Kelowna Woman Wears the Same Dress for 180 Days

A woman in Kelowna is planning to wear the same dress for nearly 200 days straight.

Ingrid Uhrich started wearing a simple black dress on January 1^st as a way to be educational and to inspire others to learn more about Fashion Sustainability. On top of this being an educational project Uhrich is raising money towards two causes close to her heart.

The first thing the money raised will go towards is the St. Joseph Project. The Elementary school in Kelowna is in need of a new building but since it’s an independent school the school itself must provide all the money for the new facility.

The second thing Uhrich is raising money for is the Institute Mixte Remax (IMR) School in Montrouis, Haiti.

“In the same way that I want to help St. Joseph, I recognize that there are many schools elsewhere that have much bigger needs than ours. For this reason I want to share our blessings with those who need it most,” Uhrich said.

IMR is located in a small fishing village on the western coast of Haiti. The school is for children in Kindergarten to grade seven. Children can go there for free and the school provides the students with a uniform, multi-vitamin, and a lunch every day.

“$50 enables a child to attend IMR for one month: tuition, supplies, uniform, lunch/vitamin. It’s a small investment in a child’s life that will make a significant impact. Haiti in My Heart is a local, Kelowna-based charity working with IMR and its U.S partner, Love4Haiti, to support IMR and its students,” explained Uhrich.

Almost a month into the project Urich is using accessories to enhance the otherwise plain black dress and she’s documenting all the outfits online.

Uhrich has worked in the fashion industry for the past 20 years and is hoping to go back to a more holistic way of making, buying, and selling clothing. Fashion Sustainability, which this project currently is part of promotes a slower approach to fashion. It’s not all about the latest trends and the biggest brand names.

Every day Uhrich is donating $3 of her own money to the charities instead of maybe spending that money in the clothing department.

“I say even a little bit of awareness and education can make a big difference, maybe enough to change a mindset and turn directions 180 degrees”, said Uhrich about the ultimate purpose of this project in the long run.

Uhrich hopes to raise $5000 before the 180 days are up.