The thought of wearing the same thing every day would drive us here at coolography to the brink of insanity. How we managed to survive through the draconian style inhibitors of our schooling is particularly perplexing, though we still pride ourselves on managing to eke out some sort of individuality from our limited wardrobe.

Fast forward a number of years and coolography has stumbled upon the uniform project, a spark of genius from designer Sheena Matheiken, who has taken the idea of individualising a uniform to extreme, yet admirable levels. By setting herself the daunting task of wearing the same dress for 365 days, coolography was initially sceptical, but 42 days in and we’re suitably impressed…

Sheena dons a bespoke dress (of which there are seven, identical versions), and each day customises and accessorises the daily uniform. Populating each individual look are items or garments that are either hand-me-downs, vintage purchases, or snapped up from online marketplaces such as eBay or Etsy. Though the project may come across as simply a fun (if time consuming) exercise in fashion, it is, in reality, a study of the practicality of sustainable and ethical style. Most importantly, Sheena is using the project to promote and raise funds for the Akanksha Foundation, which is devoted to the funding of education for slum children in India.

Nearly a month and a half into her 12 month project, Sheena still continues to surprise with her daily dose of dress, turning on its head the normally very fickle and wasteful nature of fashion.

The Uniform Project