On May 5, friends and family of Sydney Wekstein gathered in the basement of a church in Bushwick for the runway show of fashion brand and collective Worldofmyown’s “Lappel du Vide”–french for “Call of the Void”–collection.

With today's fast-paced trend cycle and fast fashion, it’s easy to forget the unused objects collecting around you. Clothing, bags, and books of the past can easily be repurposed into something that brings you joy in the future.

After learning how to sew, I was creating with whatever materials I could get my hands on. Most of the time it was menswear that was given to me by my family and friends. One of my favorite projects has been re-constructing my dad's old button-down into a skirt.

On Monday, February 13, after cold-emailing 20+ press contacts, I was invited to attend Cucculelli Shaheen’s New York Fashion Week debut as a volunteer dresser. Their 15th Collection, titled “Les Radiants,” featured thirty-one looks at Webster Hall in the East Village. 

The hobby of collecting is often misinterpreted as tacky, outdated, or materialistic. However, collecting can serve a multitude of functions, whether it be representative of a larger journey, or simply, one of life’s small joys.

One of the most important things we can do as up-and-coming twenty-somethings is to take risks and force ourselves into a variety of opportunities. The “fake it ‘til you make it” attitude is gaining traction amongst the Generation Z community–for good reason.