Photo's credit Semi-Stitched.com
Deconstructing and reconstructing fashions comes naturally to Collin Semien, and his reconstructions have caught the attention of fellow students and social media. One of his wearable creations gained more than 34,000 views on TikTok.
The 20-year-old junior is studying both sustainable land and food systems, and fashion merchandising and design in the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences. Semien combines his two majors by taking old clothing, shoes, blankets and other material and creating something new.
“Designing sustainable is way harder than designing just to design,” Semien aid. “So, it's a cool, creative challenge to make everything wearable art, but also sustainable.”
Semien — whose brand is SEMI-stitched — didn’t set out to be a fashion designer. He began sewing in high school to make his school uniform fit better. That sewing machine came with him when he started at A&T in 2022.
It began to take hold during his freshman year after a friend asked him if he could turn her shorts into a skirt to wear to homecoming. After posting his design to social media, her friends started asking Semien to make clothing for them. “And just the cycle keeps continuing,” he said.
A recent segment featuring Semien on WXII (Channel 12) brought more attention and resulted in expanded clientele. “I see a lot more of the older crowd and the adults taking appreciation in the work that I have done and incorporating the sustainability in their own lifestyle and how they dress as well,” Semien said.
Awareness of his designs has produced copycats, Semien said. But the Baton Rouge, La., native takes that in stride, though he would like them to credit his work as the inspiration for their take on his designs.
“Creating isn't really a competition,” Semien said. “I don't really have an issue with it — just make sure that it's positive and always meaningful, not necessarily just stealing somebody's idea to make your own money.”
He said it’s “weird” to see how many people have seen his designs.
“It's almost surreal, like, I make clothes in my dorm and a million people have seen my clothes on the video”, Semien said. “It shows I'm on the right path. … If all these people wanted to see me at this stage, imagine what will happen at a later stage.”
Semien, who was awarded a scholarship through the Ben’s Original Seat at the Table Fund , is even turning some potential clients away.
“I wouldn’t say a lot, but a reasonable amount to where everything still stays meaningful. I don’t really do … things that don’t match my brand identity.”
While other schools may have larger fashion programs, Semien said he’s found A&T has given him a different sense of community.
“Here, we have professors who are willing to support us, engage with us, and even take time individually to give us opportunities like this (interview),” he said.
Eventually, he would like be a sustainability coach for larger brands, such as Nike or Adidas.
“I also think that getting into luxury would be cool, with custom suiting or bags. And for my brand, I hope to continue it as a custom project, but also work on a line where it's sustainably sourced ready to wear,” he said.
