Taylor Bembery
Associate Editor
Even though Sierra Jackson’s clothing brand is named Filthy Broke Fashion, she is rich in her efforts to clothe the less fortunate.
On Sept. 25, the Denim Project clothing drive in conjunction with R.U.F. was held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Student Center at Jackson State University.
Jackson is a senior marketing major from Huntsville, Ala., and said a sermon in church led her to start The Denim Project.
“The pastor was talking about giving without receiving any benefit. So I thought of something I could do that I relate to. I’m a fashion designer and I work with denim often, so I decided to do a clothing drive for jeans because it’s hard for people to find a pair that fits properly and it’s getting cold outside,” said Jackson.
This was Jackson’s first event on campus with her mentor Pastor Elbert McGowan of R.U.F. McGowan known to many students as simply ‘Pastor El’, said he trusts Jackson’s vision and heart.
“This is one of our own students becoming an entrepreneur. I think we as faculty and staff on campus should encourage and support our students with their projects,” said McGowan.
The partnership will also bring attention to Tiger Closet, which is a newly implemented program at JSU that will help students that do not have the resources to buy clothing or daily essentials.
“I think often times our impulse is to go off campus and serve those in need. In actuality, we pass by people everyday who are struggling. We put up a facade like we have money because we’re at an institution but that is not true. We have a lot of people getting purged from classes that don’t have their essentials. I like the idea of turning that emphasis back into our own community,” said McGowan.
Jackson provided three huge boxes for people to drop off donations. Denim jeans were preferred but all clothing was accepted for men, women, and children.
Nicole Thompson, a sophomore mass communications major from Madison, Ala., donated two pair of jeans.
“I knew it would be great to give some kind of donation to people in need. I can give something I know that I don’t need to help someone else,” said Thompson.
Jackson said that there is more to come from The Denim Project. She is currently working on setting up a date for her next clothing drive. She also gave advice to students who want to start their own projects on campus.
“You won’t know until you try. I just stepped out on faith and thought the worst they could do is tell me no; that didn’t happen,” said Jackson.
The donations will benefit families in Jackson and the surrounding areas. All donators were able to take a picture with a life-size Filthy Broke Fashion Instagram cut out. If you would like to keep up with the clothing drive dates, follow @filthybrokefashion and search #TheDenimProject on Instagram.
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