Ready, set, recycle with Project ReUse Fashion Show
By Melanie Barnes, Entertainment Writer
March 8, 2008 | 1:56 p.m.
Recycled fashion hits the catwalk this Saturday at 6 p.m. at ARTS/West with the second annual Project ReUse Fashion Show, a benefit for ReUse Industries, followed by an after-party at Casa Cantina.
No, this is not a hobo-inspired runway show ala Derelicte, Mugatu’s trashy fashion line in the movie "Zoolander." Rather, imagine if Project Runway had their designers create their fabulous gowns with materials found in a thrift store. On a $10 budget.
ReUse Industries does exactly this with their second annual Project ReUse Fashion Show. Ten teams of volunteer designers and models were each given $10 gift certificates to use at the ReUse Industries Thrift Store locations to purchase the raw materials for their creations to compete for prizes donated by local businesses and organizations.
Judges include Passion Works founder and current Ohio Arts Council artist in residence Patty Mitchell, local musician Liz Pahl and Angela Keslar, a former contestant on Project Runway and southeast Ohio resident who brings a little street cred to the competition. Keslar, who has a deep investment in sustainability and eco-awareness, lives on an entirely off-the-grid organic farm in the city of Amesville.
In addition to a live DJ, the show will also host an installation featuring artwork by Athens Middle School seventh and eighth grade students. “Infestation: Love Swarm” is a compilation of found items recycled into collages of art, led by Mitchell and Art Instructor Pandy Reiser.
After the show the creative juices continue to flow at Casa Cantina with the sounds of local favorites Silo Circuit, Casual Future and Russenorsk for the official after-party.
Silo Circuit brings a twinge of Eastern Europe to Athens with an eclectic mix of accordion, cello, banjo and violin, channeling the listener’s inner gypsy to come out and play for one song, and hushing them back into the shadows with the next.
Set to inspire sustainability and the importance of being green, ReUse Industries is a local non-profit organization whose goal is to redirect the flow of reusable items from the landfill and back into homes. The organization’s biggest project of the year occurs when OU students migrate home for the summer, leaving behind mountains of couches, futons and other utilizable items.
In 2007, ReUse Industries collected over 70,000 pounds of reusable items through its free pick-up and drop-off system, adding to the 7 million pounds of reusable items it has salvaged since its inception 15 years ago.
“We can clean it up, fix it and and sell it at our thrift stores for a lower cost,” project coordinator Sherri Oliver said. “We’re interested in protecting the environment in Southeast Ohio and helping people who wouldn’t generally be able to afford new items.”
Project ReUse begins at 6 p.m. Saturday at ARTS/West, located at 132 W. State St. The event is free, but a six dollar donation is encouraged to benefit ReUse Industries. The after-party starts at 10 p.m. at Casa Cantina. A discount for entry into the after-party will be given to those who attend the fashion show.
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