These custom utility vests were designed for my Pre-Thesis project, and in collaboration with Earth Matter NY, a community composting non-profit organization located on Governors Island. The goal of this assignment was to “uplift and empower a group of marginalized bodies.” In 2024 all community composting programs across NYC lost funding from the Department of Sanitation, leading me to choose the Earth Matter staff as my focus for this project. I began by volunteering weekly and determining with the team the type of garment I would make. Later discussions focused on fitting, style, material, and special design requests (internal pockets, key loops, etc). After 4 months of meeting and volunteering, the result was a collection of 7 cohesive yet personalized utility vests. These vests have since been worn by members of the staff to represent Earth Matter NY at the BPI Compostable National Convention and Queens’ County Farm’s Health Fair, and in videos by Food Tank.