Meet the DIY creator whose sustainable fashions brought her to the White House

For one California TikToker, upcycling clothes on social media started out as a hobby. Now, Nava Rose, who asked to be identified by her social media name, says she is using her platform to bring awareness to sustainability in fashion.

“It all started because a lot of things weren’t my size at thrift stores,” Rose said. “And I was like, ‘okay, well, maybe I can shorten this or fix that.'”

The 33-year-old content creator, with 5.7 million followers on TikTok, said her journey of documenting thrifting and recycled fashion began in 2018 when she would post for her followers on YouTube. Her passion for style and advocacy for the environment only grew from there.

“Tossing things isn’t the way to go,” she said. “So I figured that I would just start in my own closet and see what I could upcycle and make new. I know there’s a high percentage of items that are thrifted that actually end up in landfills.”

In celebration of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month, Rose was recently invited to the annual White House dinner to represent her Filipino culture. She even showcased one of her traditional sleeve suit dress fits that she crafted from secondhand and recycled materials.

“I started making clothes out of bags, and now I’m at the White House,” Rose said of the experience. “And I was able to wear a piece that I made. So that was really, really special.”

Rose said that her family was one of the biggest motivations that pushed her to pursue her passions.

“I feel like the inspiration that started all of this was my mom and my grandma,” Rose added. “I’m a third generation seamstress – sewing definitely runs through my family, and so I would see my mom making things and fixing up items.”

Rose also said that representing her culture has been a source of pride for her own work and goals.

“[My family] really helped me have this mindset of making do with what you have, and I think that really translates to my DIYs and my upcycles,” she added. “Let’s not keep buying new – let’s figure out what we have on this earth and see how we can make it new again and see how we can make it cute so that people want to wear it or think it’s treasure again, instead of just trash.”

Rose said she isn’t stopping anytime soon and will continue to advocate for protecting the Earth in fun and unique ways, whether it’s recreating new fashion pieces online or composting.

“As far as anyone that wants to get into the DIY space or fashion space, I’m always such a pusher,” she added. “I think whatever passion that you have, just go for it. We don’t know how long we have on earth.”

The one thing Rose said she learned about fashion? “Just don’t take it too seriously. Have fun with it,” she said.