Sarah Akinbuwa ’s dream of becoming a fashion designer is starting to come true after the 18-year-old Somerville resident went viral on TikTok for crocheting her prom dress. “It’s versatile. Like you could just make something out of strings,” told MassLive, referring to the power of crocheting clothes.
“It’s mind-blowing. So, I think that’s why I stand out.” One of Akinbuwa’s best friends invited her to be his date just four days before the Somerville High School prom in May.
Akinbuwa knew she had little time to find a dress. So she decided to take matters into her own hands — literally. “The day he told me, I went to buy yarn for the dress,” Akinbuwa said.
“I see people buying their dresses, but I don’t see people making them. So I just decided to make mine.” Akinbuwa documented her dress-making journey in a TikTok posted on May 17 .
The TikTok shows her crocheting while sitting on the floor before panning to dozens of pink crocheted flowers on an ottoman. The video’s description reads “just going for my outfit” while the video itself reads, “POV: crocheting my prom dress because it only cost $60 but also cost no sleeping for days.” Akinbuwa’s TikTok has garnered more than 26 million views as of Thursday, June 27.
While she expected the video to get some traction, Akinbuwa didn’t realize how much it would actually get. “To be honest, I did expect it to blow up, but not the way it [did],” Akinbuwa said while mentioning the fact .
