Fashion Fights Poverty: Dress Responsibly Gala

When you think of fashion, the environment and ethical values can easily become distant thoughts. But the Fashion Fights Poverty Dress Responsibly gala at the Artisphere on Saturday night brought eco-friendly, ethically minded fashion to the forefront. The 11 designers who presented collections proved that mindfully made garments can be valuable additions to any almost any wardrobe.

After a marathon runway show punctuated by modern dance performances, the designers presented their collections so that attendees could see each look up close and even touch the items. Here’s a quick recap of some of the looks:

Project Runway (season 7) winner Seth Aaron offered “sustainable, sexy” looks with a certain librarian vibe. His fabrics of choice range from organic threads to recycled plastic bottles.

Laura Williams, a clothing and textile teacher at Woodrow Wilson High School (Fashion Fights Poverty helps to support the school’s fashion programs), was easily the crowd favorite. Her latest collection was inspired by her dreams.

A few of Luis Valenzuela’s “eco art fashion to wear” looks received applause in the middle of the show! Think about soda can pop-tabs, molded plastic corsets, and other non-traditional materials. Valenzuela used surprising elements to create dazzling garments.

The local ladies of Ginger Root Design often pop open the seams of vintage or discarded garments to make new, fun designs. Designer Kristen Swenson McCoy told me that the sleeveless blouse worn here (it was also displayed as an open vest) came from a Goodwill store in Wisconsin!

The Fashion Fights Poverty program also noted that Goodwill Industries International keeps 2.3 billion pounds of clothing and household goods out of landfills every year. How’s that for eco-friendly?

I guess I should finally show you what I wore to the event:

After my no-luck shopping trip at the Columbia Pike Goodwill store, I took a quick spin by the Rockville location. Just as I was about to give up, I spied an interesting red suit near the front door—I had breezed by it on my way in. I paired the vintage suit jacket with a classic-black Jason Wu for Target dress.

I’ll have to tell you more about the DIY work that went into my ensemble, but you’ll have to wait until Wednesday for the details!

One last thing—gala attendee Ariel deserves a public hello here! She greeted me warmly at the event after watching the video of my shopping attempt, and divulged that she too turned to Goodwill for something fabulous to wear to the event. The Goodwill odds weren’t with her this time, but she still looked lovely in vintage. It was great to see many guests at the event embracing vintage, eco-friendly looks.

Check Facebook this week for more photos, and come back on Wednesday to learn more about my outfit!