SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) – When Elliot Pippin’s grandmother passed away, she left him with a gift he still treasures to this day— her sewing machine. As a child, Pippin was enamored with costume making and learned how to sew by watching his grandmother. It was not until this past summer, however, that Pippin decided to put his sewing skills to a different use. When he saw the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter protests, he knew he wanted to help the members of his community. He came across a charity called For the Gworls, which assists members of the Black transgender community by giving them money for housing and gender reassignment surgeries.
He took to his sewing machine and starting sewing masks, which were in great demand due to the coronavirus pandemic. Since Pippin realized most of his sales came from his friends, he chose to make products geared toward college students. He sews custom-styled Greek letters onto shirts and hoodies at a cheaper price than most students could find on the internet.
During his first round of sales, Pippin raised $130 to donate to For the Gworls (https://www.artsbusinesscollaborative.org/asp-products/for-the-gworls-rent-and-gender-affirming-surgery-fund/). After taking a short break from sewing so he could move back to school, Elliot Pippin is taking orders for masks and letters again. He hopes to donate half of all of his proceeds to For the Gworls.
Pippin, who is currently a senior at Syracuse University, finds a way to combine many of his passions through his sewing business. He originally became interested in American Sign Language while taking a course in high school. To help deaf and hard of hearing people read lips, Pippin also started a line of masks with clear plastic around the mouth so lips are visible.
“I want to support others and lift up other people’s voices, even when they’re not my own, and I think using my skill to do that is just something I can do,” Pippin said.
