Dress For Change! Register Today!

Hello ladies! I’m assuming at this time you are all wondering what this “Dress for Change” business is about; well I am here to tell you! How many of you have ever said, “ Ugh, I have nothing to wear!” I sure am guilty of it. When reality is, most of us have a closet full of clothing but our lack of accessorizing and realization of our closet’s potential forces us to believe our closet is empty. While we are all coveting over the latest trends and designer collections, there are little girls in foreign countries who cannot afford a dress for school, forcing them to stay home and continue to stay uneducated. Do not get me wrong; staying up to date on trends and latest fashions is definitely not a bad thing. Being the fashionista I am, I encourage all of you to be your own little fashion icons but I have developed a project that can benefit not only you but underprivileged girls as well.

            My name is Sheyanne Root. I am a senior at Burns High School. Every senior that passes through Burns High is required to complete a senior project. My entire life I have had a dream of becoming a fashion designer and making a difference in the fashion industry so I decided, why not begin my influence in this industry with my senior project? My love for fashion and my desire to make a difference was the foundation of my Dress for Change project.

            As I was brainstorming on the possibilities I had for my project, I came across the Uniform Project, which is a fashion consumerism project that raised funds for education. A girl vowed to wear the same Little Black Dress for 365 Days. She changed up her outfit everyday by accessorizing differently. Burns High School took part in this project for the first time last spring. I was fortunate enough to participate and had the opportunity to be a guest blogger and wrote a few pieces for newspapers about the project and my personal experiences. The project taught me so much about my closet’s potential and accessorizing and I only wore the same dress for 7 days.

            I am assuming now you are wondering, what exactly can I do to get involved? Well, on April 1-7 2013, I will be holding the first annual Dress for Change Week. I need women like you to pledge $5 and vow to wear the same black dress for one week. For every woman that participates I will sew a dress for a little girl in Africa. All dresses will be sent to Dresses for Africa, a charity organization that has provided over 1.5 MILLION dresses to African girls already. As you wear your dress for one week, you will not only be forced to accessorize, but you will be helping change the future of a little girl’s life. Because these girls have a dress to not only protect their bodies, they also have clothing for school, and will no doubt find joy with their first dress. Because of your sacrifice of $5 and wearing your black dress for one week you will allow a little girl to be one step closer to receiving an education because she will now have clothing to wear to school. Also, these girls will be able to feel that amazing feeling we’ve all had of wearing a beautiful dress that gives them higher confidence. I know that whenever I purchase a new dress I feel like I can conquer the world. You can make that difference for these little girls!

            So what do you say? Will you stand up with me and Dress for Change? You can register today by emailing your name to lbddressforchange@gmail.com. You can make your payment using PayPal on this blog or a mail in option. The PayPal button is on the right side of the screen. If you choose to do the mail in option make a note of that in your email and I will send you the address.

            All participants are encouraged to photograph their experience so we can share your stories on this blog! I will be posting my experience from last year to give you all an idea on how to accessorize and mix things with your black dress! Be sure to share this project with anyone you can. I am willing to make as many dresses as possible and the more women who pledge, the more girls who receive dresses! Stand up with me and let’s Dress for Change ladies!