>> WE HAVE PRODUCED CLOSE TO ADDRESS HUMANITY.

IT'S NOT EVEN JUST AMERICAN.

WE HAVE CLOTHES ENOUGH FOR 250 YEARS.

THAT IS ALREADY PRODUCED.

THAT'S OUT ON THE FLORS.

THERE'S NO INVENTORY FOR THRIFT STORES.

WE'RE TALKING ABOUT REGULAR RETAILERS.

COLUMBUS FASHION ACADEMY IS ABOUT TRANSFORMING LIVES THROUGH SUSTAINABLE FASHION.

COLUMBUS FASHION ACADEMY STARTED AS AN AFTERSCHOOL RAM ASK IT WAS THROUGH AN INVITATION FROM THE PTO PRESIDENT.

WE ARE RECRUITING TEACHERS, BASICALLY.

I'M NOT A TEACHER, PER SE, BUT I CAN TALK ABOUT FASHION ALL DAY LONG.

I KNOW HOW IT CAN HELP WITH BULLYING.

SO TO HELP, I'M IN.

WE HAVE FROM THE MENTAL HEALTH ELEMENTS TO THE SUSTAINABILITY AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN, POWER IN KIDS AND YOUTH THROUGH MAKING THROUGH FASHION IS OUR MEDIAN.

WE LEARN ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING.

TO HOW YOU WEAR WHEN YAW LOVE AND HOW YOUR DAYS CAN BE BETTER WHEN YOU WEAR WHAT YOU LOVE.

>> WE CAN'T CONTROL WHAT OUR BODY LOOKS LIKE, BUT WE CAN CONTROL WHAT WE WEAR.

SO FASHION IS HOW WE SHOW THE INSIDE OF OUR BODY LOOKS LIKE OR WHAT WE WANT IT TO LOOK LIKE AND HOW WE FEEL.

>> WE REALLY SEE HOW STUDENTS CHOOSE, ALWAYS ASKING WHY AND UNDERSTANDING WHY AND ASKING NOT ONLY WHEN WE ARE CREATING A GARMENT OR MAKING A BAG, WHATEVER WE MAKE, BUT ALSO ASKING OUTSIDE.

SO WHEN YOU'RE SHOPPING, WHO MADE MY CLOTHES?

LEARNING HOW TO SEW, I THINK THAT IS A GOOD THING THAT I LEARNED.

I'M PROBABLY MOST LIKELY GOING TO USE IT IN THE FUTURE LEARNING HOW TO SEW AND LEARNING HOW TO PUT PIECES TOGETHER TO MAKE SOMETHING PUFL.

THAT'S THE KEY TAKE AWAY.

>> WE BELIEVE THAT FASHION IS NOT ONLY FOR GOING TO COLLEGE.

IT'S FOR ALL OF US.

WE ALL GET DRESSED EVERY DAY.

WE ARE ALL AFFECTED BY IT.

I LOVE MIXING THE OLDER AND THE YOUNGER BECAUSE THE BEAUTY FROM THE KINDERGARTEN WHEN THEY SEE THE FIFTH GRADER, IT'S LIKE GOD.

OH, MY GOD, I'M IN THE SAME CLASS AS THEM.

I'M MAKING CLOTHES LIKE THEM?

THAT'S JUST PART OF WHAT WE DO AS WELL.

THE SAME AS THEY START BEING UPTIGHT AND SO THEN THEY SEE THE FREEDOM OF THE KINDERGARTEN COMPLETELY GOING WILD AND THEY CAN BE FREE AND FEARLESS.

SO THAT GOES IN THAT GENERATION.

SAME FOR OUR INSTRUCTOR.

WE HAVE EVERY SINGLE GROUP FROM 14 TO, I DON'T KNOW WHAT AGE.

EVERYBODY IS WELCOME.

WE LOVE IT BECAUSE NOT JUST THE INTERGENERATION, BUT THERE'S SO MUCH TALKING AND COMMUNICATING, LEARNING TO LOOK EYE TO EYE, WHICH IS ONE OF THE REASONS WE REALLY WANT PEOPLE TO ENGAGE AND LOOK AND LEARN TO COMMUNICATE.

THEY NEED TO LEARN HOW TO TALK.

WIT WE NEED TO ENCOURAGE MORE.

GIVE THEM AGENCY.

THAT'S SOMETHING THAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU'RE DOING IT BECAUSE EVERYBODY IS LISTENING.

SO THERE'S THE MAGIC.

IT'S A GREAT TIME TO BE HAVING CONVERSATIONS.

ONE THING THAT I DID ENJOY WAS LEARNING HOW TO USE A SEWING MACHINE BECAUSE I WANTED TO START MAKING MY OWN CLOTHES IN CASE I DIDN'T FIND ANYTHING I LIKE.

I WOULD BE ABLE TO MAKE NEW DESIGNS AND I COULD ALSO UPCYCLE CLOTHES TO MAKE IT SOMETHING LIKE I WOULD WEAR AND BETTER.

>> I WAS REALLY EXCITED BECAUSE I READ THE DESCRIPTION ABOUT UPCYCLEING FASHION.

THAT JUST SEEMED COOL TO LEARN ABOUT HOW TO MAKE THE FASHION INDUSTRY MORE SUSTAINABLE THERE'S SO MUCH FAST FASHION BECOMING A PART OF OUR CULTURE, BUT IT'S NOT A GOOD THING.

IT'S NICE TO TAKE A STEP BACK AND MAKE MORE SPECIAL PIECES.

IT'S DEFINITELY INSPIRED ME TO MAKE MORE CLOTHES ON MY OWN AND DIG THROUGH MY CLOSET OF THINGS I DON'T REALLY LIKE THAT MUCH ANYMORE AND TURN THEM INTO SOMETHING FRESH AND REWEAR THEM.

>> I LEARNED THAT IT TAKES A REALLY LOT OF MATERIAL.

IT HURTS THE ENVIRONMENT TO MAKE MOST CLOTHES.

AND WHEN PEOPLE BUY CLOTHES THEY DON'T NEED AND JUST SIT IN A CLOSET OR A DRAWER FOR A LONG TIME, IT'S A REALLY, REALLY BIG WASTE.

SO YOU TRY TO BE CONSERVATIVE AND THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE SHOPPING FOR WHEN YOU SHOP THAT YOU DON'T END UP BEING WASTEFUL.

>> SUSTAINABILITY BEHIND EVERYTHING THAT WE DO.

WE BUY NOTHING NEW.

IF WE HAVE SOMETHING NEW, IT'S DONATED.

BUT I'M THE EVEN A LIGHTBULB.

SO THAT IS SUSTAINABILITY WE TALK ABOUT THAT ALL THE TIME.

AS WE ARE MAKING THINGS, WE'RE ALWAYS DROPPING THOSE INFORMATION AND TALKING ABOUT IT.

BUT WE ALSO SHOW SOME THINGS.

SOME PEOPLE SOME PEOPLE HAVE THEY ARE TOO YOUNG TO LEARN ABOUT THIS.

I GO AND I TALK ABOUT FASHION HISTORY.

THEY WERE TELLING THEIR MANAGERS, THEY ARE BEING IGNORED AND PUSHED TO PRODUCE.

AND THEN AND THAT WAS ALMOST 1,500 PEOPLE DIE.

MAINLY KIDS.

AND THAT CHANGED THE HISTORY OF FASHION.

WHAT I BELIEVE IS WE SHOULD NOT BE HIDING THINGS FROM THEM.

THEY ARE THE LEADERS TODAY AND TOMORROW.

LET'S GET THEM.

ONE OF THE REASONS WE ARE THE WAY WE ARE IS BECAUSE WE DIDN'T LEARN WHEN WE WERE YOUNG.

IT'S NOT THAT WE ARE BAD PEOPLE.

WE JUST DIDN'T KNOW ANY BETTER FOR THE MOST PART.

SO THAT'S WHY SOME KIDS --SOME WILL GO OVER THEIR HEAD, BUT THERE'S A SEAT.

WE HAVE THIS HUGE RETENTION THAT PEOPLE JUST COME BACK OVER AND OVER AND OVER.

AND I REMEMBER THEY ARE ADDING PIECES.

WHEN PEOPLE SAY WHAT'S THE SECRET SAUCE, I'M LIKE, IT'S ARTISTIC FREEDOM.

ASK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S NONGAUCHABLE.

THAT MEANS MORE 100%.

IT DRIVES ME CRAZY WHEN THERE'S THOSE CLASSES THAT PEOPLE GO AND DO LET'S CREATE SOMETHING.

LET'S HAND TO THE KIDS A BUNCH OF BLANK CANVAS.

GO CREATE.

AND SOMEBODY MAKES A LITTLE CAR.

SOMEBODY MAKES A FLOWER.

BUT THEY ARE STILL WHO AM I TO TELL YOU THAT YOU ARE A TOTE PERSON.

MAYBE YOU'RE A BACKPACK PERSON.

WHO AM I TO TELL YOU WHAT TO WEAR?

>> FASHION KIND OF BOOSTS YOUR CONFIDENCE AND YOUR LOOK.

AT LEAST IN MY OPINION.

YOUR DAY WILL BE BETTER IF YOU LIKE WHAT YOU'RE WEARING.

AND IF YOU'RE COMFORTABLE WITH WHAT YOU'RE WEARING.

>> WHENEVER I TRY TO MAKE SOMETHING THAT'S MORE OF I'M KIND OF MAKING IT FOR MYSELF AND I HOPE YOU LIKE IT TOO IT'S NOT LIKE I'M DOING IT FOR SOMEONE ELSE OR HOPING THAT SOMEONE ELSE SEES IT FOR HE.

>> IT HAS THAT POWER.

NOBODY IS BETTER THAN ANYBODY.

AND THAT'S ARTISTIC FREEDOM.

AND AGAIN, THAT'S OUR SECRET SAUCE.

THAT'S SOMETHING THAT NO, NO, NO.

IT'S NOT HAPPENING.

WE'RE ALL DIFFERENT.

THAT KIND OF GUIDES EVERYTHING THAT WE DO.

HOW SOMETIMES IF YOU SAY, OKAY, THIS IS GOING TO BE ABOUT EM BROIDERING PEARLS.

WE MIGHT COME UP WITH SOME THINGS TO GET SOME, BUT MANY TIMES THEY GO, I'M GOING TO DO A SKIRT AND THERE'S SOL PEOPLE THAT GO SUPER FAST.

SOME PEOPLE GO SUPER SLOW.

OR WHATEVER IT IS.

I'M NOT GOING TO PUSH ANYBODY TO JUST CHECK A BOX.

AND.

>> YOU CAN EXPRESS YOURSELF ABOUT WHAT YOU CREATE.

YOU WON'T GET JUDGED FOR IT.

>> IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT OTHER PEOPLE THINK ABOUT.

YOU'RE THE ONE WEARING IT.