SMU students make fashion statements to promote recycling

By Denise Gee
SMU News

DALLAS (SMU) — SMU’s own version of “Project Runway” — with an eco-twist — hit the catwalk at the Hughes-Trigg Student Center recently when students showcased their creative fashion and sustainability sensibilities.

Anything recyclable was up for grabs, and garb, with plastic bags, newspapers, CDs and aluminum cans incorporated into the crowd-pleasing outfits. Fashions made by the student designers were required to be made of at least 75 percent reclaimed, recycled, natural and/or organic materials.

The winning designers, who took home gift cards, were Matthew Bolaños, lauded for his “Most Wearable” garbage bag-meets-newspaper comics suit; Samantha Rios for “Best Use of Recycled Materials” exhibited in a strapless dress with a skirt made from a broken umbrella; and Alessandra Schultz for her “Most Creative” trash bag bubble dress.

Following are entries from the show. Click an image to see a larger version. Photos by Clayton Smith.

	Keya Davani, a first-year mechanical engineering student and SMU environmental representative, shows off a CD-adorned vest and skirt made with plastic bags from Target. “Both materials aren’t commonly able to be recycled, which is why I wanted to bring attention to them,” she says.
	Elizabeth Patterson sports a dress designed by Samantha Rios. Both are second-year theater students at SMU. The dress’s most striking feature? A broken umbrella. “It was a waste to throw away, so I took apart the metal frame and cut the fabric to fit over hips,” Rios says. “I added the frame back in and, voila!, a super-cute skirt.” Paper coffee cup sleeves, chosen for their faux leather look, line the bustier.
	First-year computer science major Matthew Bolaños wears an ode to print journalism. “My inspiration was the beauty of newspaper, and how its words and pictures have become an iconic image of knowledge and truth,” he says. “Yet we as a society throw this knowledge away everyday into the trash. As a bearer of knowledge, it should be made into something better and greater.” He does that here by gluing newspaper to a clear shower curtain.
	First-year business student Blaire Bogard graces the catwalk with this bubble dress made by Alessandra Shultz, also a first-year business student. “My inspiration was simply to make an actual dress out of hard-to-work-with materials — a dress with integrity,” Shultz says.
	First-year advertising student Mackenzie Keck exhibits a can-do spirit in this strapless dress featuring aluminum cans. It was designed by first-year business major Diana Mansour, who also created earrings and shoe embellishments to complete the eco-ensemble.
	Diana Mansour’s design shines with Coca-Cola can-inspired shoes.

This was the first year for the event, hosted by the Environmental Representatives.

For more details on SMU’s sustainability efforts, visit SMU's Sustainability website.