Ecouture 2017

Last night was the 3rd annual ECOuture Fashion Show!  I had four incredible models and modeled an upcycled top myself.

ECOuture is hosted by ECO, the environmental collaborative at Cornell.  As someone who is obsessed with sustainable fashion, ECOuture is my ideal event.  There are three categories for the event: responsible fashion (vegan, thrifted, fair trade, etc.), upcycled clothing (take something old and make it new), and my favorite: recycled/untraditional material.

Last year, I designed a top and skirt made out of newspaper (see "Portfolio" page).  This year I made five looks.  I made two upcycled looks: one from a black and white striped dress I got at a thrift store and one from a white lace dress I also bought from a thrift store.  The black and white dress became a comfy loungewear shorts and top set, while the white dress became a backless peplum top that I modeled with Eileen Fisher Jeans.  I also made three looks out of unconventional materials.  Originally, I was only going to make one look for the show: a dress out of wrappers.  Well I made that out of Luna, Lära, and Clif bars (special thanks to my neighbors Kathy and Jon and my cousins Lisa and Alan who mailed me wrappers to use).  My lovely model Alison was great and helped eat enough Luna bars for the dress to fit!  I also made a look made out of paper bags that consisted of a vest and skirt.  A few friends helped crumple the bags, attach the buttons, and my talented friend Alexis served as model (and photographer–thank you Alexis!).  Last but not least, my mom suggested I make something out of an old IKEA bag.  Inspired by Reformation, I made this playful top and skirt set.  I love the criss-cross back and how cute my model Amanda styled it!

I also helped my friend Daniel with his model's look.  He had no design background so I was able to show him some basic sewing techniques and serve as a consultant on his project.  His model Kamakhya wore a dress made of the reflective inside of wrappers with a garbage bag draped and ruched over it.

Thank you to all my friends and family that came out for the show!  It means the world that people traveled across town and even across the state to make it.  It was a fun night and I'm looking forward to next year's ECOuture!