O’More School x Goodwill Collaboration

Photo by Jami-Lyn

This past spring, we had the opportunity to collaborate with well known thrift store Goodwill on a completely up-cycled outfit. Up-cycling is one of my favorite design methods, so I knew I was going to really enjoy this project.

Walking through Goodwill is overwhelming; color and pattern assault the eyes from every rack, and the options are endless. Out of everything, I found the aisle that captivated me the most was the men’s shirting rack. This rack was the most monotone rack in the store; it was mostly made up of various blues and whites. This became my main inspiration and color palette for my Goodwill design. For my pattern making, I wanted to juxtapose the cleanness of the men’s shirting color palette and design with the loudness of pattern mixing and color blocking. I was also inspired by modern streetwear silhouettes (as seen in my mood board), and wanted to find a way to make the dress shirt cool, casual, and slightly feminine.

Goodwill Outfit Mood Board

I created a fun, whimsical silhouette that retained some elements of the dress shirt while simultaneously completely transforming it. I created a super wide leg pant to create drama and play with proportions, and included paneling throughout the look with different shades and patterns of blue and white. I created a feminine empire waist top that includes the original button placket from one of the dress shirts. I then created a cheeky “over top” (as I would call it), that is purely for aesthetic purposes. I maintained the original collar of one of the dress shirts and opened up the sleeves and added a striped detailing. Overall, I am very happy with how this garment turned out and the vision in my head really came to life.

Photo by Jami-Lyn

Photo by Jami-Lyn