Sewing Skills: A Sustainable Fashion Choice

Designer Jacquelyne Bailey, the creative force behind the women’s brand JClarke, is making her New York Fashion Week debut with a whimsical Alice in Wonderland-inspired collection. But behind the theatrics, Bailey’s message is serious: she wants people to rediscover the lost art of sewing as a way to build more sustainable closets.

“I like to express how I feel about what’s going on around me and what is going on with me through my clothes,” Bailey, 30, told MadameNoire. “I feel like the state of the world is unpredictable, just like in Alice in Wonderland. There are so many little nuances in the movie, and I feel like it relates to what’s going on now.”

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Her hand-sewn collection brings each character to life. Alice represents American greed, the Mad Hatter reflects mental health, and the Cheshire Cat appears alongside a reimagined King of Hearts — a spiritual nod to her faith.

For Bailey, the most crucial detail is that majority of her pieces are sewn by her. “I feel like if people would learn how to sew and understand the time and the process that goes into it, they would cherish their clothes more often,” she said.

Bailey points to fast fashion as one of the biggest threats to sustainability. “There’s such a ridiculous amount of fabric waste, and it just keeps going up as fast fashion becomes more popular,” she explained. Factories turn out endless clothing at a human and environmental cost.

 “They’re using miners, they’re working overnight, and it’s not ethical,” she added.

Instead of overconsumption, Bailey encourages everyone to pick up a needle and thread even for the basics.

3 Sewing Skills Everyone Should Know

Hemming: “There are so many times people get dresses or pants that are way too long and they don’t know how to hem it themselves but it’s so simple,” Bailey said.

Zippers: Don’t toss clothes just because of a broken zipper. Learning to fix or insert one is a money- and planet-saving skill.

Buttons: “Easiest thing that everybody should learn how to do,” she emphasized.

Sewing = Style That Lasts

Sewing also lets you express your creativity. “Instead of buying different colors of the same fabric, I sometimes dye fabrics myself,” Bailey said. She’s even used onion skins to create rich red tones in past collections.

“Fashion is not so strict,” she added. “You can be really artsy with it, if that’s who you are. I don’t have to go to the store and buy what’s there. I can make my own thing — be different.”

She also uses small practices to keep her work eco-friendly, from sewing during the day to save electricity to reusing leftover fabrics.

Full Circle

At just 16, Bailey began threading garments together with dreams of one day showing at NYFW. 

Now that her vision is a reality, she wants to use her platform to spark change.

“I don’t want to contribute to fast fashion and just waste in the world,” she said. “If you take the time to make your own clothes, you will treat them better.”

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