Sporting used thrift-store clothing, models displayed a side of style that’s often neglected–sustainability. This new trend in fashion has grown recently due to rising awareness about environmentalism. On Wednesday, N.C. State students demonstrated both their creativity and “green” conscious in the Reusable Runway fashion show.

Reusable Runway gave fashion contestants the chance to become designers with styles that were smart about going green, showcasing thrift store clothing and how they can be made new again.

The Tuesday night before the fashion show, the designers gathered to create their outfits that would be modeled on a catwalk the following evening. The models were there to help the designers and all the clothing used was purchased from the Goodwill thrift store in downtown Raleigh, with funding provided by the Inter-Residence Council. Many council members, as well as non-members volunteered for the program. The goal of Reusable Runway was to put a sustainable spin on style.

The competition kicked off on Wednesday in Riddick Hall with a ten-minute video of the previous night’s designing activities. After the video, the runway became the center of attention as the models strutted their stuff and showed off the designers’ styles.

The three designing contestants were Jasmine Rhodes, Morgan Wolf and Thea Long.  Jasmine Rhodes was declared the winner of the competition by a panel of judges comprised of John Cornett, Megan Lee, Mathew Peterson and Saul Flores.

This was the first competition that Rhodes, a junior in fashion and textiles management, had participated in.

“I was so excited for the chance to compete with the other awesome designers,” Rhodes said. “This will help me for contests to come in the future.”

The outfits were critiqued on their creativity and sustainability by the judges. However, the vote on the best ones was left to the audience members.

The two models that walked for Rhodes were Raven Hawks and Christina Bellville.

The outfits created by the designers were later raffled off to audience members.

Reusable Runway was styled after the hit television series Project Runway. Sophomore in meteorology John Cornett played the “Tim Gunn,” of the program, emulating the fashion celebrity of Project Runway.

“I was really impressed with the designers,” Cornett said. “I was blown away by how fast and innovative the designers were. They took old, ratty clothes that looked like crap and turned them into something modern and stylish.”

Mathew Peterson, a senior in biological sciences and the Sustainability Committee Chair in IRC, was deemed the “sustainability expert” judge.

“Since the clothes were bought from Goodwill,” Peterson said, “it makes the event very local. There’s no shipping cost—no gas for shipping—so there’s a huge fossil fuel saver.”

Peterson said the event promoted being reusable by going to thrift stores instead of a company that produced a new product.  

Jeffrey Florence, a sophomore in psychology, was one of many attendees of Reusable Runway.

“I heard about it through IRC,” said Florence. “And I was very entertained by the designers and the models. I was very impressed by the designers. I know I can’t do something like that. I really enjoyed it.”

Kendre Davis, a sophomore in psychology and the Vice President of Programming for IRC, said the event was a success.

“The models were inexperienced and a little hesitant to get out [on the runway], but they did an awesome job and the designers were great and made awesome outfits.”

According to Davis, the focus of the event was “showing residents how reusing is one of the best ways to be sustainable and this is a really easy change, and how a little hunting and piecing together can make an inexpensive, sustainable and fashion forward wardrobe.”

Melodi Charles, a freshman in biological sciences, was one of the committee chairs for the event.

“I was very pleased with the turnout,” said Charles. “The committee met once a week to discuss the vision, and overall it went really well.”

There are plans for Reusable Runway to return in future semesters so students can see how easy it is to look good and go green.