FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Award-Winning Sew WhatTM  Announces The National Launch of 

Sew WhatTM Online with EVarize

Co-Led by Fashion Designer & Lifetime’s “Project Runway Junior” Finalist, Zachary Fernandez

Give The Gift of Sewing & Support Girls This Holiday—Proceeds Benefit BayGanda Foundation

BERKELEY, CA—December 5, 2022—Sew What™ today announced the national digital debut of its award-winning curriculum: Sew What™ Online With EVarize. The online version of this three-time “Best of The Bay” winner is a nationwide expansion of the annually-sold out summer sewing camp and provides girls with hands-on opportunities to learn sewing basics, while growing professionally, building confidence, becoming community leaders, networking in creative arts, showcasing their work, and gaining life-lessons. Proceeds support BayGanda Foundation, empowering girls here and in Uganda through education and creative arts.

Geared for girls ages eight to 14, Sew What participants will receive an introductory video and five lessons taught by EVarize—fashion designer, instructor, and the Executive Director of BayGanda Foundation—and San Francisco Bay Area-raised Sew What alum Zachary Fernandez, a finalist on Lifetime’s first season of “Project Runway Junior,” winner of “Project Runway: Threads,” and a graduate of the Parsons School of Design/The New School. Each video is a witty lesson on the basics of sewing, pattern making, portfolio building, croqui use and fashion lingo. The virtual experience includes a video link plus the Sew What designer journal, sticker pack, sewing supplies and drawing supplies shipped directly to students.

Give The Gift of Sewing and Impact Lives

For the 2022 holiday season, Sew What Online is available for $299 USD (regular price is $349).  A gift purchase has the power to transform both a young girl’s life in the Bay Area and in Uganda. Consider this: $100 a month provides boarding school tuition, supplies and housing for a Ugandan girl. The gift of Sew What Online empowers not only the gift recipient in the U.S. but also a young girl in Uganda, Africa, as well as the communities that they each will undoubtedly impact. 

“Sew What has been proven to provide girls with invaluable life skills to grow as creatives and empower them to tap into their creative potential. In safe, inclusive spaces, students delve into all things fashion design; from sketching to product design, to fashion showcase. This experience unlocks entrepreneurship skills and a greater confidence in pursuing their dreams,” said EVarize. “The lives and hearts of our girls here and in Uganda are intertwined through a mutual passion to be seen and a desire to be heard through creative expression. By expanding the program on a national level, Sew What Online will reach more girls, inspiring them to use their creativity as they perfect the skills to pursue their passions becoming confident, creative, young women leaders.”

Empowering Girls Through Sewing

EVarize created the Sew What in-person camp experience in 2005, empowering young girls through 

the art of sewing while providing a creative place to build community and develop new skills. In 2009, she teamed up with SAND, started teaching her sewing camp in Uganda in 2010, and in 2013 joined the SAND board of directors. In 2017, EVarize was named as the Executive Director, and, together with the founders, changed the organization’s name to BayGanda Foundation, bringing awareness to the need for educating girls from the Bay to Uganda using the art of sewing. The foundation focuses efforts on improving the conditions Ugandan children have long suffered due to a combination of an ongoing war and an AIDs epidemic, and works to support Ugandan girls who face immense challenges that impact their well-being, safety, and future. 

EVarize continues to lead the award-winning two-week in-person camp sessions supporting BayGanda Foundation as well as making annual trips to bring Sew What in person to the village of Mutungo, Uganda. As a fashion designer and educator, EVarize is intimately aware of the lasting impact that educating girls through art, specifically sewing, and commerce has on communities. Sew What has already impacted more than 400 girls and offers a safe space allowing girls to tap into newfound strengths and confidence that help them to achieve a more sustainable economic future. Today, with the expansion online, Sew What will reach girls nationwide, deepening the impact across the U.S. and in Uganda.  

“Sew What has been a fundamental part of my life and my creative journey. From making my first tote bag when I was seven to helping to teach this new national digital iteration, I love how the program has grown and is reaching so many people,” said Fernandez. “Sew What has taught me so much—not only about my own design philosophies—but it has also shaped my philosophies on life and what it means to be a part of a community.”

“It is an honor to be part of the Sew What journey,” said Rachel Konte, owner of Red Bay Coffee, sponsor and parent of camper. “Our daughter Assata attended the camp as a child, and she is now 24 years old and attending Design School in Canada. We have seen first-hand the impact that Sew What has had, not only on our own family, but it has proven itself to us and continues to thrive after 18 years in the community. We didn’t hesitate to become a donor of BayGanda, which not only supports young kids here in our community, but also helps young girls in Uganda grow and prosper in a safe space. There's no better way to support girls’ futures.”

“I’m continually inspired by the commitment and love of this amazing foundation. EVarize has built an incredible community through The Sew What Camp and BayGanda,” said Desiree Alexander, founder, Dish Boutique. “The bridging of the two programs is what sets this foundation apart. The Sew What Camp allows young people to learn designing, patterns making and sewing skills and also teaches them community values and entrepreneurship. This exceptional program is then offered in Uganda where young kids can learn these skills and, most important, fund their education. When we give children a chance to shine through education and community, we set forward profound change that allows our communities here and abroad to flourish.”

The Power Surge of Sewing
Sewing continues to see growth, in particular during and post Covid. According to a 2022 report from ReportLinker, the Global Sewing Machine Market size is expected to reach $5.9 billion by 2028. Technology and the use of the same are lead factors that have made sewing more accessible to a wider demographic, with increased demand partially driven by a younger generation who appreciate customization, self-expression and ways to highlight their creativity. Growth is also fueled in many developing markets by a ‘need to sew’ segment that is using sewing machines to create and generate income. 

About Sew WhatTM with EVarize and BayGanda Foundation

With roots in the Bay Area and a deep desire to transform lives in Uganda, BayGanda began sending a team to the village of Bugolobi to teach the art of sewing to girls. Under the executive leadership of EVarize and in collaboration with her Sew WhatTM curriculum and program, BayGanda has been recognized as an innovative leader in Bay Area sewing camps since 2005, while also filling a need for accessible summer programs in the  urban community. Today, EVarize and BayGanda continue to support girls with their academic and creative aspirations, helping to raise up a generation of empowered, enriched, and economically secure young women. Sew WhatTM is a registered trademark and BayGanda Foundation is a registered 501(c)(3). For more information on BayGanda, Sew WhatTM and/or to become a sponsor, visit BayGanda and follow on Instagram, and Facebook. 

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Media Contact:
Dana Young

Mobile: 415-378-7998

Email: ahainkpr@gmail.com