Hitting the runway with redesigned designs, twelve creative minds
featured their fashions at the Recycled Fashion Show at the Pecan
Street Festival Sunday.


Started in 2007, the event is a benefit for local Treasure City Thrift Store
to encourage creative reuse of materials. Recycled Fashion Show dares
you to, instead of throwing out your old clothing, transform it into
something fresh.


The fashion show also aims to showcase local talent and designers. The
lines of twelve designers, including Malissa Long, Laisa Macias, Jinny
Carder, Geneva Thompson and Lilly Smith, Charle’ Rose (Charlene
Palmer), Kate Williams, Valeri Liszewski, Nisha Bhatt, Shalena White,
Olga Novosselova, Tina Sparkles and Jill Fruit, were featured.


“The Recycled Fashion Show's primary aim is to showcase local
professional and amateur fashion designers, taking old clothes and
showing that you can create outfits that are fresh remixes,” said show
co-organizer Chris Ledesma.


A skirt made from recycled blue jeans, a dress made from oversized
football jerseys and a hairstyle completed with a stuffed parrot graced
the stage as organizer Mike Litt and Sarah Green of the New Movement Comedy Center emceed.


The eclectic, unique outfits of designer Charlene Palmer caught the
crowd’s eyes as the show progressed. Complete with a tutu-adorned, pink
Pomeranian called Little One, Palmer showed off her funky patterns,
toule, ruffles and hairstyles as five models strutted. A glittered
shirt paired with black skull and crossbones underwear and a slitted
blue dress with a matching hairpiece were just a small glimpse into the
creative mind behind HoBo Threads.


“My designed creations are one-of-a kind with inspiration, prayer, and design,” Palmer describes on her Etsy
shop. “I use up-cycled and vintage material and artistically design a
piece of art. Palmer challenges her customers to be adventurous with
her designs.


The show was brought to the Pecan Street Festival by iLoveMikeLitt,
an organization that encourages community participation while bringing
one-of-a-kind events and entertainment to Austin scenes. After
receiving positive feedback from the show’s crowd, Mike Litt and his
team are looking forward to a chance to repeat the event.


“We thought it was awesome to bring the Recycled Fashion Show to Pecan
Street,” said Ledesma. “We really like that the crowd got up close and
added energy to the show and think that the families really enjoyed
seeing something truly unique and representative of Austin's talent.”


With a few stitches and a snip of the scissors, fashion is going green
with events like the Recycled Fashion Show. Recycling plastic bottles
and cans is just one effort in environmentalism. Recycling clothing
from the back corners of your wardrobe is a way to go green in style.