Calendar

Free-4-All
September 13, 9am-1pm
Anderson Park, Normal

3rd Annual Affordable Fashion Challenge

The Illinois Sustainable Living and Wellness Expo is being held April 11-12, and will again encourage designing on a dime. This year, we hope to expand our reach by including all creative members of the community who wish to compete in one of several categories. The Affordable Fashion challenge presents a way to begin looking at fashion design and choosing alternatives to supporting sweatshops and exhausting the natural resources that go into producing our new clothing. Learning about affordable fashion design is also a must from an economic standpoint. We challenge participants to c reate trendy fashions for pennies on the dollar while helping our environment by recycling fabric into fashion. There will be three (3) $100 “best of show” prizes. One for each of the following age groups:

• 18 and under (including all public, private and home schooled students in McLean County)
• College Students (any full-time student enrolled in a community college, state school or private institution)
• Community members (any and all others interested in reducing our impact on the environment by choosing to reduce consumption, reuse materials and recycle resources).

Additional prizes (TBA) within each group will include, but not be limited to: best use of material, most affordable, most elaborate, etc. Special note will be taken of each individual category (see entry form).

Rules

The Affordable Fashion Challenge was designed to raise awareness of the impact our desire to be fashionable has on our environment, and to brainstorm creative ways to combine good fashion, both apparel and interior, with the sustainability of recycled fabrics and accessories. Participants are encouraged to visit local thrift shops (Goodwill, Salvation Army, BroMenn Thrift Shop, Mission Mart are a few examples) or garage sales to find pre-worn/used clothing or fabric.

For Clothing and Accessories

The base of your fashion piece MUST come from a pre-used item. While those talented in sewing may deconstruct an existing article of clothing and totally redesign the piece with used fabric, it is not necessary to possess extraordinary sewing skills. We are looking for creativity. A simple appliqué to a thrift store pair of jeans or embellishments (old costume jewelry) to a garage sale purse might just catch the eye of the judges. Artistic skill, like painting, beading, etc., can be just the touch needed to turn that old drab sweater into a one-of-a kind designer original. Remember, pre-used fabric can also include items like shower curtains, drapes, sheets and tablecloths, etc.

An entry form must accompany all entries with information on the origin of the item, costs involved in re-design and a photograph. (While misc. items such as thread, glue or other items you have on hand may be difficult to place value on, please include them in your listing of materials) Entrants must either model, or provide a model to show their fashions at the Affordable Fashion Challenge Fashion Show at the Shirk Center on April 12, 2008.

Individual entries will be judged in various categories including, but not limited to: resourcefulness, choice of materials, use of color, originality OR authenticity of duplication (if you choose to copy a fashion you’ve seen elsewhere you must bring a picture of the original); wear-ability and functionality are both important. The $100 best-of prize will be at the judges’ discretion and will excel at some or all of these criteria.

For Interior Design

Decorating your home is a talent and decorating on a dime takes even more talent. Entries to this category must submit a before and after picture of their re-design space. Create an elegant dining room table w/mismatched china and napkins sewn from old bedroom drapes or paint the back of an old rocking chair then design a cushion from a donated bathrobe. Recover an overstuffed chair in that leopard print comforter found at a garage sale. The entrant is encouraged to produce home décor designed around pre-used items. Entries in this category must submit at least 2 (5” x 7”) photographs – more are encouraged – of the space they have created. Pictures are to be mounted on poster board (at least 11” x 17”) and descriptions attached/included. The top prize in this category is a $100 gift certificate to City Consignment of Bloomington.

Entrants in all three age categories are invited to participate in the interiors category.

GOOD LUCK! We look forward to seeing your work!

Registration

The deadline to enter is Wednesday, April 8. For more information please contact Michelle Hunt at (309)-533-1642.

Download Application Form

For more information contact the Ecology Action Center at 309-454-3169