Earth Day brings recycled fashions
Published April 24, 2007
A diverse crowd of people came together Sunday in downtown to celebrate Earth Day. Dreadlocks, hemp, dogs and recycled trash were in abundance throughout Peace Park and some of the downtown area. Recycled goods showed up even more on the Seventh Street stage where Fashion Forward, an eco-friendly fashion show, took place.
Senior JoAnna Stech organized the event as a way to commemorate the holiday and to make recycling seem fun.
"It's a fun, good learning experience," Stech said.
Stech got the idea for this show after she saw a flier recruiting people to join the Earth Day committee. She joined and enlisted in the group's entertainment section.
But it's not unusual for Stech to organize a fashion show as she is majoring in textile and apparel management. She said one of her professors always talks about working with recycled goods and gave her the inspiration for the theme of the event.
Once she had it all worked out, she called downtown clothing stores, including Maude Vintage, and recruited local designers.
"Earth Day had a fashion show two years ago, but all of the clothes came from the Recycling Association," Stech said. "I thought that the show should tie in more with local people, and it should bring the community together."
All of the designers used different extremes of recycling in their outfits.
Brianna Bynum created attractive dresses, and one in particular was a black, form-fitting strapless dress adorned with random can tabs.
Bynum said she liked being able to showcase her outfits.
"It was great," she said. "I loved it. Being able to share this with everyone is a great feeling."
The opening fashion line, House of VanSickle, was a bit more eclectic in its clothes. One of the models was pregnant and strutted her stuff in a jean bra top. Another woman wore a black bra with shells sewn onto it and a red boa around her shoulders as she sashayed around the tarp runway lined with rocks.
An even more outrageous outfit featured a woman wearing a tutu-style skirt made of blue plastic with a tiara made out of a pie pan to pull the ensemble together.
Micol Walsh, who stumbled upon the show, stood in awe throughout the whole thing.
"I thought it was the best thing of today," Walsh said. "It combined human interest with useful information. It makes me want to look into local clothing."
Although rocking the runway was unfamiliar at first, the models quickly became adjusted and enjoyed themselves.
"I was a little uncomfortable," model junior Kevin Grib said. "I'm not used to being the center of attention."
Grib said he had a fun time strutting his stuff with his recycled clothing, but he's not sure if the event compelled him to buy recycled goods in the future.
Sophomore Kelsey Fishman said she enjoyed the show.
"I am from Columbia and love local business," Fishman said. "I have always been into recycling. I enjoy reusing things. If you can, why not?"