Sydney Sweeney on Restoring Cars, Her Ford Workwear Collection, and More

Growing up in a family of mechanics in Spokane, WA, Sydney Sweeney fell in love with all things cars. “I grew up learning to drive on my great-grandpa’s old Ford truck, and then my mom would teach me how to drive and show me how to do different things with the car. I just knew that I really wanted to build my own cars one day. I thought it was so cool seeing my uncles and my cousins work on cars, and I wanted to have that knowledge, that power of the vehicle as well,” Sweeney tells POPSUGAR. She even documented her experience restoring a 1969 Ford Bronco on her TikTok @syds_garage. Restoring a car is quite a feat, but Sweeney is passionate about picking up all the tricks of the trade from the experts in her life, and she wants to share her knowledge and passion with the rest of us. “I think we are in the era of breaking down barriers, and that’s what I love a lot about Ford. They’re embracing this incredible female movement of empowering, educating, and just promoting women to enter a space that is usually a male-dominated area. Don’t be discouraged. Turn around to all the naysayers, and just walk your own path and kill it what you do.”

She’s currently working on restoring a 1965 Mustang, which she named Britney (after the original color, Brittany Blue), and it’s what inspired her second limited-edition workwear collection with Ford and Dickies. “My favorite color is blue, and when I saw how beautiful this car was, I was like, I have to get this car, this is so amazing . . . All the new pieces have a hint and are modeled after the Mustang and all my love for blue and the colors that were used with it,” she says. Combining stylish silhouettes with a utility design, the collection includes denim coveralls, a racing jacket, a corduroy hat, a T-shirt, and a key chain. “These pieces are my personal style, I’m very much an overall, coverall, baby T-shirt, baseball cap kind of girl,” she says. “I always think that there’s no wrong way to embrace your personal style. If you want to wear the baby T-shirt on top of a dress or with jeans or however, whatever you feel the most you, that’s how I want you to style it. That’s why I wanted to create this collection, because I want you to be able to go into the shop and work, or I want you to be able to wear it on the streets. It’s a very versatile and universal collection for everybody.”

With her partnership with Ford, she aims to empower more women to enter the auto space and learn more about the basics of car care. That’s why she included a lookbook that features step-by-step instructions for basic vehicle maintenance, including changing a car battery and checking tire pressure, brake fluid, and oil. Plus, the site has plenty of how-to videos and tutorials on car maintenance.