The easiest way to integrate the principle of reuse into our lifestyle is by the clothes on our back (or waist, or legs, as the case may be). There are many Toronto artists who create new clothing from old materials, but the fundamentals of reuse comes from using what you already have, not from going out and buying more stuff. So, in the spirit of DIY, I present to you:
The Make Den.
The Make Den is an amazing place. It offers many, many, sewing lessons and workshops which teach a wide variety of techniques and styles. They range from the very basics all the way up to formal wear and tailored jackets. They also mentor teens who are interested in entering the fashion industry, who go on to programs such as Fashion Design at Ryerson.
But even for the less ambitious of us, The Make Den provides useful skills which can allow us to alter our(or others) current wardrobe, or to use old fabrics to make new clothes (such as curtains, bedclothes, and tablecloths). In this way we can reduce the amount we consume, reuse, have great clothes, and gain new life long skills.
The Make Den is owned and founded by
Irene Stickney, a graduate herself of Ryerson University.While at school, she created a fashion collective/bike gang named
The Deadly Nightshades. Far from driving Harley's, these fashion graduates instead ride bicycles, and are currently (among other things) guiding tours throughout Toronto to different independent and vintage fashion locations.
I find reading about the Nightshades and the Make Den inspiring. They are talented, and unique. The classes come highly recommended, and have been reviewed in a number of sources including
The National Post. They make sewing seem easy, accessible, and fun. Located conveniently on Bloor between Landsdown and Dufferin, I would love to attend a class there. Here's hoping have the opportunity sometime in the very near future.
