Recycled Couture Fashion Show

On October 27, Virginia Commonwealth University’s Fashion Design Department joined the VRA to hold a recycled couture fashion show. Attended by over 200 people at Richmond’s Renaissance Conference Center, fashion merchandising students awed the audience with creative outfits fashioned out of reused items.

The process began back in the summer when the planning committee discussed holding a fashion show during the conference. Conference chair Georgiana Ball contacted VCU about partnering for the event. “VCU was enthusiastic about this project from beginning to end,” says Ball. “The professors asked their students to create outfits using recycled items. Then, a panel including representatives from the VRA voted on which creations would be in the show. There were about 40 outfits to choose from and 25 were in the fashion show.”

As students strut down the runway on the night of the show, oohhs and ahhhs emanated from the crowd. “It is truly amazing what these students came up with. The show was so creative and fun. My favorite outfit was a dress made entirely out of plastic Wal-Mart bags,” said Erica Trout, VRA’s Administrative Assistant. Other favorites of the evening included the trash bag dress, which was black and white trash bags with hints of red handles made into a formal evening gown; the paper clip dress, a slinky number made entirely out of tiny paper clips; and then there was the aluminum can dress.

Guests also enjoyed chocolate martinis from the bar, delicious food and a silent auction with a recycling theme. All proceeds from this event went to support the Virginia Recycling Association’s endeavors to educate people about recycling in the state.

The VRA would like to thank members of the Richmond media who helped publicize this event. On Friday, October 22nd, WTVR-News 6 co-anchor Reba Hollingsworth interviewed VRA President Kelley Bartell Hope and VCU’s Karen Guthrie about the show. Eva Russo from the Richmond Times-Dispatch and Scott Elmquist with Style Weekly photographed the event. Photos were published in the October 29th Flair section and in a 2004 photo montage in the November 24th edition of the Times-Dispatch and the Winter 2004 edition of Style Fashion Quarterly, published by Style Weekly.