October is here, with the leaves changing colors and the weather cooling down; creeping up on us is Halloween. The holiday comes with candy, festivals, and creative costumes some have been planning all year. The question is: are we buying or making the costume? 

      Sophomore Madi Brown feels very strongly about not just making your own costume, but your own clothes in general because of the uniqueness they bring.

     “I feel very strongly about it because of individuality. I always want to stand out…It sounds really cliche but I love being super colorful and having something new,” Brown said. [It] just blows everybody away.”

     Brown has been sewing her clothes for most of her life, along with the majority of the women in her family sew. 

     “My grandma taught me how to sew and I would make pillow cases…it evolved into different stuff. I would make little stuffed animals with my aunt and little tiny purses and I just kept on trying to experiment with sewing and seeing what I could make,” she said. 

    Brown shares a few reasons on why making your own costume is exceedingly beneficial. She prefers making her own because it is exactly what she wants the clothes to look like. 

     “I have this vision of what I want [my costume] to look like, and usually the clothes [or costumes] you buy aren’t the same as what you would have in mind,“ Brown said. 

     In store or online costumes can be made up of very cheap and low quality material, but when making your own costume you can choose better fabrics. 

     ”A lot of times the quality of them are really bad, and I just feel like it’s better to make your own,” Brown said.  

     Brown suggests making your own patterns. “I feel it definitely can be cheaper depending on where you get your fabrics and [since] I make my own patterns, that also helps [with the costs],” she said. 

    The fashion industry has its effects on the environment and making your own costumes and clothes can control that.  

     “It’s also better for the environment sometimes just with the cost of fast fashion,“ said Madi.“ A concern about making your costume is the amount of time it takes, but with patience you will finish with exactly what you want,”