Sanjana Jain, club president, full-year tuition to the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising recipient and senior 

Why was this club started?

When I went to Nationals for Family, Career and Community Leaders of America Leadership Conference (FCCLA), FIDM was there and they were explaining how many opportunities people can get from just being a part of this club. I wanted other people to have the same opportunities that other schools are getting. I think a great way to tell people about fashion is having a club at our school that promotes it. There’s so many different scholarships you (members) can get from just being a part of this club which is really cool.

What does an average FIDM meeting look like?

First, we have to do attendance because it is through the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM) organization. Next, we get into our activity and I explain what it is and we usually have a slide presentation.

What do members work on during meetings?

So right now we just did the patterns for the tote bags and we are going to start cutting out everything (at our next meeting) and probably going to start sewing everything. When it comes to timing, it depends on how much design people want to put into the bags. Our next project is making mittens and hats to put inside the tote bags.

What is your favorite part of this club?

I think my favorite part of the club is just seeing people who have the same passion as I do when it comes to sewing and such.

Why do you think sewing or fashion design is important?

I mean you need (sewing) and you’ll use it in your everyday life. If you’re tiny like me and you can’t shop in the adult section, you might need to end up sewing your clothes so they fit you right. Also, it helps you understand how much work goes into making clothes so wearing something once then throwing it away is not ideal.

What is something you hope to see this club accomplish in future years?

I think just having more members, of course. For FIDM, they always host a fashion show every year and the president and vice-president (of the chapters within schools) are flown out to California for free to attend the fashion show. So hopefully people will continue to take those opportunities.

Darcie Stanisic, club sponsor

Are there any requirements or restrictions on who can join the club?

No, anyone that wants to join the club (can join). We will teach members how to thread a machine, what we are doing, and we will go step-by-step with everything.

What projects are you guys currently working on?

We are making tote bags right now. (Club members) are going to fill (the tote bags) with winter necessities that we will be donating to people in Indianapolis. 

What is your favorite part of this club?

My favorite part of this club is providing a place after school where students can spend time creating different pieces that they are passionate about.

When are your club meetings?

We have club meetings every other Tuesday. 

Why do you think sewing or fashion design is important?

No off-the-rack garment is going to fit everybody. Even if you are the same size, everybody’s shape is so different. So, learning how to do those tailorings would help. Also, when these clothes are made at the manufacturers there are a lot of shortcuts that take place. For bottoms, a lot of time a machine goes through them and does not knot it off. So every button will eventually fall off and that is why they (clothing manufacturers) always give you that extra one. You should at least know how to sew a button.