SMU's Eco-Fashion Show promotes recycling

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 fashions made from recycled materials.

And the winners were:

• Overall winner and "Most Wearable" winner was Julia Westerbur from College Station, who is majoring in advertising and consumer apparel retail studies.
• Winner of the "Coke" category - at least 50 percent of the outfit had to be made from Coca Cola products - was Aden Abiye of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, who is majoring in accounting.
• Winner in the "Most Creative" category was Matthew Bolanos, who is majoring in computer systems engineering.

Sponsored by SMU's residence hall environmental representatives, the E-Reps, the March 23 event saw plastic bags, newspapers, CDs and aluminum cans turned into the crowd-pleasing outfits by the student designers. They were required to use at least 75 percent reclaimed, recycled, natural and/or organic materials in making their fashion statements at the SMU Eco-Fashion Show.

"As I won the competition I was shocked," Westerbur said. "I made my dress and entered the competition for the challenge of creating a dress from a vogue magazine. I recycle as much as possible in my dorm room and out.

"I appreciate seeing blue and green bins around campus, and I use them as much as possible. Recycling is a great thing for several reasons and I plan to continue doing it," she said.

See a slide show from the 2012 Eco-Fashion Show.

And the winners . . .
Julia Westerbur Overall Winner	Aden Abiye "Coke" Winner	Matthew Bolanos "Most Creative" Winner