When economics and communication of science and technology double major Leilani Rucker, Class of 2026, stepped into the Wond’ry’s Fiber Arts Build Lab, she had the feeling her lifelong love for fashion design was about to gain momentum. In the FAB Lab, Manager Alexandra Sargent Capps provides experiential opportunities to promote sustainable fashion and upcycling. Capps piqued Rucker’s interest when she showed up with a bin of colorful neckties from a clothing drive. Rucker’s imagination was sparked, and she set out to create a small upcycled clothing collection to display during Vanderbilt Fashion Week.
To start, Rucker selected a coordinated color palette of ties. Over the course of the next two semesters, her vision came into focus as she patterned, tucked, pinned, basted and stitched what would become a dress made entirely from neckties. She sought feedback from visitors to the FAB Lab and tweaked the design based on their responses. The learning process was eye-opening, says Rucker, as she realized the scope of this project. “The ties are very intricate, and working with them is a challenge due to the bias cut and texture of the fabric,” Rucker recalls. But in time, the prep work was complete, and she began to construct the dress.
“It was so time consuming; I had moments of being so tired of doing it. There was so much pinning,” Rucker says. The process was arduous; finishing one step would result in three new tasks to complete. But with encouragement from Capps, things picked up in the second semester. “Leilani is devoted to sustainable practices and uses her thoughtful ingenuity, artistry and commitment to sustainability to make beautiful things that inspire others to be bold and imaginative,” Capps says. Even with new challenges arising and moments of concern, Rucker completed the dress in the spring. “There was a high learning curve, and it was a lot like constructing a puzzle. This was a big project to take on for my first full garment.”
Rucker’s efforts paid off. She received a lot of positive feedback, which energized her as she started her second project for Vanderbilt Fashion Week: a top and skirt designed from a man’s dress shirt Research Associate Professor Kevin Galloway salvaged from a dry cleaners. “She transformed a discarded shirt into a stylish and perfectly tailored outfit that walked the runway at the Vanderbilt Fashion Week fashion show,” Capps says. Rucker laughs: “I was going for corporate chic effect with hints of edginess, similar to the Office Siren aesthetic.”
Looking back on the efforts of the past year, Rucker notes that, “Good things take time. Everything pays off when you put in the effort.” She hopes her work can make a difference to other people. Capps perfectly punctuates the accomplishments of her student mentee: “Leilani continues to push herself to learn new skills that she loves to teach to others so they, too, can feel pride and build creative confidence by turning their own ideas into tangible products.”
