Interview with Sheena Matheiken of The Uniform Project

Starting Starting May 2009, Sheena Matheiken pledged to wear one dress for one year as an exercise in sustainable fashion.

As if this wasn't cool enough, The Uniform Project is also a year-long fundraiser for the Akanksha Foundation, a grassroots movement that is revolutionizing education in India. At the end of the year, all contributions will go toward Akanksha’s School Project to fund uniforms and other educational expenses for slum children in India.

I got a chance to catch up with Sheena, who is based in New York, in the midst of a whirlwind of press and excitement around her project:

How did the The Uniform Project get started?

The notion of wearing the same dress for a year (or in more extreme cases a whole lifetime) isn't necessarily a new concept. Many artists have done this before and I simply wanted to give myself a style challenge. The idea sparked early last year when I took a 6 month sabbatical from my full time job in order to decompress, travel and generally focus on some personal projects.

Aside from giving myself this creative challenge, I also wanted it to be something of consequence and also something that people could engage and participate in. That's how the idea of making this a fundraiser came about. I always wanted to do something towards education for lesser privileged children, and I had to look no further than the motherland to see the gaping need for it.

Do you work in the fashion industry?

No, I have no fashion experience, my background is in design and technology. I currently work as a creative director at an interactive ad agency in New York City.

Who designed the cute and functional dress you wear everyday?

My good friend and designer Eliza Starbuck is the mastermind behind the dress. She designed and made me 7 identical versions of the uniform dress, one for each day of the week. The dress is reversible so it can be worn front and back and also as an open tunic.

What is the The Akanksha Foundation and how did you become involved with them?

The Akanksha Foundation is a grassroots non-profit founded in Mumbai in 1990 through the volunteered efforts of college students devoted to bringing education to slum children. The Indian government spends an average of $360 on one child's schooling, of which 80% drop out before reaching the 10th grade.

Akanksha vows to spend the same amount on every slum child to afford them a better, more well rounded education. I met the founder of Akanksha in new york early this year and heard her speak about the foundations work. Listening to her speak I was convinced that this was where I wanted all proceeds of this project to go.

Is educating women a challenge for low-income families in India?

Certainly. Often, young girls not only carry all of the domestic responsibilities of an entire family, they are also more coveted as panhandling pawn and hence put to work on the streets more aggressively.

What has the response to the project been like?

Incredible! We are absolutely amazed by the viral response we have received thus far without doing any PR for the project whatsoever. The blogosphere picked up our project within days after our site launch and we've had incredible followership on twitter. 3 weeks into launch, we've received over 125,000 hits of which over 75% has been new visits. We're also bombarded with emails from people who want to donate accessories to the project and participate in some form. Its been overwhelmingly positive.

Do you feel that fashion has a unique quality that captures people's attention for a great cause like this?

In a way, yes. Fashion is such a visual and subjective medium, so there is that intrinsic draw. The repetitive model a 365 day project makes it addictive as well, bringing viewers back on a regular basis. The project is also an attempt to freshen up the fashion and sustainability dialogue, and I think people are excited to see that style and sustainability needn't be mutually exclusive.

The accessories I use to revamp the uniform everyday are pre-owned, repurposed, vintage, handmade or hand-me-down goods to make the case that you don't need to buy new things all the time in order to satiate our innate shopping bug.

What's next for you?

We're amazed by how well this project is being received so far, and have a lot of ideas on how to expand on this after the lifespan of this venture. But for now, I still have another 10 months to go, so the focus is one day at a time. But we're excited about the future and can't wait to see what unfolds at the end of this project!

Donate to the cause here: The Uniform Project Donate Page