German model and actress, Evelyn Sharma carries herself with grace and poise everyway she goes. The ever so gorgeous actor made her acting debut in 2006 with American film, Turn and then moved onto Bollywood in 2012. She caught everyone’s attention with her role as Lara in the film Yeh Jawaani Hai Dewaani, starring opposite lead actor Ranbir Kapoor.
Bollywood actress Evelyn Sharma has not only charmed us with her acting and fashion skill but is also the proud owner of an NGO - Seams For Dreams located in Mumbai. Working for a social cause, since its inception Seams For Dreams has been collecting pre-loved clothing donations. As Seams For Dreams has scaled up its operations, they announced the newest addition to their family the SFD Truck. The aim of the truck is to drive around Mumbai once a month, to pick-up donations and bring them back to the SFD headquarters in Andheri. To kickstart the initiative, the first drive took place on the 1st of February 2020. The truck will make it easier for people to donate their clothing, and will also helping to save on our carbon footprint while collecting clothes.
Tell us what drove you to start Seams for Dreams (SFD)?
It began as a response to an earthquake, in 2015. My friends and I wanted to donate our own clothing to a crisis area, but I couldn’t find the right place to give them to. I had a friend however who was going to do the crisis area and could do the handing out of the clothes for us. I also asked people to donate high end fashion for a small fundraising event to support the outreach. It ended up raising such a good amount that we were able to purchase items like medicines and water too, and were able to help in more areas than one! Today, we function in pretty much the same manner: Donated clothes are divided into three piles where appropriate clothing like kurtas, jeans and t-shirts are donated to people in need; scraps and fabrics are recycled by our partners; and high end fashion is available at our fundraising events, like the annual SFD Garage Sale. You can donate all kinds of pre-loved clothing and we will give it a second life!
What is the ideology behind starting your own NGO?
We segregate the donations into three parts. We take your kurtas, jeans, t-shirts etc which are then distributed through our network of partner NGOs across India to the ones in need. We recycle and upcycle all the scrapes, damaged clothes, fabric donations, which we use for our recycling and upcycling projects to raise awareness for the need of responsibility and sustainability in fashion. And we have fundraising events wherein designer-wear and high-end clothing are offered against monetary donation at our annual Garage sale or pop events around the year to raise funds in support of our mission to clothe people in need.
You’ve started a new initiative the SFD Truck, tell us a little about that?
The aim of the SFT Truck is to make it easier for our supporters to donate their clothes, to make operations more cost-effective, and to save on our carbon footprint while collecting clothes! With the help of the SFD truck, the team can schedule pick-ups regularly, thus increasing the number of donations that come in, and go out! This will help Seams For Dreams scale their outreach programs and hopefully create more awareness about the organization’s responsible fashion crusade.
How are you contributing towards fashion sustainability and climate change at your NGO?
At our NGO we promote second hand clothing and thrifting as the better alternative to the production of new clothes. I believe giving your clothes a long life is what creates sustainability. It starts with conscious decisions while shopping and ends with giving your clothes away to someone else. Buy clothes that will outlive you and don’t let them spoil in your own closet when you’re done with them. The fashion industry unfortunately has become one of the biggest polluting industries due to the fast fashion movement and production routes that emit a lot of CO2. We also support local designers and artisans that share our values to a more responsible and slower approach to fashion. Creating awareness and educating consumers about their choices and the impact their decisions have is one of our top priorities at SFD.
Not only has Evelyn made her impact felt with her NGO, her impeccable sense of style often leaves us awe-struck. On the red carpet or of the red carpet, Evelyn aces every look. We also caught up with Evelyn Sharma to find out about what she has in her wardrobe!
What according to you does fashion mean?
Fashion is the art of expressing your own personality through outside layers.
Tell us about your personal style?
Whatever I wear is second hand, rented, or gifts. Just a very few items in my wardrobe were actually purchased new by me. My fashion staple is a black dress as it looks good all the time, whether it's day or night for every occasion. On some days I wear pink!
Three words that describe your personal style?
Breezy, feminine, casual.
Things we will find when we open your closet?
You won’t find much, I’ve dramatically downsized my wardrobe. In fact most pieces from my own wardrobe and what designers gifted me, after having enjoyed it for a good time myself, you will find it at our SFD fundraising events! Personally I wear mostly monochromatic casual dresses, tshirts, jeans etc.
The one fashion item you have a fettish for?
Pyjamas!
We wish team SFD all the very best for their newest addition!
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