Student fashionistas get creative designing their own clothing line

A Gore Bay business owner is teaming up with Grade 4 to 8 students at Charles C. McLean Public School to introduce girls to the world of fashion design, manufacturing, and marketing. They are working together on a clothing line “designed by girls, made for girls”. 

Kathy Antonio launched The Tweeny Project in 2013. Students were invited to apply to participate in the after-school program. The girls had to demonstrate strong communication skills as well as strengths in visual arts and design.

Two Grade 6 students worked with Kathy Antonio to produce the initial concepts for the 2BlueGirlz line at My Ol’ Blues, a clothing store in Gore Bay. The students had to brand and market their product, which included the design of labels and logos.

By the spring of 2013, more students joined the program and, throughout the summer and fall, six “girlz” worked in the My Ol’ Blues design space once a week creating both casual and dressy day wear, as well as pyjamas and snuggly cover-ups.

A new design season was launched this past April with three students from Grade 7 and three from Grade 4.  Sketchbooks in hand, they started sharing ideas, creating patterns, and learning to change the designs from basic drawings.

In addition to design, Kathy Antonio teaches the students to create patterns for different sizes and alter clothing. She also talks to them about the economics of the fashion industry.  During this spring’s ten-week session, she will be giving workshops on jewelry design and promoting the idea of upcycling denim to create new products.

“Students are thrilled with the opportunity to express their creativity by designing clothes for their age group,” says Principal Christy Case.  “They also enjoy working together and seeing their concepts come to life. They love wearing their new clothing.”

She adds: “Kathy Antonio is teaching our students valuable entrepreneurship skills that can be applied anywhere. Sharing ideas is an important part of the learning process. Students laugh while they work and encourage each other to further explore their creativity.”

This innovative program links a local business with student designers, allowing them to learn fashion design, as well as the financial aspect of putting together a clothing line, from the cost of fabric, to the time required to sew each design, to the price point for in store sales, to making the design viable for market. 

Samples of the student designs can be found online at the ‘2 Blue Girlz’ Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/2bluegirlz

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Media Contact:

Christy Case, Principal, Charles C. McLean Public School

Rainbow District School Board, 705.368.7015.

Students at Charles C. McLean Public School work on their designs. From left, Bella Jefkins, Jordan Bailey, Camryn Wood, April Torkopoulos, Sophie Hietkamp and Anne Blodgett.

Students from Charles C. McLean Public School work in the My Ol’ Blues design space in Gore Bay.