Waiheke teen Shay Macleod has been juggling schoolwork with a new line in upcycled clothing, custom designed and spray-painted in his yard.
The 16-year-old Saint Kentigern student has been creative in lockdown, posting tutorials on his stencil sprayed designs on social media. His posts were so popular that followers started asking him to make some for them – now he has 22 orders.
“The idea is they select which item of clothing they want me to paint, they send an image and I work off that. Once it’s done I send them a photo,” he said.
“I only do it when there is demand and it’s personalised. Every order is individual. What I have been doing is converting my terrible, stained clothing into really nice pieces.
“I have been asking people to send their crappiest clothing. I am trying to make it sustainable, not just for climate reasons, but also to show what you can do with old clothes instead of having to throw them out. There are other options and it looks a lot better.” • Liza Hamilton
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