again, and mimic the earth in it’s ability to recycle, reuse, and be born again over and over as a means for continued evolution. The shirts are intentionally cut up and reduced to their natural form, to then be transformed into a new form-a stretch of fabric(fabric alchemy). Scraps are pieced or puzzled together, and from this fabric, a new silhouette is formed.It emerges, more purposeful, more beautiful, and as a testament to the resilience of nature.
Initial Materials
Recycled/discarded cotton t shirts, scissors, pins, sewing machine
Initial Design Sketches, Renderings, & Mood Boards
Final Design
Design Perspectives
Design Detail Closeups
Design in Motion