The Uniform Project
Wednesday, 15 December 2010 by Lydia Parafianowicz
I was recently spending a Saturday shopping in Amsterdam with my sister-in-law, and she asked if we could quickly visit an event she had heard about from her employer. We didn’t know what it was, but arrived at the address to find bright lights and a photoshoot happening inside. The event coordinators ushered us in and, much to our surprise, asked if we were ready to model!
The event hosted by WE ARE Pi in conjunction with The Uniform Project, a concept that was originally started in New York by Sheena Matheiken. Feeling uninspired with her career in advertising, Sheena challenged herself to wear the same dress for 365 days.
She wanted to prove that you don’t need to have mounds of clothing to adapt your look, but with one simple black dress you can accessorize to change your outfit every day. She also added a corporate responsibility aspect to the project – that she wouldn’t buy any new clothing for the year as well.
While raising awareness for her project, she also collected donations for the Akanksha Foundation, a non-profit organization providing education to children living in Indian slums. She has since raised over $100,000 for the organization, and Sheena was named one of Elle Magazine's Women of the Year for 2009.
The LBD that Sheena wore for the whole year is super versatile; you can wear it forwards and backwards, remove the collar and shoulder pads,
and wear it loose fitting or tight depending how you fasten the buttons. In the photoshoot I wore a small size dress, cinched at waist with a belt and accessorized with a pin, hat and sparkly tights. The dress was super cute!
The project was launched in Amsterdam with a photoshoot, featuring everyday ladies who came in off the street to model different looks. My sister-in-law and I were included in the shoot – here are some of the looks snapped!
If you want to get your own LBD and support this great cause, visit The Uniform Project's website.
