The Uniform Dress Project on the pursuit of style and conscientious living.
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Uniforms are not generally associated with fashion, perhaps even less so with fun, but fun fashion is precisely what Sheena Matheiken, the pixie-sweet model at the center of The Uniform Project, has injected into this homogeneous genre of dress.
Conceived with friend and former fashion designer Eliza Starbuck the "creative experiment" is in its 102nd day of its extensive 365-day journey to enlighten the public and raise money for India's Akanksha Foundation, a grassroots movement funding education for children in the slums.
Over the course of The Uniform Project's life span, the public is invited to witness and comment on Matheiken's transformation of seven identical black dresses into a year's worth of eclectic looks. Asked why she chose a uniform to be the artistic vehicle of her endeavor, Matheiken makes reference to her childhood in India.
She reflects: "I think here in the West, uniforms are associated with rich private schools or catholic schools or institutionalism but that wasn't really the case back home because most public schools had uniforms, that was the mandate in India."I always thought that [accessorizing uniforms] was really a fascinating display of all the idiosyncrasies of teenage madness...., says Sheena Matheiken.
Unlike those who perceive uniform dress to be restricting, Matheiken has always understood it to be a welcomed challenge to her individualism. "I think that kids found more creative ways of showing a little flare," she recalls of her school days. " I always thought that [accessorizing uniforms] was really a fascinating display of all the idiosyncrasies of teenage madness and I think that still came out in really subtle ways and that was always fascinating."
Armed with her own artillery of accessories, the versatile uniform designed by Starbuck for the project, proves to satisfy the demands of any occasion or whimsy. Unexpected in form and function, Matheiken's tickle trunk boasts hats, cuffs, vests and the like procured from vintage shops and ebay, as well as the occasional sustainable fashion item donated by a local New York designer.
"I'd already gotten into the habit of shopping just vintage and through this project, the greatest thing for me has been the exposure I'm getting to actual sustainable designers," shares Matheiken.
Specializing in the outré, the Web's newly-crowed style maven's nonchalance take on fashion is nothing shy of astonishing, considering the panache with which she dresses. "I just put things together that make me laugh and walk out of the house," says Matheiken of her speedy morning style routine.
Keep reading to check out how one dress really can last 365 days!
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