Renew, Reuse, Ready-to-Wear

Trash is back on the catwalk in the best possible way. Returning after the success of its 2019 debut, The American Mural Project in Winsted, Conn., will host the  one-of-kind live Recycled Runway competition on Saturday, Oct. 21. In this TV-show-like challenge, designers must turn one man's garbage into an editorial-ready garment. From scrapped film negatives to discarded luggage, nothing is off the table (or the sewing bench), as long as the ready-to-wear look is 75% recycled material.

It's a concept that has only become more relevant since the last Recycled Runway, as consumers are developing an increased awareness of the harm the fast fashion industry (mass-produced, low-cost retailers that often use plastic fibers) has inflicted on the planet. The UN has named fast fashion responsible for 10% of global carbon emission. 

American Mural Project Executive Director Amy Wynn pointed to several Recycled Runway designers working towards a future of more sustainable apparel.

One of the contestants, Diana Cesaro, an Avon, Conn., based designer, sells her sustainable clothing through an online business on Etsy, a popular e-commerce platform that often specializes in handcrafted and vintage items. "When Diana was invited, she said, 'This is going to be great because I'm all about really making people aware of this awful element of waste in the apparel industry," Wynn said. "She said each pound of waste from apparel production is associated with two pounds of carbon dioxide. In the fashion industry, yearly, as much as 92 million tons of clothing end up in landfills." 

Each of the contestants in Recycled Runway is also competing on behalf of a charity of their choice, with votes for their designs made through donations. Cesaro's charity is FABSCRAP, a non-profit organization based in Brooklyn, N.Y. "It was created to meet New York City's commercial textile and recycling needs," said Wynn. "Materials that traditionally would have gone into the landfill are now being correctly recycled and made available for reuse."

Wynn pointed to another contestant, Songlan Wu, a graduate of Pratt Institute in Brooklyn and a technical designer and the New York City-based fashion house Sachin & Babi, as another artist stitching eco-consciousness into her work, combating waste through what Wu calls "slow fashion." "Songlan Wu's upcycling materials by using leftover yarns and discussing intentionality when it comes to material in her work. It's handcrafted, slowed down fashion concepts, using methods like hand-sewing and beading and embroidery and knitting and hand-dyeing so that you can she can use even less electrical energy. She's making it by hand, she's not using production elements. She's also talked about planning carefully so that you incorporate leftovers into your designs, and in doing so, you also have less waste."

For tickets to Recycled Runway go to www.americanmuralproject.org. Doors open at 6 p.m.

Design by Recycled Runway competitor Songlan Wu Photo courtesy of Songlan Wu