In the following video, we put the skills of fifth year Oregon State University apparel design and merchandising management student, Xuyang Huang, to the test. We asked him to to redesign two oversized button down shirts, using the fabric and his sewing skills to give these items a new life. 

Video by Mitchell Jensen and Ziad Elkawlak

The holiday season is known for crazy shopping days and big blowout sales. This emphasis on consumption made us question, do we really need to continue to buy more new items or can we work with what we already have?

According to the Nation Retail Federation, the average American will spend $1,007.24 on holiday purchases just this year. Instead of contributing to the cycle of fast fashion, spending our money and consuming things that will eventually find their way to the landfill, we decided to get creative with two basic items we already owned.

To demonstrate this we asked fifth year Oregon State University apparel design and merchandising management student, Xuyang Huang to redesign two oversized button down shirts.

In the following video Huang got creative in the studio, he used his sewing skills to give these items another joyful life. When we gave him the shirts to use as materials, he instantly reached out to touch them. He did this to understand the fabric yarn structure, weight and how the fabric would move on the body. His inspiration was Belgian fashion designer, Raf Simons’ whose design are often influenced by reconstructed pieces, creating a dynamic mix and match aesthetic.

Huanghas been busy working on his new season collection in the sewing lab in Milam Hall. Throughout high school Huang thought of designing apparel garments but it wasn’t until he learned sewing skills in OSU’s apparel design program, that he was able to manifest his vision.

For him, apparel design is another medium of creativity. “I use garments to expand on what I’m thinking and communicate it to others” said Huang.

Huang put the two old button down shirts on a dress form and measured the waistband and decided on a length for the garment. After he conducted more measurements, he cut the bottom hemlines of shirts, placed them back on the body forms. He secured them with pins to create a structured silhouette that would be flattering. Once he pinned the fabric pieces together, he took them to his sewing machine and sewed them together. He then positioned the pieces on the dress and estimated where to put darts—fabric folds that come to a point and create a silhouette. After he sewed all the darts, he cut off each sleeve from the shirts and sewed them together to make a tie-waistband.

This holiday season, instead of turning to a big name retailer for your holiday outfits, get creative by reconstructing something you already own.