Eco Earth Fashion Camp

The Fashion Camp started out as a concept; the goal was to enrich, inform, cultivate, and to find a space where this concept can blossom beyond my expectations. Thanks to Rev. Stephanie Adams and the creative space she has created for the youth at NorthPointe Apartments in Long Beach, SkyKids. This program is creative arts in action focusing on all areas, including art, music, dance, and now fashion, creating unique one-of-a-kind opportunities for the youth to engage with professional dancers, thespians, artists, and designers.

The goal of the camp was to introduce the youth to fashion, not only just sewing but the social and psychological reasoning behind fashion, how to make clothes, style, modeling—the works. A crash course, you would say. However, I wouldn't dare have dived into this endeavor alone. While I have the experience and expertise, I would be doing a disservice to the community by not inviting my own community to help guide and share their talents. Jamielle Rankine-Kirlew is a fashion boss! Period! An entrepreneur, designer, mother, wife, and the perfect coach to share this camp with. Her experiences with her brand MuMa and her journey from fashion stylist turned designer, turned entrepreneur, and through The Long Beach Unity Festival being an artist and creative volunteer, I have had the opportunity to cross paths with her and with Mary Jones, a fashion enthusiast, coordinator, and modeling expert of BlackButterfly51. We all share the love of fashion and community involvement and worked together to create The Eco-Earth Fashion Camp.

The Eco Earth Fashion Camp, a hands-on experience designed to teach the fundamentals of fashion design while introducing them to the power of sustainable creativity. The camp’s objective was to inspire young designers to think beyond trends and explore the deeper meaning behind what we wear. Campers didn’t just learn how to sew—they discovered the social and psychological influence of fashion, and how style can reflect identity, culture, and confidence. Along the way, they learned how to measure themselves accurately, cut fabric with precision, and safely operate sewing machines—all while bringing their original designs to life. By the end, each camper walked away with new skills, a strong sense of self-expression, and a better understanding of how fashion can be both purposeful and powerful.

In the first session of camp, we dived into what exactly fashion is, its history, and the big WHY. Coach Jamielle introduced the youth to style and fabrics, giving them the hands-on opportunity to feel different fibers while also educating the campers on styles of dress. I continued with a brief overview of the history of fashion, what sustainable fashion is, and how we can help the environment through fashion. Activities included allowing students to develop brand names and explore the idea of fashion illustration with the objective of tapping into the kids' freedom of expression, allowing them to create something authentic to them. While introducing the sewing machine and hand sewing techniques, we used recycled materials and trim from my job, where I design window treatments and drapes, to create tote bags. The students created beautiful bags with both hand-sewn and hand-painted embellishments representative of both their individuality and what they learned.

The enthusiasm of the campers led to what we called "Refreshers," sessions between camps where we review information from the previous camp in an effort to refresh the campers on what they learned. Our first Refresher consisted of a review and a look at fashion shows. Campers watched two Chanel fashion shows, their most recent show and a show from 1995. They were able to identify similarities and differences in the style of models, accessories, and overall production. Coach Mary introduced the campers to modeling, teaching them about poise on the runway in preparation for our Eco Earth Fashion Show.

With the success of the second camp, we were ready to introduce the campers to clothing construction, styling, modeling, and fashion show production. This was the perfect time to bring in Coach Mary and her expertise. She, Jamielle, and I collaborated on a presentation that guided the students through the fashion design process, from creating the piece from inspiration, pattern drafting, styling, modeling selection, and overall fashion show production. The activity was to upcycle a T-shirt into a tank top. We provided patterns to the students and guided them through the process of prepping, measuring, cutting, and sewing their tank top. Each student was given the opportunity to paint, draw, and even sew patches onto their tanks. In this process, campers became so enthusiastic about creating their tanks that we can all say it was hard to get them to stop, with some students creating dresses and headbands.

The goal of our last refresher was to create one more opportunity for the campers to create, work on our modeling techniques, and to refresh themselves on what we learned in preparation for our fashion show. I was able to use some extra shirts I had in storage and allowed the campers to work in groups to design shirts for someone. Students worked together and created designs for me and other volunteer campers whom they admired. They collaborated and created amazing designs reflecting their creativity while also practicing their model walk.

The Eco-Earth Fashion Show was a great success. The venue buzzed with energy as community members, including parents and friends, gathered to support the campers. The atmosphere was lively, enhanced by music that set the tone for the evening focused on fashion. Campers showcased their designs on the runway, some even modeling each other's creations, reflecting the teamwork developed during the camp. The audience was not just watching, but they witnessed the campers' journey and the effort behind each piece. I had the privilege of walking the runway in a t-shirt designed by one of the students, joined by Rev. Stephanie and dedicated teen volunteers. The runway served as a platform for education and empowerment. Throughout the evening, we shared insights about the history of African Americans in fashion, highlighting how this camp can impact youth. By combining education with entertainment, we aimed to inspire both the audience and the campers, fostering a greater appreciation for fashion and its transformative potential.

I asked Jamielle to give me her experience with the camp, and I feel it best describes how both of us feel!

"The experience at the Eco fashion camp was a wonderful one for me. I went in without expectations, just with preparation to share all the things I've learned over my years in fashion. Being sustainable and seeing how curious the kids were, how fast they learned, was really impressive to me, and it was exciting for me to see these young minds just opening. I witnessed that, seeing how their eyes would brighten and how excited they got to create. It was so humbling for me to experience that; it made me hungry to want to do more. I wanted to be able to go into more communities, low-income communities, and inspire the next generation and show them that you don't have to abide by everything that is happening around us; you can create the world you want. You don't have to keep falling into the trap; you can create your own fashion, you can create your own style. You can create your own story! So for me, fashion camp was a ball of joy; it was a fire that was lit to continue to pour into the next generation, and seeing how much they've learned was inspiring. Seeing them work together was inspiring, seeing how the girls who started camp weren't the same girls who finished camp. The only thing I would like is for the camp to be closer together so there's not so much time away because then I think we could've accomplished more, and maybe if we had an additional day, they could really have put more into their designs, and we could've even created a whole entire look. That would've been amazing, so I thought the camp was fabulous. I thought Robert and Stephanie did an amazing job creating that space. I'm thankful to work with you, Clyde. I felt like we worked well together. I felt like the way we bounced ideas off of each other was just amazing. There was no conflict. It was just ideas and the ability to let one person lead in the area. I felt great working with you, so that in itself made it easy and exciting for me and enjoyable. So overall, 10 out of 10, loved it."

In conclusion, my overall experience with the camp was amazing! I think the best part of the experience was the contrast between preparing and actually following through, realizing that you have to have a plan, but 20 ways to execute. It was understanding an objective but also knowing that students can guide that process as well. Not only were the students able to grasp the concept of fashion and sewing, it seemed easy for them to apply that knowledge to everyday life. While rough in the beginning, even the most rambunctious camper was eager to sit down and sew. Through both sessions, I've learned that as a community educator, I have a lot to learn and a lot of room to grow, and I look forward to continuing through this journey. Collaborating with Jamielle gave me the opportunity to learn and both pivot with someone who shares the same energy. Being that all of the campers were young ladies, Jamielle's presence and point of view focused on both confidence and poise, allowing them to learn how women move through the world of fashion.

Yall know I can go on forever! Thank you so much for making it to this point and reading my blog!