Eco Fashion Show Turns Trash Into Treasure

Center for Sustainability hosted recycling-themed production just in time for Paris Fashion Week

Under the bright lights of the Locatelli Center, sophomore Billy Wagner strutted down a catwalk in a crown made of disposable vapes.

“It’s really hard to balance these things in your head, honestly,” said Wagner, sophomore and Eco Fashion Show model, dressed head to toe in trash. 

On Wednesday March 8, the 2023 Eco Fashion Show, organized by the Center for Sustainability, put dozens of handcrafted, upcycled fashion pieces on display as students flaunted them down the Locatelli runway.

Established in 2011 by Michelle Tang (‘13), the annual Eco Fashion Show aims to promote sustainable fashion and mindful consumption. Each piece is made at no cost to the designer from recycled, reused and refashioned materials. 

The room brimmed with excitement as over a hundred students, staff and guests cheered on the designers and models. The camera lights flickered and clicked as models walked the runway, twirled and posed to shouts of “slay!” 

Innovative pieces like Napa Valley–which reused white fabrics dyed with red wine–impressed audiences, but students didn’t have to know how to sew or create to participate. As one fashion designer described his piece, “My piece is called Blue Shirt. And it's a blue shirt.”

Students from all majors were represented, but the event was mostly attended by environmental studies and science majors.

“I'm definitely really excited to be here and although we were one of the few looks made out of garbage, I'm really excited,” said Quin Doughty, an environmental science major. “We got to represent our Garbology class and our own trash inventories, and we used the trash from all of our community which is really exciting.” 

The show exemplified the creative reuse of materials as a means of promoting sustainable and longer-lasting fashion. 

“These materials were honestly found around the house, or clothes that were donated to me,” said Anna Truong, a marketing major and retail studies minor.

Once the speakers stopped blasting Rihanna, the judges voted on categories such as Best Minimalist Piece, High-End Fashion, Most Imaginative and Fan Favorite. All participants, regardless of whether they won, left the stage smiling.

“You could really create anything from whatever you want,” said Jasmine Lechuga Carrasco, a model. “It's a great opportunity for us to see that we could make something and have a purpose to it. And I like this special choice, demonstrating to all students that you could create a piece and also help the Earth.”