Reworking the Fashion Mindset With Local Designer Paige Sechrist
While some people may see clothes from five years ago as items to toss aside, Orlando-based fashion designer and FSU sophomore Paige Sechrist sees them as an opportunity for “new life.”
Sechrist reworks items from her closet or nearby thrift stores and transforms them into something that she and her customers would wear. Aside from doing this because she loves to craft or make an extra buck, she said she ultimately wants to promote sustainable fashion.
“I want people to know that you can have a good wardrobe that you either make yourself or buy sustainably. I try to show people that unique items are much more valuable than trendy items you’ll throw away in a few months,” Sechrist said. “I think fashion should be more meaningful than just going with the trends.”
With designers like Sechrist changing the perception of fashion, the global ethical market has reached a value of $6.35 billion in 2019 and continues to rise.
Much of the awareness brought to sustainable and ethical fashion has been credited to social media.
While Sechrist learned how to sew at about five years old, she only became focused on creating and selling clothes within the last year. Since then, she has built a platform for herself on TikTok, YouTube and Instagram, where she advertises her business, REMYGIRL Reworks, and posts tutorials demonstrating how to construct more eco-conscious pieces.
“I mostly want to teach people how to rework their own closets because that’s the most sustainable option. Basically, the whole ‘give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day, teach a man to fish and he’ll eat for a lifetime’ type thing,” Sechrist said.
“Recycling your wardrobe is better than buying things, even sustainably made items, so my goal is to help inspire people through my videos.”
She believes that her market is made up of people with a more edgy and unique style. Some of the pieces she makes most frequently include corset tops and bodycon dresses from old T-shirts, and patchwork pants from snippets of old jeans. Once she promotes the items on her social media accounts, her customers are able to make their purchases from an app called Shopify.
Image Courtesy: @remygirlreworks Instagram
The entrepreneur returned from FSU in Tallahassee to her home in Orlando due to the pandemic, and she found a business partner in the meantime — her mom Tricia Sechrist. Tricia has worked closely with her when it comes to REMYGIRL Reworks business operations, and said that she quickly noticed her daughter’s creative talents could turn into something more.
“Being creative was essential for her during quarantine, and having TikTok to connect with a larger audience was a great outlet for her. She realized there is a huge community that shares her love of fashion and desire to do their part to protect the environment,” Tricia said. “It was this period of time I realized this could be more than just a pastime.”
One of the people she met from the TikTok fashion community was fashion designer Andrew Burgess. He shares the same willingness to make a difference through clothes he reworks.
“I think designing sustainably made items will encourage consumers to look for more unique and secondhand pieces,” Burgess said. “Hopefully it will help to combat all of the problems the fast fashion industry has caused.”
As a co-business partner of REMYGIRL Reworks, Tricia said she hopes their work is helping customers notice all that can come from recycling pieces.
“The whole mindset of fashion needs to change. Fashion pieces are disposable in today’s society, and I hope we are doing our part to change that,” Tricia said.
Image Courtesy: @remygirlreworks Instagram
Strike Out,
Writer: Melissa Donovan
Editor: Lindsey Valenti
Orlando