RHS Senior Aliza Janssen has found a way to creatively reuse and upcycle clothing as a fun hobby. 

“I’ve been making clothes for about 6 years, kind of around when I was 12. I started teaching myself how to sew and making my own patterns and designs. I kind of like to go with my own thing, like do my own style. I would say I lean a little more towards streetwear, but I kind of just want to make my own style,” Janssen said. 

Altering clothes for herself and others, Janssen has opened her own depop shop to sell her own designs. 

“From scratch, I’ve only really made clothes for myself, but I have altered clothes for quite a few people. I’ve altered clothes for my mom and my brother and some of my friends, like I’ve done pants like made it flare and added double pockets, stuff like that,” Janssen said. 

Residing from Los Angeles, Janssen gained most of her inspiration from her hometown. 

“I mean I’ve always been into fashion, but I’d say living in LA where people tend to dress up more did like make me feel free to dress how I wanted, and I would say yeah in a way it did,” Janssen said. 

In hopes of becoming a designer and starting her own brand, Janssen expresses interest in fashion from a very young age. 

“Ever since I was a kid, I knew that I wanted to make my own clothes, but honestly growing up I would always watch the red carpet stuff for like award shows and the Met Gala. I feel like that really made me love fashion. I really want to go to New York since it’s known for fashion, and they have the top fashion schools there. So far, I’ve applied to three there. I’ve applied to the Fashion Institute of Technology, I’ve also applied to Parsons and Pratt Institute,” Janssen said.