Sonia Thomas is out to change the world one stitch and one fashion statement at a time.
Thomas, a daughter of an impoverished single mother, is the founder of Olanova, a 1-year-old venture headquartered in Salt Lake City that hires local single mothers to complete all of the sewing for its line of eco-friendly clothing. In addition, the company donates sewing machines to impoverished mothers globally.
"The older that I get, [the more] I understand how important it is, as humans, to give back in any way possible," Thomas said.
Thomas said that while growing up in poverty, she saw the challenges that come with a lack of resources. Olanova is the product of her desire to help those in similar circumstances.
Olanova takes donated clothing and other fabricsand "refashions" them into one-of-a-kind new products such as skirts, blouses and vests. It also has a line of organic cotton T-shirts. Each is designed by Thomas, who is now selling her clothing online, but hopes eventually to establish her own chain of boutiques.
"Every person is unique and so your clothing should be unique. So, that’s what makes [Olanova] fun," said J.R. Holbrook, a Utah fashion designer and friend of Thomas.
Holbrook was the emcee for an Olanova fashion show late last month at the Azevedo Studios in Midvale. All proceeds, which came from ticket and products sales, went to help women in need.
"Sonia is so clever because she’s really good at balancing exactly what needs to go where" in her designs, Holbrook said.
For model Mona Nyang, working the Olanova fashion show was different from what she usually experiences walking the runway.
"I liked wearing the clothes because there was a purpose behind it," Nyang said.
The article is from http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/56522284-78/story.csp
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