Sizeless clothes cut out eating triggers
PITTSBURGH — An outfit that fits just right has the potential to empower. But the process of finding one — which often involves sorting through a dizzying sea of sizes that varies from brand to brand — can be overwhelming, particularly for someone who is recovering from an eating disorder.
That’s where Garment Project comes in. Erin Drischler and her fiance, Jordan Tomb, who live on the North Side, recently started the nonprofit that works with treatment facilities to provide patients with new sizeless clothing. That way, women in recovery can focus on successfully transitioning back to their daily routines and maintaining a healthful lifestyle, without focusing on what size they’re wearing.
“Coming home to my closet after multiple different treatment stays and my clothes were too big or too small, I used them as a tool to measure my weight or size.” says Drischler, who struggled with anorexia nervosa for 14 years. “My clothing didn’t necessarily keep me sick, but it was a constant reminder of the person I was with my eating disorder. Clothing also was a way I could transform myself to be the person I wanted to be.”
An estimated 20 million women in the United States have an eating disorder, according to the Garment Project website, thegarmentproject.org.
With fiscal sponsorship from New Sun Rising (a local organization that supports solutions to social issues), the couple launched the project in February, timed with National Eating Disorders Awareness week, and were humbled by the positive responses they received. One of the first retailers to reach out to them was teen clothing chain Rue21, which donated boxes of clothing to the cause. Before pieces are packed and shipped to treatment centers for distribution, all tags with sizing information are removed. Those in recovery will get access to an individualized website where they can browse and select the clothes they like.
In addition to options for teenagers, Garment Project is seeking professional apparel and casual wear for adults. While no clothing has been distributed yet, details are being worked out for a partnership with a national treatment center that would expand the group’s reach.
About two years ago, Drischler and Tomb started to get serious about turning their ideas into a reality — a leap they felt their professional backgrounds equipped them to take. Until the end of last year, Drischler worked full time at Nordstrom managing a few departments. She has since scaled back her hours to focus on Garment Project. Tomb works for the marketing agency Deeplocal in the Strip District and uses his experience as a documentarian to chronicle their nonprofit’s journey.
Although Garment Project still is in its infancy, the path to this point has been a very personal one for its founders. Drischler and Tomb met about five years ago while attending Point Park University and The Art Institute of Pittsburgh, respectively. When Drischler went to California for a treatment program, Tomb came along, too.
“Meeting Erin and becoming close with her was my introduction to this issue,” he says. “I went out to California and participated in some sessions with her and her team out there and tried to get more comfortable in this conversation.”
“I spent a lot of time really learning how to feel confident in speaking and taking up space and knowing that my voice mattered and I had something to offer,” she adds.
Sometimes, that meant tuning out the images on television, social media and in magazines that depict a narrow view of beauty and a woman’s body. She’s encouraged, though, by the “small steps toward improvement” that have cropped up in fashion campaigns and on the catwalk.
Lane Bryant, ModCloth and Aerie by American Eagle are some of the labels that have been at the forefront of incorporating women of more body types in their ads.