Starting in 2017, Bonita Vista High (BVH) senior Noah Dela Cruz began sewing clothes as a hobby. He initially got into sewing using a sewing machine, but after it broke it forced him to switch to manual sewing until he recently got a new machine. This caused him to truly fall in love with sewing and led him to where he is today.
In N. Dela Cruz’s words, sewing is the art of conjoining fabrics and bringing them together as one. A lot of modern articles of clothing implement this technique and N. Dela Cruz uses it himself to make his own pieces tailored to his artistic taste.
“Sewing is just mending fabrics together using a needle and weaving thread in and out of two different fabrics and making them conjoined,” N. Dela Cruz said. “Almost all modern day fabrics are made this way and I like to use sewing to make my own custom pieces.”
N. Dela Cruz’s mother, Star Dela Cruz, adds that his sewing skills were self-taught, and a vast majority of what he knows about sewing came from self-interest in the art. N. Dela Cruz’s grandmother, however, has assisted N. Dela Cruz in honing his sewing skills.
“We had sewing class in high school, but I don’t think that influenced N. Dela Cruz at all. He learned on his own. However, my mom visited us last summer and helped him learn how to pin and sew neat seams,” S. Dela Cruz said.
N. Dela Cruz grew a talent for sewing and has decided to share his passion by reselling many of the clothes he has made. He would make all kinds of clothing including jeans, shorts, pants and more. S. Dela Cruz expresses how she continues to be very supportive of his interest in sewing.
“Kids nowadays like to thrift to search for vintage items. Noah realized that there’s a market for those clothes, so he started reselling,” S. Dela Cruz said. “My favorite item that he created and sold is the very first pair of jeans that he made. He loved them too. I remember he would wear them multiple times a week. I encourage him to practice. That’s why the entire family asks him to tailor our clothes for us.”
N. Dela Cruz had come a long way from when he first started to teach himself how to sew. Not only does N. Dela Cruz resell clothing, but he also helps alter jeans. With the money that N. Dela Cruz received for his hard work he was later able to purchase a new sewing machine.
“I think it’s cool that he’s able to come up with his own designs. It’s pretty evident by the validation of his peers and strangers. He knows what’s popular and in style with the younger generation, so he’s able to spot items that he can either sell or alter,” S. Dela Cruz said.
Later, N. Dela Cruz started to resell his fashion pieces to his friends. He would resell all the jeans that were in many different styles based on what was trending or not. N. Dela Cruz resells clothing with different fashion styles, allowing him to create a platform where people can explore and embrace diverse aesthetics in the community.
“I like to do the Japanese mending. It’s called Sashiko and it’s basically making decorative designs with the stitching. Like some people make little crosses or plus signs and circles. You just make a lot of them and increase critical pieces,” N. Dela Cruz said.
Not only did he try different methods of sewing but he would sometimes use reusable scraps of clothes or find a bad piece and sew them into something new. It is a great way to reduce waste and get creative. It is good for the environment because it helps minimize the amount of fabric that goes to waste. Plus, he can create unique and personalized items that reflect his own style.
“Some other styles I’ve used are repurpose old clothing. Sewing old pieces of clothing is eco-friendly and you can reuse all your scraps. I think that [it brings a] kind passion for sewing and makes it purposeful. I always liked repurposing clothes. Once I took two pairs of jeans I never wore and I made them into a pair of baggy jeans,” N. Dela Cruz said.
N. Dela Cruz not only has taken up a hobby of sewing but has helped the environment by recycling destroyed jeans and making them useful again. S. Dela Cruz and Tatiana Palomares, N. Dela Cruz’s girlfriend, find that N. Dela Cruz’s hobby of sewing is a great way of expressing himself through fashion.
“I think his sewing hobby enhances our relationships in various ways. I think that Noah’s dedication to his projects reflects how he is creative, patient and his attention to detail, which I think is pretty inspiring,” Palomares said. “Overall, I’m impressed by his sewing hobby and inspired by his creativity in coming up with so many ideas for it.
N. Dela Cruz wants to have his own platform in the future in order to continue selling his work to others. This allows him to be self-sufficient and is a way to continue to express his creativity. By sewing his own clothes, it can help reduce waste and create uniqueness.
“He is a very creative person and has a lot of cool and unique ideas for different projects having to do with sewing. His sewing skills are really impressive and I think it’s cool that he’s self-taught. I think it’s awesome that he resells clothes to make money and also that he sells pants that he has made. He dedicates hours to his sewing projects and focuses on little details,” Palomares said.
