Sustainable Strut
Fast fashion seems to be running the clothing market lately. With speedy trends in and out of style within days, it’s nearly impossible to keep up, not to mention the high cost and environmental impact.
Cadette Troop 919 from Kittery is fighting back against fast fashion with their own stylish solution: handmade upcycled clothing, and what better way to display their eco-friendly designs than a fashion show?
According to Troop 919 Leader Charlotte Leora, the troop sparked the conversation about textile waste after making aprons out of recycled T-shirts to sell at a local craft fair.
“Simultaneously the girls had so much fun sewing and creating that they thought it would be a fun idea to have a fashion show! Thus, the It Girl: Fall Fashion, Upcycled and Recycled Fashion Show was born,” says Charlotte.
After hatching their plan, the Girl Scouts needed to find clothes to revitalize.
“Some of the girls had clothes handed down that they repurposed, another had clothes that were stained in their closet that they covered up and swapped out, and others had clothes donated and used fabrics leftover from grandparents’ or parents’ fabric bins that they salvaged,” says Charlotte.
The Girl Scouts made two looks each, one for them to wear and one for a friend to model on the runway. With the designs made, they set a date to hold the fashion show on October 27 at the Great Works School in South Berwick.
“We had approximately 60 people in attendance! It was a huge success considering the girls were set on having it with only 6 weeks of planning,” says Charlotte.
After the show, attendees mingled with the Girl Scout designers in the lobby for light refreshments provided by a local sponsor.
Troop 919 hopes to take a trip to Washington D.C. in the future, and the It Girl: Fall Fashion, Upcycled and Recycled Fashion Show was a massive step forward in helping them reach that financial goal.
“Watching the girls come up with this idea, guiding them through it, and seeing it become such a wonderful success at their own doing has been the highlight of my leader journey thus far. I can’t wait to see what the future brings for these girls,” says Charlotte.
