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Since playing with Project Runway DIY fashion kits at six-years-old, Indiana University sophomore Daisy May continually portrayed her passion for fashion through high school, and the interest followed her to college as she pursues a Bachelor of Arts in fashion design.

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Even when completing pieces and gaining experience in the classroom, May keeps herself and her sewing machine busy out-of-the-classroom with Rebloomed Clothes, her clothing brand which primarily consists of altered and upcycled Indiana University apparel, along with vintage pieces as well.

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Rebloomed Clothes launched her senior year of high school with a motivated mindset, and wish to recreate original items such as T-shirts, and convert them into stylish pieces.

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“My dad taught me how to sew, and I took people's college T-shirts for the college they were planning on attending after high school and upcycled them, rebloomed them,” May said. “I just turned them into something that looks cuter and more fashionable, and that was the original purpose of Rebloomed.”

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While exclusively using recycled material, Rebloomed was essentially the catalyst that compelled her to the sustainability aspect of clothing design.

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“From there I learned more about sustainability and fast-fashion,” May remembered. “It spurred my passion for sustainability and second-hand clothing and everything in that realm of the fashion world.”

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Collaboration is key when it comes to Rebloomed Clothes, and May has constructed a system in which everyone involved gets a share.

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After sourcing her clothes and materials for the business, the process became time-consuming, so she hired local “bin heads,” which are people who explore bins at Goodwill outlet stores for specific clothing items.

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“This process is easier and feeds back into a collaborative community outlook that I have on things,” May said. “Everyone is reaping the benefits of people shopping sustainably.”

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Recently, she has created another piece, “Safety First,” that reflects her sustainability efforts for Bloomington’s Trashion Refashion Runway Show, which is an annual fundraiser for the Center for Sustainable Living.

This bulletproof vest inspired piece is made entirely out of trash materials such as pop-tabs, binder-rings, gloves, and packing foam.

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“I made chain mail of out of the pop-can tabs with Swarovski crystals on each one, and it has a clear plastic back, and the sides are put together by binder rings,” May said. “To finish the ensemble, I did white pants with gloves stuffed with packing foam to create a feather-effect.”