community spotlight
REDEFINED GOODS
University of Florida Student Localizes Slow Fashion Movement ia Crisostomo started selling handmade accessories to classmates in the sixth grade. Back then, she crocheted beanie hats and tablet covers. Today, the 20-year-old college junior designs machine-washable tote bags, hair scrunchies and outfits by upcycling used clothing and household textiles. Her pupil patronage has considerably grown from a small middle school classroom to the vast campus at the University of Florida, in Gainesville, thanks to her Instagram shop @RedefinedGoods. Launched a year ago, this micro-company aligns with the slow fashion movement of inspiring consumers to shop with intention for environmentally friendly products. “I have a history of making and selling things,” says Crisostomo, who grew up in Orlando. “My mom taught me how to sew, knit and crochet when I was about 9 years old, and ever since then I’ve been experimenting with making my own clothes and other things.” Crisostomo is currently dually majoring in marketing and sustainability studies, though she hopes her own history will lead to a successful future in slow fashion merchandising. This conscious consumer finds a lot of her materials at local thrift stores, but recently began soliciting donations from family and friends with the intent to repurpose discarded hand-medowns into useful items that would otherwise clog landfills.
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“I usually buy things without a set design in mind, and just know I will find something to pair with it eventually. If I think material would look good as a bag, I pick it up,” she explains about her impromptu creativity. Crisostomo’s tote bags feature a doublelayered base made from durable material such as corduroy, khaki or denim. “This makes the bag much sturdier and suitable for carrying heavier items like books and laptops,” she explains, with her student clientele in mind. Button-down shirts, bed sheets or curtains are used for the design’s top half. Scrap-made straps complete the one-of-a-kind creations that combine solid and patterned fabrics. This young entrepreneur says she’s always loved thrifting to convert unique vintage pieces to current styles. Over time, her objective became less about fashion trends and more about purposeful fashion statements. “As I started getting deeper into my sustainability studies, I realized that I would like to make a bigger impact. I thought I could transition to bags to be marketed as a replacement for plastic and help motivate people toward a sustainable lifestyle more so than just with clothes,” she professes. Crisostomo describes herself as “conservative” about waste. In fact, the scrunchies came about as a way to utilize leftover material. She hasn’t trashed a single scrap because she intends to introduce other upcycled projects such as pillows made with scrap stuffing.
Photos courtesy of Redefined Goods
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by Nancy DeVault
