Foreward from Fashion Denver founder, Brandi Shigley
One of the most inspiring things that we see here at Fashion Denver, is people taking their inspiration and utilizing those inspirations to make a difference in the lives of others. We’ve had the pleasure of working with Micaela Giulliani, our Fashion Denver intern. She’s been keeping us entertained this past year with her articles on boutiques, fashion businesses getting through the crazy year, and even what fashion shows to binge-watch while stay-at-home orders were in place.
When she shared her latest project of taking her passion for sewing to inspire young girls and teaching them how to sew, we knew that we wanted to let our readers know. We’ll be featuring Micaela as one of our featured designers (and not as an intern) this spring so stay tuned to learn about what inspires her fashion and her design!
Now, without much further ado….
A Passion For Sewing
My name is Micaela Giulianelli. I am a young fashion designer local to Denver, Colorado, and I am determined to share my passion for clothing with the youth of Denver. When I was a child, an older woman, whom I met at a coffee shop, became my best friend and taught me how to sew. From that point on, sewing became one of the most influential aspects of my life. I sew to express myself, to process my emotions and to show the world my personality. Very few things in my life compare to the passion I have found for sewing. For that reason, still to this day, I believe that my sewing friend is among the most influential individuals to ever walk into my life.
I grew up very fortunate. My parents bought me a sewing machine when I was young, and I have always been able to buy fabric, thread and other sewing materials that enabled me to sew. I often wondered what other outlet I would have turned to if I never had the luxury of being able to afford this particular form of self expression, or if I had never been so lucky to be taught how to create in this way. I know as a child I would have been lost without my passion for clothes and for sewing, and in this time of Covid, the activities that children have available to them are limited. As a result of the current pandemic, many children find themselves glued to their phones with few productive things to do.
I have a lot of empathy for the children who have not had the opportunity to discover their passion. So partly to honor my old friend, I built a program in which I taught children how to sew for free. By doing so, I hope that I could be the person to instill a lifelong love for clothing design and sewing for at least one child, and hopefully improve that child’s quality of life.
To start my program, I first reached out to some sponsors around the community. Luckily we had a Covid safe venue, The Buffalo Rose in downtown Golden, donated a space to use for the program. My local highschool, Golden High School, loaned me a dozen sewing machines. A local fabric shop, Golden Quilt Company, donated several yards of fabric. BR Printers generously printed patterns for us and some of the local middle schools, Bell Middle School and Manning Middle School, advertised the program for us. It was phenomenal to see all the generosity of the community come together for what I think is such a worthy cause.
After I found sponsors, I worked hard behind the scenes to get the program running. I measured out and created several original patterns for each of the projects that each participant could choose for their creation. I calculated the amount of fabric needed, created a detailed course plan, and designed an easy way for interested kids to sign up. Then I advertised the program and gathered my materials to prepare for the classes.
All the materials were provided and I was ecstatic to give some of the children who might not have been able to afford exploring this particular hobby the opportunity to express themselves through sewing. Because we had so many generous sponsors, the program was completely free of charge.
I had about ten girls sign up between the ages of seven to twelve, all of whom seemed over the moon to learn a new skill. Many of their teachers and mothers sent me messages saying that the girls were so excited, which warmed my heart more than anything. It was certainly my goal to get these children excited about my passion.
I ran the program on two Sundays in February and the turnout exceeded my expectations. I taught the girls how to use a sewing machine, how to sketch, how to follow a pattern, and most importantly, how to express themselves through clothing. Each girl was so engaged and so excited to learn. Each girl made two projects. They chose their own fabric as well as chose which project they wanted to make. They made pouches and headbands by themselves by following my instructions. At the beginning of the program, not a single one of the girls knew how to thread a needle, and by the end they had created their own wearable creation! They even had a fashion show by the end because they were so proud of their pieces.
Although the turnout and the overall process warmed my heart, the true purpose of the program was to influence these children in a positive way, just as I was affected by sewing when I was a child. After the program, I asked the girls some feedback questions to ensure I had fulfilled my original purpose for the program. I first asked what their favorite part of the program was. The majority of the girls replied with being able to express themselves and wear something that shows their personality to the world.
I create clothes to show the world who I am through my unique designs, so their responses really solidified the fact that I helped these children find a passion, which was my main goal. I asked the girls if they think they will continue to sew in the future, and 100% of them said yes. They clearly found inspiration through this program if each of them are planning on continuing to sew after the program. The purpose of this program was to inspire a healthy, creative outlet for these children for free so each child had equal opportunity, and 100% shared they would continue the activity outside the program, meaning my program has the chance to influence all of the girls’ lives in the future– this the most rewarding form of payment any artist can receive.
Follow and connect with Micaela on Instagram: giulianellidesigns