EVERYTHING FOR EVERYBODY IS IN PROGRESS ON LENAPE LAND.
Centering on co-creation, Everything for Everybody (E4E) proposes alternative systems to the fashion industry’s extractive norms through participatory, community-based research and design methods. Through processes of collaboration, care, and transformation, E4E aims to democratize access to the fashion industry by empowering a small community of femmes in New York City to exercise aesthetic agency.
Although the collection found a natural grounding in classic American fashion archetypes (like jeans, tshirts, and sweats) the outcome of each look is specific to the personality and lived experience of each collaborator. The eight femmes you are about to meet are the heart of this project. This collection was made with and for the girls!!!
GRACE, 33
she/her
Grace is my titi, my ride or die, and my favorite bochinchera. She basically only wears sweatpants and sweatshirts so zeroing in on a silhouette was easy. “Somos mas y no tenemos miedo” is a protest chant that was heard around Boriken the week Ricky was ousted. It is a nod to Grace’s Boricua heritage and personal resilience.
SNIX, 27
she/her
Snix and I met at FIT. We used to go out together. Tuesdays were for Up and Down, Fridays - Phd Downtown, Avenue on Saturdays. I knew Snix would indulge me in Fashunnn. Rhinestones for her signature sparkle, knits so she can perform, and a lot of expensive materials siphoned from various New York fashion houses.
LILIANA, 4
she/her
I spy with my little eye the potential for so much more. Liliana is my niece. She is the embodiment of creative potential and it manifests differently on any given day. In this project she channeled said potential into an upcycled hand painted t-shirt and patchwork jeans made from denim scraps.
RAMONA, 82
she/her
My grandmother is a matriarch. She was the most decisive of the bunch. She told me she wanted a bata. She said it should be sleeveless, full length, and made of a lightweight cotton in lilac or mint. I swear she almost muttered that she wanted something sexy but then stopped herself short ....“I want something ssss…feminine.”
TIANE, 22
they/them
We joined the same Zoom manifestation class during lockdown and bonded over mutual aid and abolition. When we started this project, Tiane wanted to learn how to upcycle so I taught them how to sew on a Bratz doll sewing machine from 2005. Our collaboration is still in progress but we’re upcycling military uniforms and denim, cutting and tying old t-shirts together - cutting up fatigue feels like a subtle act of resistance.
MEL, 22
she/her
I’m Mel. I’m a Brooklyn-based, Boricua fashion designer and a few months before I started this collection, I wrote down an intention…
“ I feel like I owe my community accountability…”
I wanted to test this idea in practice. What would it look like to create a collection with and for the people I love? How might I transform the violence of my industry and center processes of care?
HANNA, 22
she/her
One afternoon late last summer, My grandma and I were at the 99 cent store behind her building - Hanna was behind the counter. As she scanned a package of sugar, I impulsively blurted out “You’re so pretty.” Hanna was game to let me cover her in sugar for this project. The second time we met, I molded silicone around her bare chest and we exchanged stories about losing friendships we never thought would end.